You'll Either Love It or You'll Hate It ...

Rating: 9/10 (3 March 2002)

... because I cannot imagine feeling neutral about this film. I happened to love it, although I admit that it took me fifteen to twenty minutes to adjust to its frenetic pacing, its farcical tone, and its fanciful melodramatic presentation. 'Moulin Rouge!' is a film to contend with; its images are sometimes spectacularly beautiful, at other times dark and nightmarish. It looks like one or all of the following could have directed it: Stanley Kubrick, David Lynch, Orson Welles, and Bob Fosse. Set in 1899 in the Montemarte section of Paris, during the rise of the bohemian movement and awash with colorful characters, savory and unsavory, 'Moulin Rouge!' is the retelling of the famous 'Camille' story (a.k.a. 'La Boheme', a.k.a. 'Rent'). At the heart of the famous Moulin Rouge nightclub is the fabulous Satine, a courtesan of unbelievable beauty and renown, performed with lusty opulence by Nicole Kidman. Satine is being pursued by two men--a rich and worldly Duke, played by Richard Roxburgh, who all but twirls his moustache around his finger as evil epitomized; and by Christian, a naÃ¯ve and penniless writer, played in a winning performance by Ewan McGregor, who instantly gains the audience's empathy with his large and expressive, aquatic eyes. Satine needs the financial backing that the Duke can provide to assist her in becoming a real actress, but falls in love with Christian, who captures her heart with his simplicity and his idealized concept of love. Early on the audience learns that Satine is consumptive, thus setting the stage for light farce transfiguring itself into rich tragedy. The costumes are wildly extravagant and gorgeous; the sets sensual and voluptuous--fantastical buildings and exquisite skylines that, at first glance, look as if they were conceived by a psychopathic drag queen on a hit of acid. But the backdrops are in themselves necessary characters to this eye filling production. The songs--most of which will be familiar to the MTV generation--are magnificently arranged and are given new meaning by their context in the movie; you will never hear them quite the same way again. McGregor's surprising vocal talent--at times a soft and delicate delivery, at other times surging and strong--gives new life to Elton John's 'This Is Your Song'. It is a scene as joyful and uplifting as watching Gene Kelly singing and dancing in street puddles in 'Singing in the Rain'. Kidman's voice is a bit thin and breathy, but she more than compensates for it with her astonishing abilities as an actor, and is delightful in the clever combination of 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend' and 'A Material Girl'. A Carmenesque, flamenco-stylized version of The Police's 'Roxanne' is dangerous and spine tingling. Perhaps the most outrageous treatment of our recent pop past is of Madonna's 'Like A Virgin'; it is reminiscent of the title scene from 'Hello Dolly!', hilariously overblown, complete with dancing and singing waiters. Like I said, this film isn't for everyone. Many will be put off by the apparent overacting of the cast, misunderstanding the intentional quality of melodrama that is inherent in the concept of the overall piece, and by its lavish cacophony which gives the film its carnival-like feel. It is, in the end, a beautifully realized, intentionally bohemian enactment of an oft-told bohemian tale--at its core is the movement's motto: 'Truth, Beauty, Freedom, Love.' Who could ask for anything more? A triumph.