Moulin Rouge (2001)

The cinematic equivalent of champagne – a film practically bubbling over with creative fizz! Director Baz Luhrmann fuses contemporary music with the bohemian Parisian ... more >

The cinematic equivalent of champagne – a film practically bubbling over with creative fizz! Director Baz Luhrmann fuses contemporary music with the bohemian Parisian past to create a post-modern collision of music, dance and romance, whipped into a kaleidoscopic whirl of colour and imagination.

Bypass the flimsy story and delight in Jim Broadbent’s hilarious take on ‘Like a Virgin’, Nicole Kidman’s Dietrich-like performance of ‘Diamond’s are a Girl’s Best friend’ and best of all, the Police’s ‘Roxanne’, re-imagined as a dark and sinister Argentinean tango.

Luhrmann has constructed a world and mode of storytelling unlike any of his filmmaking contemporaries to present a unique, if frenzied, journey into the heart of love.
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View all 7 of Richard Thomas’s reviews

One of the most dazzling cinematic gems of 2001 - a post-modern re-invention of the
movie musical, directed by Baz Luhrmann. A real love - it or loathe it experien... more >

One of the most dazzling cinematic gems of 2001 - a post-modern re-invention of the
movie musical, directed by Baz Luhrmann. A real love - it or loathe it experience
that displaces historical versimilutude by fusing the decadent world of Parisian
bohemia with contemprorary music, often using pop culture references as a cinematic
language of its own. The slight story of the love affair between a penniless poet
and sparkling courtesan is told with as much style as one could possible imagine.
A young writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) arrives in Paris at the turn of the 20th
century, possessed of an idealistic belief in love, art and freedom. He is soon
assimilated into a band of artistic bohemians led by Toulouse-Lautrec, who take him
to the hottest nightclub in town, the infamous Moulin Rouge, where the underdog and
the bourgeoise mingle in decadent revelry. Christian becomes immediately smitten
with the 'sparkling diamond' of the Moulin Rouge, the courtesan Satine (Nicole
Kidman). As Christian is commissioned to write a 'Spectacular, Spectacular' with
Satine as the star, and so their love blooms, albeit in shadows, as Satine is
publicly promised to the diabolical Duke of Roxburgh, who is financing the show.

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View all 7 of Richard Thomas’s reviews

A wonderful movie that (to use Purple Ronnie speak) made me smiley all over. Far better than William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, which I thought was atrocious. Even ... more >

A wonderful movie that (to use Purple Ronnie speak) made me smiley all over. Far better than William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, which I thought was atrocious. Even though you'll recognise the songs one gets the feeling that they were specially written for this musical. Nirvana's Smells Like Teen Spirit and Madonna's Like A Virgin do indeed work like theme tunes. The sad part is directors watching this film will not want to imitate it. Go ahead and copy the blummin' film, we need more creativity and fantasy in the cinema.

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View all 30 of Clinton Morgan’s reviews

One is bowled over by the sheer impact and expense unleashed on this production. To some of us, we wonder how this production earned the critics' praise - or how on ea... more >

One is bowled over by the sheer impact and expense unleashed on this production. To some of us, we wonder how this production earned the critics' praise - or how on earth 'Dreamworks' could have this badly cut epic out at all. No sooner did the spectator focus on the dancing sequences than it was cut away as soon as the eye could focus. This was both headache inducing and frustrating. For me an excellent production - spoilt in the cutting room. < less

View all 3 of Bill Butcher’s reviews

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Film Details

Cast

Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Ewan McGregor

Technical Details

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