A rare 10

Rating: 10/10 (5 June 2001)

A rating of 10 should be only for a movie that captivates you, whose plotline sticks in your head for days on end. Moulin Rouge is one of the now 11 movies in my lifetime that has earned such a distinction.
And now, to respond to some of the harsh criticism I've read:
1. "The first scene in the club is too fast-paced, and too overwhelming." Well, could someone please provide me with two better adjectives to describe what someone in Christian's shoes would feel, straight off the bourgeois train and into the Moulin Rouge?
2. "The plotline is weak". I'll channel Alexandre Dumas Fils and let him know that, after 140 years, it turns out that his play doesn't cut the mustard. Shall I inform Shakespeare while I'm at it?
3. "The songs is anachronistic." Not so, not so. Not a word is out of place. If you'll listen carefully, you'll notice that there is not a single word sung that would not make sense in 1900 (e.g., deleting the reference to the Automat in Diamonds). Christian even admits that it's modern and might take a while for Satine to get used to. So what if the songs were written after the story is set - name a musical that isn't!If anything, the music shows just how much pop culture is dependent upon the creative powers and love of freedom Les Bohemes celebrated. I suppose you'd have similar criticism for Jesus Christ, Superstar for not singing in the style of the ancient romans; or for that matter, Carmen for singing in French!
Woe to those who cross my path in criticism of Le Moulin Rouge. I say it again, 10 out of 10!