Love Story on Speed!!!

Rating: Null/10 (11 December 2001)

Baz Luhrman's grand musical extravaganza arrived on a wave of make or break expectations following rumours of budget overspends,last minute panic at the editing stage and a much prolonged shooting schedule ( partly the result of Nicole Kidman's injured ankle). The initial interviews were very mixed, both in Australia and overseas . Public reaction was very positive in Australia and Europe. The U.S. market was more measured in its response ( though it is apparently performing much better in a current pre-Oscar nomination re release(bolstered now by Kidman's great U.S. success in "The Others") Now that the dust has settled on the initial reactions to the movie, it is possible to take a more balanced response. Firstly, let me say that I find Moulin Rouge to be one of the most purely entertaining of the last year. The fabulous costumes and set design alone indicate much more expense than the comparatively modest budget would suggest possible.The mood of high exaggeration,frenetic pacing, camerawork and editing combined with near hysterical performances threaten to overwhelm the movie initially. However, Luhrman's plan to contrast his central love story against this background of high energy and wild exaggeration ultimately works splendidly in a new and hitherto untried way in movie musicals. The use of modern popular songs again works amazingly well and produces both moving and sometimes hilarious results. For all his directing brilliance, this daring mix of diverse elements would probably not have worked at all without the strength of the two central performances. Both Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor are superb and touching and hold the movie together. The other characters revolve around them as necessarily two dimensional constructs, funny,nasty or grotesque.