There s been a fair amount of talk about the new Nicole Kidman film, Moulin Rouge , which opened in Los Angeles and New York theaters this past weekend. The film is a tale of two lovers set against the backdrop of the famously decadent and bohemian cabaret nightclub in Moulin Rouge in 1899 Paris.
Movie critics agree that it s unlike anything audiences have ever seen before.
More specifically, coverage of the 20 th Century Fox movie was more focused on how the director conveys the story than what the story actually is. The simplest way of explaining the movie is that it s a musical, but there s more to it than that. The choice of songs sung in the film also received frequent notice, as they did for Luhrmann s Romeo and Juliet . Coverage also pointed out the anachronism of having 20 th century songs by Nirvana, Elton John, Madonna, and U2 in a 19 th century period piece. The advance coverage also frequently mentioned that Moulin Rouge was a contender for the Cannes International Film Festival s prestigious Palm d Or award for best picture.