A truly satisfying fairy tale.

Rating: Null/10 (9 September 2001)

There are times when you leave the cinema wanting to say that you have just seen the best film ever made. Of course, this is nonsense. The feeling will eventually be replaced by another `best ever' film or a more sober judgment made using a different mix of reason and emotion. Accordingly, I now give stars to my films and Moulin Rouge deserves the full five stars - which certainly does not mean it is beyond criticism. The opening is reminiscent of many a Walt Disney film as we are taken across the rooftops of Paris and down into its nineteenth century streets. To complain that there are aspects of the story which are not original is to miss the point. This is fairytale territory. And to confirm the fact Moulin Rouge has its own tinkerbell in the green fairy. The genius of Baz Luhrmann is to make something so original out of ingredients which are in themselves so unoriginal. The music illustrates the point. The soundtrack is, of course, one sustained and highly successful musical joke. Much of the humour in the film comes from the choice of songs and the audience plays along wondering what might come next, how it is going to be arranged, and how it is going to be used in this film. Luhrmann has trawled through popular music, ripping pieces from here and there and pasting them back into a highly successful collage of sound. On its own the soundtrack is nothing special, the CD is a disappointment, but in the film it dances hand in hand with a visual fiesta. Photography and editing combining to make this a truly spectacular (spectacular) film. (**Possible spoiler**) The tone of the film moves from comedy to tragedy and the audience stops laughing at the choice of songs. The ending is now predictable as it must be in all tragedy. In the musical within the film we are warned that it is futile to change the ending of a fairy tale to something else. Baz Luhrmann shows that an even more satisfying ending can be achieved by ignoring that advice. The stars shine, although Nicole Kidman shines just a little brighter than Ewan McGregor. Both surprise and delight with their singing, so much so that one wonders how much technological assistance was required to bring about the result. Not that it really matters. For all its success I doubt if this film has what it is necessary to make it a classic. Classics are replayed in 50 years time. Long before then many of the songs on the soundtrack will have been forgotten and when that happens what is such a pleasurable mix today will be little more than a confusing rag-bag of unrecognised clippings. But until then this is a film to be enjoyed again and again.