A Truly Modern Musical

Rating: 9/10 (16 June 2009)

My favorite musical, it's also a tragic love story and is at times very funny.
An idealistic young writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) is wooed by the Bohemian lifestyle flourishing in Montmartre district of Paris where he falls in love with Satine (Nicole Kidman) a singer and courtesan at the famous nightclub Moulin Rouge. Along for the ride are Jim Broadbent (who would win an Oscar for Iris the same year) who plays Harold Zidler the club's manager, John Leguizamo as Toulouse-Lautrec and Richard Roxburgh as The Duke the couple's nemesis.
Baz Luhrmann (Director, Writer, Producer) expressionistic vision is visually captivating and that combined with the film frenetic pace and wonderful use of contemporary music makes this a truly memorable experience.
Strong performances from Kidman, McGregor, Broadbent and others but the exaggerated style and approach keeps these from being award winning roles though they are wonderful performances. In addition to their acting talents Kidman and McGregor are both worthy of praise for their singing talents, and Broadbent's single musical contribution is definitely memorable.
Moulin Rouge was the third part of Luhrman's so called Red Curtain Trilogy, the first two parts being Strictly Ballroom and William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet. The films share a creative team in addition to design and thematic elements though the stories and characters are not connected.
The film was recognized throughout the world and nominated for 8 Oscars including Best Picture and would win two of them Costume Design and Set Decoration â€“ Art Direction.