| Product: |
Moulin Rouge! (DVD) |
| Date: |
22/09/08 (102 review reads) |
| Rating: |
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Advantages: Spectacular, spectacular, veritable feast of music, colour and acting
Disadvantages: You will either love it or hate it
This film was released in 2001 and stars the delectable Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. It is a musical extravaganza, directed by Baz Luhrmann, of Romeo and Juliet and the Suncream song fame!
You will either love it or hate it!
Synopsis
The film is set in Paris in 1899 and is fundamentally a love story between a young poet Christian (McGregor) and the beautiful courtesan, Satine (Kidman).
The opening scene of the film is of Christian at his typewriter writing "This story is about love. The woman I loved is dead." So immediately you know that this isn't going to have a happy ending.
The whole film is fast racing, extravagant and musically delectable with musical snippets from the most varied artists, including The Beatles, Madonna, Celine Dion. On paper it really shouldn't work, but in reality it is a triumph.
Satine is the star of the world famous Moulin Rouge night club, of which Harry Zidler (Jim Broadbent) is the manager. Satine desires to become an actress, but the fact that she is a courtesan prevents her from achieving this. The penniless poet, Christian, has come to Paris in search of truth, freedom, and love, which is the idealism of the Bohemian underground movement. In an extraordinary mishap of events he stumbles across a bohemiam group of actors who are in desperate need of a writer to write a musical to sell to the Moulin Rouge.
Harold Zidler meanwhile, is searching for a backer of a performance which will help raise the money to go towards restoring the sadly deteriorating Moulin Rouge stage and turn it from a saucy evening entertainment nightclub into a theatre. Harry has his eyes on the Duke to meet his requirements, who in turn has his eyes on Satine. To complete the love triangle, Christian also falls in love with Satine and the film follows the three of them as they all strive to achieve their hearts desires.
MY OPINION
From the offset the film is a veritable feast of music, enjoyment, gaiety and frivolous dancing and music. As already mentioned on paper it shouldn't work, but the camera work combined with the music and the dancing gives it a spectacular prescence which is a delight to watch.
A cameo with Kylie Minogue as the Absinthe fairy is brilliant and helps to show the feeling of the darker seedier side of Paris, with the bohemian underground groups, and hardened absinthe drinkers. You really can imagine what it was like to be destitute in Paris around that time.
For me the music is really what makes the film, and is best experienced at the cinema. I know that the film came out in 2001, so it is unlikely that you will get the chance to view this on the big screen now, but if you do, you really should as the Television set really doesn't do it justice.
To see and hear Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman serenading each other from the roof tops in Paris with a medley infusion from some of the worlds top artists is something I will never forget, and indeed, a I have the soundtrack you can often hear me trying to recreate it as I drive along in my car! I don't do it justice though, as Nicole and Ewan really did a fantastic job of singing, you can really hear that it was them doing it all themselves as well.
The acting is also superb. Jim Broadbent as Harry Zidler is fantastic casting, he really portrays the nightclub owner magnificently, and Ewan, well I liked him before, but he really will have the ladies drooling with his portrayal of Christian the penniless poet
If you haven't already seen this film, you really must - it is one of my favourite films of all time, and I simply love it!
Moulin Rouge won 2 Oscars and had another 65 wins & 83 nominations, which is a pretty impressive trophy cabinet. It was first premiered as the opener to the 2001 Cannes Film Festival.
Directed by
Baz Luhrmann
Starring
Ewan McGregor
Nicole Kidman
Jim Broadbent
John Leguizamo
Richard Roxburgh
Summary: I loved it and love Ewan!!
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