Spectacular Spectacular! (Moulin Rouge! (DVD))

Member Name: zOOm

Product:	Moulin Rouge! (DVD)
Date:	08/09/01 (73 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: The actors, the songs, overall production

Disadvantages: the storyline

“The only thing you need to learn is to love, and to be loved in return”

Just watched this musical starring Nicole Kidman last night. I must admit it was different than what I expected. Having not seen any of the trailers for it (yeah, I don’t know how I missed it either!) I was expecting something more like a movie then a theatre but this is exactly the opposite.

Sets are like a theatre, the acting, the singing everything is more like the theatre than a movie.

The movie is set in the year 1899 in Paris, actually it is now 1900, but the story refers to the year before. Ewan McGregor plays Christian, a young English poet, who goes to Paris in search of inspiration. He wants to write about “love”, but there is one problem, he has never fallen in love, so how can he write about it?

By mistake he meets people that are trying to write the next play to be on show in Moulin Rouge. They think that the Englishman has talent and they decide to introduce him to the star of Moulin Rouge. The star is “Satine“ a courtesan played by Nicole Kidman. Now all they have to do is get funding for their show.

I think you’ll enjoy this movie more if you were at least a teenager in the 80’s. The reason is that most of the songs in the movie are from that decade. The songs are great songs that were very popular at their time and there are even medleys that sound great. Apparently Nicole Kidman performed all the songs for her character. I must admit she sounds great and she has done a good job, but the singing of Ewan McGregor is magical, especially when he has to raise his voice.

Spoiler section (for those that MUST know)
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Satine is the most popular courtesan in Moulin Rouge. She is to convince a rich man called The Duke (by whatever means necessary), so that The Duke finances further Moulin Rouge productions. However, there is a mix-up and she ends up a
lone with Christian. Before she can realise that he is not the Duke, she falls in love with him (no, not because he is damn good in bed!). But business is business and Moulin Rouge needs financing, and she manages to seduce the Duke in such a way that the Duke falls in love with her.

She introduces the Englishman as the writer and his friends the actors of a show called “Spectacular Spectacular”. The Duke buys the story and decides to invest. He, however, wants Satine in return.

Harold Sidler is the owner of Moulin Rouge and knows that Satine will do anything to help him because then she will become a real actress. However, Satine is now in love and she is also sick. She tries to avoid the Duke as much as possible and spends more time with Christian. But the Duke is very jealous and is not liking the game they seem to be playing on him.

There are songs from Elton John, Madonna, The Police, etc. all of which are beautifully performed.

The rest, you’ll have to go and watch to find out.

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The first 45 minutes I found brilliant, the rest were OK but nothing too special. I could not really get emotionally attached to the characters, hence I think I didn’t enjoy it as much as some other people. There were lots of funny parts and some sad ones too.

If I wasn’t too busy laughing at my wife when she was crying, then I might have cried too. The cinema was almost full and judging by the noises most of the women were in tears.

The story is very weak. You know exactly what is going to happen at the end. But I guess that wasn’t the real selling point of the movie. The movie is very “in your face” style. The lavish decorations and fast movements with music video speed camera work mixed in with terrific adaptation of songs into the storyline make this one spectacular production.

Overall, the production is great, the
acting is great and the movie is very entertaining, especially if you like musicals at the theatre.

Summary: