Surreal and Chaotic

Rating: 7/10 (2 May 2020)

"The singing is okay, the spectacle is amazing," said "Broadway" magazine, and a bizarre and often boring spectacle it is. The spoof of "The Sound of Music" is apparent, but one does wonder why it is being done-half serious, half mockery, and overlaid with absurdity. Prepare to have your senses assaulted and your musical assumptions challenged. You've got to know your musical history to appreciate the allusions in this satire. Incorporating a number of anachronistic songs and motifs, this odd spectacle ostensibly set in Paris in 1900 attempts to look at the mystique of the city and the Moulin Rouge nightclub from a new and surreal angle. The special effects are wonderful, but ultimately this film is more bizarre than engaging. If the credits had said "Directed by Salvadore Dali" I would have believed them. If you have seen every film musical made before this one, the echoes will resonate. otherwise you might just gaze at the screen in confusion. Songs include "Nature Boy," "Lady Marmalade," and many other pop tunes.