Moulin Rouge (1952)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

Pierre La Mure (novel)
Anthony Veiller (screenplay) ...
(more)

Release Date:

23 December 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Music | Romance

Tagline:

The most startling and daring love story ever told!

Plot:

Fictional account of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Plot Keywords:

Toulouse Lautrec | Artist | Moulin Rouge | Dancer | Singer

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 6 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

José Ferrer	...	Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec / The Comte de Toulouse-Lautrec
Colette Marchand	...	Marie Charlet
Zsa Zsa Gabor	...	Jane Avril
Suzanne Flon	...	Myriamme Hayam
Claude Nollier	...	Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec
Katherine Kath	...	La Goulue
Muriel Smith	...	Aicha
Mary Clare	...	Madame Louet
Walter Crisham	...	Valentin Dessosse
Harold Kasket	...	Zidler
Georges Lannes	...	Police Sgt. Patou
Lee Montague	...	Maurice Joyant
Maureen Swanson	...	Denise de Frontiac
Tutte Lemkow	...	Aicha's Partner
Jill Bennett	...	Sarah
Theodore Bikel	...	King Milo IV of Serbia
Peter Cushing	...	Marcel de la Voisier
Charles Carson	...	Mr. Paquin
Walter Cross	...	Babare
rest of cast listed alphabetically:
Hilary Allen	...	Cancan Dancer (uncredited)
Michael Balfour	...	Dodo (uncredited)
Madge Brindley	...	(uncredited)
Maria Britneva	...	(uncredited)
Jacques Cey	...	(uncredited)
Diane Cilento	...	(uncredited)
Jean Claudio	...	Drunken Reveller (uncredited)
Michèle Clément	...	French Girl (uncredited)
Irissa Cooper	...	(uncredited)
Ina De La Haye	...	(uncredited)
Francis De Wolff	...	Victor (uncredited)
Hugh Dempster	...	(uncredited)
Suzi Euzaine	...	Lorette (uncredited)
Fernand Fabre	...	General (uncredited)
Moyra Fraser	...	Cancan Dancer (uncredited)
David Garth	...	(uncredited)
Isabel George	...	(uncredited)
Anthony Gray	...	(uncredited)
Everley Gregg	...	(uncredited)
Jim Gérald	...	Pere Cotelle (uncredited)
Peter Haddon	...	(uncredited)
Rupert John	...	Chocolat (uncredited)
Jean Landier	...	Anquetin (uncredited)
Robert Le Fort	...	Gauzi (uncredited)
Christopher Lee	...	Georges Seurat (uncredited)
Rene Leplat	...	(uncredited)
Sara Luzita	...	Cancan Dancer (uncredited)
Margaret Maxwell	...	(uncredited)
Richard Molinas	...	(uncredited)
Aleta Morrison	...	Cancan Dancer (uncredited)
Guy Moschen	...	Delivery Boy (uncredited)
Sheila Nelson	...	Cancan Dancer (uncredited)
Terence O'Regan	...	(uncredited)
Jean Ozenne	...	Felix (uncredited)
George Pastell	...	Man at First Bar (uncredited)
Charles Perry	...	(uncredited)
Eric Pohlmann	...	Picard (uncredited)
Rene Poirier	...	(uncredited)
Bernard Rebel	...	(uncredited)
Charles Reynolds	...	(uncredited)
Christopher Rhodes	...	(uncredited)
Raymond Rollett	...	(uncredited)
Maria Samina	...	Cancan Dancer (uncredited)
Michael Seavers	...	(uncredited)
Mons. Tabourno	...	Maitre d' Pre Catalan (uncredited)
Tim Turner	...	(uncredited)
Mons. Valerbe	...	Sommelier (uncredited)
Friedrich von Ledebur	...	Maitre d'Hotel Maxim's (uncredited)
Donovan Winter	...	(uncredited)
Elwy Yost	...	Moulin Rouge Customer (uncredited)

Directed by
John Huston

Writing credits
Pierre La Mure		(novel "Moulin Rouge")
Anthony Veiller		(screenplay) &
John Huston		(screenplay)

Produced by
Jack Clayton	....	associate producer
John Huston	....	producer (uncredited)
John Woolf	....	producer (uncredited)

Original Music by
Georges Auric

Cinematography by
Oswald Morris

Film Editing by
Ralph Kemplen

Production Design by
Marcel Vertès		(uncredited)

Art Direction by
Paul Sheriff

Set Decoration by
Marcel Vertès		(decor) (as Vertes)

Costume Design by
Julia Squire		(uncredited)

Makeup Department
Eileen Bates	....	hair stylist
Connie Reeve	....	makeup artist (as Constance Reeve)

Production Management
Leigh Aman	....	production manager

Second Unit Director or Assistant Director
Adrian Pryce-Jones	....	assistant director
Alec Gibb	....	second assistant director (uncredited)
Jack N. Green	....	third assistant director (uncredited)

Art Department
Maurice Fowler	....	draughtsman (uncredited)
Jack Stevens	....	set dresser (uncredited)
Elven Webb	....	assistant art director (uncredited)

Sound Department
George Fisher	....	additional dubbing editor
E. Law	....	sound recordist
A.E. Rudolph	....	sound recordist
Eric Wood	....	dubbing editor
Bob Jones	....	dubbing crew (uncredited)
Red Law	....	dubbing crew (uncredited)
Kevin McClory	....	boom operator (uncredited)
George Stephenson	....	sound maintenance (uncredited)

Visual Effects by
Judy Jordan	....	matte painter (uncredited)
Wally Veevers	....	matte effects (uncredited)

Camera and Electrical Department
Freddie Francis	....	camera operator
Cyril J. Knowles	....	camera operator: second unit (as Cyril Knowles)
Eric Gray	....	still photographer (uncredited)
Arthur Lemming	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Dudley Lovell	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)
Alex Thomson	....	assistant camera (uncredited)
Norman Warwick	....	camera operator: second unit (uncredited)

Costume and Wardrobe Department
Schiaparelli	....	costume designer: Miss Gabor
Julia Squire	....	costume supervisor
Marcel Vertès	....	costumes (as Vertes)

Editorial Department
Eliot Elisofon	....	special color consultant
Stan Hawkes	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Roy Hyde	....	assistant editor (uncredited)
Terry Poulton	....	second assistant editor (uncredited)

Music Department
Lambert Williamson	....	musical director
Muriel Smith	....	singing voice: Zsa Zsa Gabor, "It's April Again" (uncredited)

Other crew
Angela Allen	....	continuity
Joan Bridge	....	technicolor color consultant
William Chappell	....	dance director
Ian Craig	....	Technicolor technician
Elsie Foulstone	....	dialogue coach
Robert Hessens	....	special montage sequence
Splinters Deason	....	continuity: second unit (uncredited)
Anne Douglas	....	publicist (uncredited)
Julie Gibson	....	unit publicist (uncredited)
Kevin McClory	....	assistant: Mr. Huston (uncredited)
Marcel Ophüls	....	assistant: Mr. Huston (uncredited)

Production Companies

• Romulus Films (as Romulus) (presents)
• Moulin Productions Inc.

Distributors

• United Artists (1952) (USA) (theatrical)
• ASA Filmudlejning (1953) (Denmark) (theatrical)
• Independent Film Distributors (IFD) (1953) (UK) (theatrical)
• VEB Progress Film-Vertrieb (1955) (East Germany) (theatrical)
• Video Collection International (1986) (UK) (VHS)
• MGM/UA Home Video (1989) (USA) (VHS)
• Fabulous Films (1993) (UK) (VHS)
• PolyGram Video (1998) (UK) (VHS)
• Kinowelt Home Entertainment (2000) (Germany) (VHS)
• Leisureview (2001) (UK) (DVD)
• PVB Editions (2002) (France) (DVD)
• Video Film Express (2002) (Netherlands) (DVD)
• MGM/UA Home Entertainment (2004) (USA) (DVD)
• Aquarius TV (2005) (Greece) (DVD)
• Atlantic Film (2006) (Sweden) (DVD)
• New KSM (2007) (Germany) (DVD)
• Sascha Filmverleih (1954) (Austria) (theatrical)
• Elephant Films (2012) (France) (video)

Also Known As:

Runtime:

119 min | West Germany:111 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

UK:A (original rating) | UK:PG | UK:PG (video rating) | Hungary:14 | West Germany:16 (nf) | USA:Approved (PCA #16156) | USA:Passed (National Board of Review) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Romulus Films

Trivia:

Walking on his knees had the unfortunate side-effect of making José Ferrer six inches shorter than Henri Toulouse Lautrec's real height of 5'1".

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Henri Lautrec arrives at the gallery for the showing of his pictures, as he 'walks' in, his shadow on the ground clearly shows Ferrar's legs tucked behind him as he walks, (in on his knees).

Quotes:

Georges Seurat:Drink your drink, Henri, and then we will go to the Louvre and refresh our souls, eh?
Henri:The Louvre. That graveyard.
Gauzi:Graveyard! The home of the Mona Lisa, and he calls it a, a graveyard!
Anquetin an Artist:Ah, the Mona Lisa. Only the greatest painting in the world. At this moment I could kneel down and give thanks to Leonardo.
Henri:And how do you know it is the greatest painting in the world? And how do you know it was by Leonardo?
Anquetin an Artist:Because I feel it! I feel it here, in my heart.
Henri:I feel in my heart that you are a pompous ass, but that does not make it so.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Shunga/Moulin Rouge/Cock Temple (#6.19)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Gavotte

Beautiful, engrossing drama

Anyone who does not think that John Huston has a broad range as a film-maker needs to watch this and "The Dead." While he spent much of his career making gritty adventure-dramas like "The Maltese Falcon," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," and "The Man who Would be King," he also took the time to create well-crafted pieces like "Moulin Rouge."

Jose Ferrer has an astounding, almost unbelievable, performance as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a painter from late-1800's Paris who was crippled in his childhood by a horse that ran over his legs. He now spends his days in the raunchy restaurant/dance hall populated by artists, dancers, drunks, and vagrants, sketching away at posters and portraits. Ferrer brings out Henri completely, depicting him as a man who tried to run from his problems using his art and his alcohol.

The film itself has a tenancy to be a little too flashy and gaudy at moments, but Huston manages to keep most of it grounded in the dramatics of the characters. Collete Marchand is also very noteworthy for her performance as a prostitute that befriends Henri. Marcel Vertes' production and costume design won well-deserved Oscars.

A genuinely moving film, a work of art in its own right.