After a closer observation (and repeated viewings)...

Rating: 10/10 (1 January 2003)

...I finally found the method to this film's frentic madness. Before, I used to get overwhelmed and think that there was no true depth to this film and thought it was just an attempt for Baz Luhrmann to establish himself as a unique film-making style. Turns out, it's not in his pace of film-making, but in the style of his shots that seem to encompass a world in and of itself that sets him apart from flash in the pan directors like Michael Bay and McG.
The film tells a heartbreaking tale of true love and how it transcends the boundaries of materialism and set standards. We have idealist Christian (Ewan McGreggor) who comes to Paris in 1899 to find his voice as a writer. As he meets a gala of colorful roommates who take him to the Moulin Rouge to pitch his play, he sees Satine, the crown jewel of the cabaret, and is instantly captivated by her. But unlike the other men who are put under her spell, Christian can see what Satine has hidden from everyone else and he falls in love with her. After Christian shows Satine that life (and love) can and does exist outside of the Moulin Rouge, they begin their love affair. But Satine is constantly dragged back into her world by The Duke who simply wants to buy her with material possessions.
What the film has to say about love is that it can transcend any drudgery and elevate those whose hearts are filled with it. Even in the darkest of places where "love is available to the highest bidder" as one song suggests, if you truly love someone for who they are, then love can exist anywhere.
Bax Luhrman creates a 17th-18th centuary like we've never seen, where the colors are vivid, the lighting has as many spotlights as it does shadows and the pace is more frentic than today's hustle and bustle. Though at times the songs and pace can seem out of place, it only helps to create one man's vision of the times. Luhrman's style may not be liked by many, but one cannot deny that it is his own.
At first, I enjoyed Moulin Rouge, but then the pace grew so fast for me that I became exhausted with it and couldn't find the depth that I once saw in it. Then watching it again on DVD on my TV has shown me that this is the best way to watch this movie so as not to be overwhelmed by the the big screen, but seen in widescreen so the TV won't cut out every facet of this festival for the eyes and ears.
Despite the ending, one can't help but feel grateful that love had existed, helped someone achieve their dream and give them the sense of freedom. And in doing that, Luhrman and company have truly embodied and modernized the Bohemian mantra of Freedom, Beauty, Truth and Love.