Not a blockbuster, but a piece of art

Rating: 10/10 (15 March 2002)

For starters, I love Moulin Rouge. It gets a 10.
Moulin Rouge does *not* possess a very interesting story. It's trite. What's more, the foreshadowing of the plot is so blatant that "shadowing" is not really accurate. However, the movie is exceedingly artistic, and that is how it succeeds.
By using a well-known story, the essence of which being classic although overused throughout history, Baz alleviates himself from having to concentrate on plot. The movie does not suffer from misunderstanding, from which many movies with intricate plot lines do. As a result, he is able to pour his efforts into *how* the story is told rather than *what* the story is. It is the means the artist employs, not his/her subject matter, that keeps art enduring over the years. This is the reason that I view it as one of the best movies ever created. Long after summer blockbusters and feel-good or PC critic-choices fade into the background, Moulin Rouge will still be memorable as a movie that pushed the limits, shattering illusions of how cinema and musicals should be created.
The basic framework of the movie is highly original for film and highly artistic in itself: the echoing of drama with music, the direct links between dialogue and impending action (e.g. Zidler states they will rehearse tomorrow the scene when the "lovers are discovered" and promptly he discovers Christian and Satine's love affair), and the collage technique - pasting snippets from other compositions, both musical and cinematic. For those with a knowledge of 20th century music, Moulin Rouge has many artistic similarities with Luciano Berio's _Sinfonia_, the third movement.
Layered on this framework is the acting, which is impeccable. The four main characters (Christian, Satine, Zidler, and the Duke) were cast perfectly, and their performances are interesting, fresh, and convincing. Nicole finally has chosen a role where she can really explore her talents, and in Moulin Rouge we can finally see why she is a big name actress. Richard Roxburgh and Jim Broadbent handily juggle their comic roles with their more serious characterizations. But Ewan's performance really takes the cake. His character is one, which, in practically every incarnation, is the annoying, hopelessly naive, nauseatingly optimistic boy-next-door. Yet, Ewan's performance is so genuine and fresh (yes, fresh!); I never once wished him ill. Ewan took a usually distasteful character and made him lovable.
The sets and costumes were stunning and vibrant only when they needed to be. And Baz's use of sepia backgrounds produced wonderful contrasts throughout, but particularly in the second half of the movie. The lighting was used effectively to complement the mood of the scene, not simply to illuminate the set nor to establish the mood in its own right. The editing was also very effective. The quick cuts can be daunting, especially during the Can-Can sequence, but I believe they are used to great effect, allowing Baz to keep only the most convincing shots of a take. The performances of the actors can be contributed as much to Baz's editing as the actors themselves. In addition, there were unusual camera angles, which cast an atypical view of a scene. My favorite is the shot after Christian shouts at Toulouse to leave him alone. A typical shot would be a tight close-up to show intensity. But Baz instead shows Christian's entire body sitting rather lifeless in bed, which really illustrates Christian's true emotions - sadness, despair - rather than the quick and easy emotion of anger.
In the end, Moulin Rouge is a work of art. Fruitful debate will stem not from it's plot, but rather from more academic discussions of it's technique and form - how the movie *reinvents* the Orphean myth rather than qualities of the myth itself. And for those that enjoy it, Moulin Rouge can be watched numerous times. There is so much detail and self-reference - especially some intriguing flash-forwards - that one can pick up on something new each viewing.
As for advice, if you need an intriguing, suspenseful plot, you will probably not enjoy Moulin Rouge. If, however, you can enjoy a movie solely for its artistic qualities, I believe you will enjoy it. Nevertheless, I suggest that everyone view it at least once - if not twice to pick up things that one cannot notice the first time - because it is truly a movie different from anything else ever made.