Truth, beauty, freedom, love

Rating: 10/10 (18 October 2001)

I finally got around to see this film, I thought it would be a good film, boy, how wrong I was, it was a great film.
It's a love story, but not only about love for another human being, but also for the love of art. Art in any sense, music, cinema, architecture, etc. Whichever form.
All is being brought to us by the almost forgotten form of cinema, musical. The film-musical had it's prime during a time of depression and war, which main purpose was to give a little joy to the people. During the fifties and sixties, they tried to make them a little bit more serious or to take big Broadway productions to the screen. But by the summer of love the musical was as good as dead.
So now we enter the 21st century and a whole generation doesn't know what movie-musicals are all about. They have never seen films with Gene Kelly - Judy Garland - Fred Astaire.
What Baz Luhrman did was great, create a modern day version of "Singin' In The Rain", a film packed with modern classic songs. "Moulin Rouge" is the same concept as "Singin' In The Rain", old songs covered in a new story. The only distinction is that Baz Luhrman also gave the old songs a make-over. So we have a musical for the MTV-generation. It was a bold idea which happened to succeed perfectly.
Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and Jim Broadbent were wonderful. The art-direction, cinematography and costumes were spectacular and the choice of music terrific.
In my eyes you can only hate this film, if you loath music or cinematography. But for me these forms of art are a basic human need, just like oxygen, food, water and love.
"Moulin Rouge" a lust for the eyes and ears. 10/10