Moulin Rouge!

Plot synopsis:
In the year 1900, a British writer named Christian (Ewan McGregor), suffering from depression, begins writing on his typewriter ("Nature Boy"). As Christian narrates, the film flashes back to one year earlier upon Christian's move to the Montmartre district of Paris to become a writer among members of the area's Bohemian movement. He soon discovers that his neighbours are a loose troupe of performers led by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo). Toulouse-Lautrec and the others ask for Christian's help, and his writing skills allow them to finish their proposed show, "Spectacular Spectacular", that they wish to sell to the owner of the Moulin Rouge, Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). The group arrives at the Moulin Rouge as Zidler and his "Diamond Dog Dancers" perform for the audience ("Zidler's Rap Medley"). Toulouse arranges for Christian to see Satine (Nicole Kidman), the star courtesan, in her private quarters to present the work, unaware that Zidler is promising Satine to the wealthy and unscrupulous Duke of Monroth (Richard Roxburgh), a potential investor in the cabaret ("Sparkling Diamonds").
Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke, and dances with him before retiring to her private chamber with him to discuss things confidentially ("Rhythm of the Night", "Meet Me in the Red Room"), but soon learns he is just a writer ("Your Song"). The Duke interrupts them; Christian and Satine claim they were practicing lines for "Spectacular Spectacular". With Zidler's help, Toulouse and the rest of the troupe pitch the show to the Duke with an improvised plot about an evil maharajah attempting to woo an Indian courtesan who loves a poor sitar player ("The Pitch (Spectacular Spectacular)"). The Duke backs the show on the condition that only he may see Satine. Satine contemplates on Christian and her longing to leave the Moulin Rouge to become "a real actress" ("One Day I'll Fly Away"). Christian goes back to Satine to convince her that they should be together, she eventually falls for him ("Elephant Love Medley"). As the cabaret is converted to a theater, Christian and Satine continue seeing each other under the pretense of rehearsing Satine's lines. The Duke becomes suspicious of their frequent meetings and warns Zidler that he may stop financing the show; Zidler arranges for Satine to dine with the Duke that evening, but she falls ill from tuberculosis ("If I should die (Górecki)"). Zidler makes excuses to the Duke, claiming that Satine has gone to confession ("Like a Virgin"). Zidler learns that Satine does not have long to live. Satine tells Christian that their relationship endangers the show, but he counters by writing a secret love song to affirm their love ("Come What May").
As the Duke watches Christian rehearsing with Satine, Nini, a jealous performer, points out that the play is a metaphor for Christian, Satine and the Duke. Enraged, the Duke demands the ending be changed with the courtesan choosing the maharajah; Satine offers to spend the night with the Duke to keep the original ending. At the Duke's quarters, Satine sees Christian on the streets below, and realizes she cannot sleep with the Duke. ("El Tango de Roxanne (Roxanne)"). The Duke attempts to rape her, but she is saved by Le Chocolat, one of the cabaret dancers. Reunited with Christian, he urges her to run away with him. The Duke tells Zidler he will have Christian killed if Satine is not his. Zidler reiterates this warning to Satine, but when she refuses to return, he finally informs her she is dying ("A Fool to Believe"). Zidler tells Satine that to save Christian's life, she has to tell him that she will be staying with the Duke and she doesn't love him ("The Show Must Go On"). Christian tries following her, but is denied entry to the Moulin Rouge, and becomes depressed, even though Toulouse insists that Satine does love him.
The night of the show, Christian sneaks into the Moulin Rouge, intending to pay Satine to return his love just as the Duke paid for her ("Hindi Sad Diamonds"). He catches Satine before she steps on stage and demands she tell him she does not love him. Suddenly they find themselves in the spotlight; Zidler improvises and convinces the audience that Christian is the sitar player in disguise. Christian denounces Satine and walks off the stage. From the rafters, Toulouse cries out, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return", spurring Satine to sing the song Christian wrote to express their love. Christian returns to the stage, joining her in the song and reaffirming his love for her. The Duke orders his bodyguard to kill Christian, but is thwarted, while the Duke's own attempt is stopped by Zidler. The Duke storms out of the cabaret as Christian and Satine complete their song ("Come What May (Reprise)", "Coup d'État (Finale)").
After the curtain closes, Satine succumbs to tuberculosis. Before she dies, Christian and Satine affirm their love and she tells him to write their story. A year later the Moulin Rouge has closed down, and Christian finishes writing the tale of his love for Satine, a "love that will live forever" ("Nature Boy (Reprise)").

Tags: dramatic, flashback, psychedelic, satire, tragedy, sentimental

Review:
The cast fills their roles with relish, even when the entire scene totters on the edge of overkill--but oddly enough, it is the focus that sets "Moulin Rouge" apart from other films these days.
A telling comparison: Luhrmann has Nicole Kidman and Ewen MacGregor sing the film's love song.
Witness Luhrmann's audacity: the opening number includes a melding of Labelle's "Lady Marmalade" with Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit."  And here's the spooky part: it works.The entire movie plays this way, and for the most part it works.
It realized that the world of film is only being represented in one small way, whereas Moulin Rouge uses a camera and screen to make something bigger and more extraordinary than has ever been made before.
I have not ever felt for a movie the way I do about "Moulin Rouge."  It is not just a movie...it is a cinematic experience the likes of which I have never before seen.
The story, the music, the acting, the visual imagery strikes emotion in me I never before thought possible from a film.
It's one of the year's best films; "Moulin Rouge!" may be a cliché-ridden love triangle, but Baz Luhrmann, the film's director, shines a fresh, stunning originality on a familiar plot.
The joy of watching "Moulin Rouge!" is in the visual stimulation; the plot is more interested in its own character's discoveries than playing mind games with the audience.
"Moulin Rouge" may be one of the first movies to open musical doors for its leading performers.
I will never look at any of these stars in the same light again, even, to my great reluctance, John Leguizamo.The film takes place in the early 19th century, as Christian (McGregor) enters Paris hoping to write love stories.
Much effort was obviously spent on both the visual and audio aspects of this film, and by choosing not to focus on one over the other, and sacrifice the songs for the story or vice versa, the filmmakers were able to make a truly unique, modern musical which those of us who have hated musical since childhood could enjoy.
Moulin Rouge is a blend of old, established techniques with innovative experimental ones, resulting in a movie which could only have been made in our time, yet which has a classic feel.
The end result is a stunning film with unbelievable performances; a cinematic experience that people will be loving, analyzing and trying to imitate for year..
It could be, the film is full of knowing lines "He could make you a star and you're dallying with the writer!" or "They dressed me with the Argentinean's best clothes and passed me for a famous English writer" There is something of Ken Russell's second period in "Moulin Rouge" Everything is emphasized, underlined and repeated at least three times for safety.
Ewan McGregor, superb, and so charismatic that no one would blame me if I confess I had a had crush on him as soon as he broke into "The Hills are alive with the sound of music..." Kidman and McGregor, this film proves it, are the closest thing we've had in years to the big stars of yesteryear.
I say it doesn't matter as long as it allows glorious film talents of the caliber of Kidman and McGregor to give us the pleasures they have even in a bag of wind such as "Moulin Rouge".
`Moulin Rouge,' written and directed by Baz Luhrmann, takes you into a world that is bright and brilliant, fast and flashy and filled with all of the things that make life worth living.
He may not have the greatest voice in the world, but it's a good `stage voice,' and most importantly, he can sell a song, as evidenced by the scene in which he puts across Elton John's `Your Song.'  McGregor has a charismatic screen presence, and in this role he really gets a chance to demonstrate his versatility as an actor.As Satine, Nicole Kidman is saucy and sensuous, bringing her character vividly to life, this woman who makes her living by being every man's fantasy as she sings and sashays her way through this world of the Moulin Rouge.
`Moulin Rouge' is an explosion of sights and sounds, a film laced with humor and visual largess that holds a poignant and dramatic story at it's heart.
The bad commercial campaigns of the best movie of all time failed to give Moulin Rouge!
He meets a group of bohemians who are planning to set up a musical play at the famous club Moulin Rouge and they invite him to rewrite the story of their play but at the same time to lure the famous courtesan Satine as to star in their play.
Mr. Luhrmann also takes us comprehend the importance of the visual world of movies with Moulin Rouge!
Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor show off their acting and singing capabilities and at the same time director Baz Luhrmann mixes them together and forms his finest masterpiece up to date.
Can you say "technicolor vomit?"  The idea for this film actually has a lot of potential:  Take a mish-mash of modern pop songs and blend them together in a creative way to create a romantic musical.
The music has moments of creativity, as when "Smells Like Teen Spirit" is blended together with "Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend", but all of the scenes come across as little more than videos, not pieces creating a coherent whole.
If however you like movies to have an interesting plot, authentic acting, characters you can care about and a camera that stays still for a few seconds at least, then save your money.
I have read so many posts on this message board concerning the adoration and delight people have expressed for "MOULIN ROUGE", for both its usage of creativity and for its stars, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor.
I skipped seeing this film when it was playing at the movies but my curiosity was spiked by the time it hit the video rental shelves at my local video store."MOULIN ROUGE" has indeed garnered much favoritism from critic's circles, award panels and esteemed film reviewers alike.
I thought the musical pieces in "MOULIN ROUGE" were 'ear-bleedingly' awful, especially the sequence where both Ewan and Nicole are serenading each other with snippets of songs such as "I Was Made For Loving You" and "Silly Love Songs".
There is one truly awful moment in the film that involves a man screeching out an unforgivable horrendous rendition of The Police's "Roxanne".It was about the scene where John Leguizamo and his side-kicks gate-crash Ewan McGregor's personal home-warming to have him join their performing art troupe where Ewan finds himself bellowing out a sonnet of "The Hills Are Alive" from "THE SOUND OF MUSIC" that I found myself losing patience for this movie.
You could say, the Monkees on acid would be a fair description.The slapstick comedy was boring, the acting abysmal, the plot made no sense, the sets looked like a second rate Disney animated film.
Never have I had a movie make me physically sick, but this one has managed to achieve that distinction and not just because of the editing.I can't say what the story is actually about because I couldn't discern that amidst the cluster of technicolor overload, ridiculously hyperbolic characters, and MTV music videos cinematography.
Kiss songs, U2 songs, gawd this really is a mess.What a dreadful waste of money, of actors and of just about everything else.Seen a few bad films in my time, but this may be the very worst.In a word, it's 'merde'.An embarrassment for all concerned.I am amazed that the makers managed to sit through the final screening without cringing with embarrassment..
At times it wanted to be a good film and that is what people are liking.
Moulin is an MTV style music video at heart featuring good music, fast editing, color, costume, cartoon-like characters, and weak and dreamy love story.
Moulin should have stayed true to its MTV genre and limited itself to 15 minutes in length.Beyond being a well produced music video the film failed miserably in every measure of a full-length feature.
"Moulin Rouge!" is the kind of film that makes you really consider with a jaundiced eye the sorry state of contemporary mass culture with desperate questions like 'Have we sunk so low?', 'Can we possibly survive?' and 'Don't we all deserve to die from shame for having had anything to do with the kind of society that can produce such a film and call it art?' I know it was produced by Australians and we should all cut them some slack for their relative lack of sophistication.
And I can only see this movie for what it really is: a desperate attempt at meaning from feeble minds and, now that Oscar time is approaching, a desperate grasp for Academy members' attention and the supplementary mazzoola that Oscar's prestige can still confer on this undercooked, overripe tripe."Moulin Rouge!" - the exclamation point is meant to express revulsion - is to movie musicals what "Family Guy" is to TV sitcoms: a cheap gimmick for retards, a cheat and an easy way out..
I love this movie.Baz has the greatest ideals and the best taste.This movie is even greater than than even Brassed off.I of course love Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman are the greatest actors\ress.That dynamic duo both have great singing voices.The only part I don't get is why The Duke didn't die instead of Satine.I almost cried.
Luhrman's original style and the sheer talent of the cast (McGregor, Kidman, Broadbent, and more) prove that the musical genre is not dead and, more so, that it can be extremely enjoyable to watch.
Beyond this, add the fact that Ewan Mcgregor cannot sing, Kidman's voice was flat, and both of them gave up trying to act before the movie had even begun, and you have an undeniably excruciating experience..
Moulin Rouge is probably the worst film I've seen this year and That really is something when you know this year I have watched things like Drop Dead Gorgeous and Hour of the pig!
I was totally disgusted by this film.The Aztec Mummy is an Academy Award winner compared to this "TRASH".I've Never seen a worse film than this.The people at FOX who were behind this garbage should be Imprisoned for life and forced to watch the film every waking hour of their lives.Everyone I know who saw it has the same opinion and tell others not to waste their money seeing this film.I can't get over how these people can put out "TRASH" like this and think that they can get away with it.I would have demanded a refund from the theater if I had paid to see it,thank goodness for free movie passes.This film Ranks a rating of "DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME and MONEY"..
Perhaps I have reached a point where I can no longer communicate effectively with a significant proportion of today's movie fans.My advice to readers is that those who can enjoy watching music videos continuously for an hour or more might love this film, anyone else should consider staying away.
But, either way, do not watch this film to experience the magnetic attraction that the Moulin Rouge exerted in the Paris entertainment district for such a long period of time.
It is my habit to refrain from commenting on movies that are not to my taste because it is not fair to the product to slang it just because it doesn't appeal to you; however, in the case of Moulin Rouge I'll make an exception.Baz Luhrmann got it wrong-wrong from the very opening right to the end.
Its like watching a music video which is already too fast on fast forward.When the film is not going off at this crazy pace, it is then comprised of extreme close-ups.
Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor were so beautiful in it and their voices too, this is an amazing story and film and I believe that Baz Luhrman is talented....like I said absolutely moving..
In this sense, when comparing Julianne Moore's unforgettable performance to Kidman's in the same film, you understand in what ways she could also be viewed as unconvincing as the doomed courtesan Satine in Moulin Rouge.
My final words on Moulin Rouge are that if I'm going to watch a gaudy, noisy song-and-dance with funny characters talking in silly voices, give me the original Muppet Show series any day..
The story is the epitome of triteness, creating a soap opera melange out of Camille, Orpheus, and the old Judy Garland and Mickey Rooney movies where they decide `let's put on a show.' As a deconstructive musical, it depends on send-ups of popular songs to fill out most of its excruciating two-plus hours (there is some undistinguished new material), and this is interspersed with bits and pieces imitating scenes from a wide variety of films of the past, most notably the works of The Three Stooges.
After that, it settled into a frustrating love story and the bogged down drastically the rest of the way.As for the music, there are too many slow numbers sung by mediocre singers like Nicole Kidman and Ethan Hawke, the two romantic interests in the film.
And so I went, journeying into the unforgettable trip that was "Moulin Rouge!" - now and forever one of my all-time favourite MOVIES (not just movie musicals) ever!
Likewise with "R+J", "Moulin Rouge!" oozes with theatrical energy, gorgeous costumes/set designs, terrific music, and of course, first-rate acting from its wonderful two leads, as well as the supporting cast.Watching the first few minutes, I could unfortunately see why this movie was ignored and laughed at by many critics, filmgoers, etc.; apparently it developed a bit of a "cult" following of sorts after that.
Never has a film stolen so much from previous songs, previous movies, previous musicals, and called itself inventive and inspired.
If you want to watch a film that reinvented the musical with a classic work (Romeo and Juliet) but original songs, go rent the amazing West Side Story (1961) starring the deceased but incredible Natalie Wood.
With all of the media attention bestowed on this project because of Nicole Kidman, and the fact that this was a musical, I was curious to see how it had turned out (plus my girlfriend wanted to go).The film begins quite promisingly, with an elaborate computer generation of Paris in 1899, including some whimsical touches, showing very interestingly the area of Paris in which the Moulin Rouge ("Red Windmill" in English) is found.
You're not going to believe this, but the film I was most strongly reminded of when I watched "Moulin Rouge" was "Mission: Impossible 2".
The fact that one is an action movie and one a musical seems a very minor difference to me.The plot of "Moulin Rouge" is both hackneyed and bad, which is a disasterous combination.
"Moulin Rouge".Many say you either love this film or hate it.
Everything that was horrendous about Inspector Gadget is equally true of Moulin Rouge, plus much more besides.I can't believe this film was nominated for awards, I actually feel sick after watching it and created an IMDb account purely so I could rate it 1 out of 10 and write this review in an attempt to exorcise the demons.
The quick cut-cut-cut editing, the forced and cheesy acting, the wanna look cool visual style, the 'they've done this story a hundred times before but I'll show that I'll do it the best' comes down to this: the director wants us to believe that this is great by those things.
For instance: a can-can type number sung by the Moulin Rouge cast alternates with the audience singing back lines from Nirvana's `Smells Like Teen Spirit': `here we are now, entertain us' etc.; Christian eventually wins over Satine in a conversation come musical duel comprised almost entirely of lines from pop songs  brilliantly imaginative & witty.
`Moulin Rouge' is a truly modern musical; Luhrman has taken hold of an old & cliched genre, injected it knowingly with 21st Century irony, imbued it with great energy, imagination & talent; & has produced a post-modern masterpiece, one of the most audacious & original films seen in a very long time - & one for which he deserves every success.
After having a great time watching one of the best musical movies I've seen, I was left wanting more so I went to my Netflix recommendations and saw Moulin Rouge.
It wasn't my type of movie, and I loved it.The interesting thing is, if this film hadn't been a musical, I doubt I would have liked it as much.
A musical romance, two of my least favourite genres, that produced a hit song which I loathe, and I ended up loving the film.
Whole fairy tale like feeling of the story makes this movie more enjoyable to watch.I am not huge fan of musicals, but I must confess that I adore Moulin Rogue.
Ewan Mcgregor does mans work as Christian, a romantic, who fells in love radiant Moulin Rogue courtesan Satine, played Nicole Kidman, who has never looked more stunning.
I think the 'Moulin rouge'is the most romantic film I have ever seen!
For the skeptics who haven't seen it-this film is a visual masterpiece even if you don't think you'll like the movie see it for that reason.I had really looked forward to seeing this a lot and luckily this was one that DIDN'T disappoint.
The Duke (Richard Roxburgh) is definently overacted, and frankly, Zidler (John Broadbent), is sooooo horribly annoying, you really would want to throw yourself off the Moulin Rouge windmill.I love this movie.
The sets and costumes are beautiful, and very colourful, and the dancing is really Spectacular Spectacular (excuse the pun...), but long periods of time with the Bohemians, or at the Moulin Rouge can make you feel like you're stuck in a circus tent.