Moulin Rouge! (2001)

A poet falls for a beautiful courtesan whom a jealous duke covets in this stylish musical, with music drawn from familiar 20th century sources.

Director:

Baz Luhrmann

Writers:

Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce

Stars:

Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo

Won 2 Oscars. Another 74 wins & 82 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Nicole Kidman	...	Satine
Ewan McGregor	...	Christian
John Leguizamo	...	Toulouse-Lautrec
Jim Broadbent	...	Harold Zidler
Richard Roxburgh	...	The Duke
Garry McDonald	...	The Doctor
Jacek Koman	...	The Unconscious Argentinean
Matthew Whittet	...	Satie
Kerry Walker	...	Marie
Caroline O'Connor	...	Nini Legs In The Air
Christine Anu	...	Arabia
Natalie Mendoza	...	China Doll
Lara Mulcahy	...	Môme Fromage
David Wenham	...	Audrey
Kylie Minogue	...	The Green Fairy

Storyline

The year is 1899, and Christian, a young English writer, has come to Paris to follow the Bohemian revolution taking hold of the city's drug and prostitute infested underworld. And nowhere is the thrill of the underworld more alive than at the Moulin Rouge, a night club where the rich and poor men alike come to be entertained by the dancers, but things take a wicked turn for Christian as he starts a deadly love affair with the star courtesan of the club, Satine. But her affections are also coveted by the club's patron: the Duke. A dangerous love triangle ensues as Satine and Christian attempt to fight all odds to stay together but a force that not even love can conquer is taking its toll on Satine...

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Plot Keywords:

duke | moulin rouge | courtesan | bohemian | writer | 

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Taglines:

Above All Things This Story Is About Love

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for sexual content

Details

Official Sites:

Bazmark Inq. Pty Ltd Fox [France] (French)

Country:

USA Australia

Language:

English French Spanish

Release Date:

1 June 2001 (USA)

Also Known As:

Moulin Rouge

Filming Locations:

Fox Studios, Moore Park, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia

Box Office

Budget:

$52,500,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$173,895 (Austria) (19 October 2001)

Gross:

$57,386,369 (USA) (19 April 2002)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Twentieth Century Fox Film Corporation, Bazmark Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

127 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital SDDS

Color:

Black and White Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The Elephant medley contains parts of several famous and not-so-famous love songs. These include "All You Need is Love" by The Beatles, "I was Made for Loving You" by KISS, "In the Name of Love" by U2, "Don't Leave Me This Way" by Thelma Houston, "Silly Love Songs" by Paul McCartney, "Up Where We Belong" by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes, "Heroes" by David Bowie, and "I Will Always Love You" by Dolly Parton.

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Goofs

When the champagne "disappears" from the Duke's hand it "reappears" back in the ice bucket during "the pitch".

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Quotes

[first lines]
Toulouse-Lautrec: [singing] There was a boy, a very strange enchanted boy...

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Crazy Credits

Curtains open at the beginning and close at the end of the movie. And at the bottom of the screen you can see an orchestra conductor.

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Connections

Referenced in Film Geek (2005)

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Soundtracks

"Like a Virgin"
Written by Billy Steinberg and Tom Kelly
Performed by Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh and Anthony Weigh
Produced by Blam, Josh G. Abrahams and Marius De Vries (as Marius Devries)

User Reviews

One of the few movies out there worth watching several times, just because of the sheer visual and musical enchantment. **** (out of four)

MOULIN ROUGE! / (2001) **** (out of four)

By Blake French:

"Moulin Rouge!" revives our imagination and relives the musical era of Hollywood. The film is like an extravagant, expensive Broadway production on screen, with enough open courage, engrossing passion, and zesty energy for several motion pictures. 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. He creates a candid, exuberant style for his characters-a mixture between a fast-paced music video and lush, exotic images. He uses a vast variety of camera placements and shooting angles. In several of the songs, he cuts on nearly every word. This does indeed make us dizzy, but it is the perfect approach to the material.

From the opening moments, "Moulin Rouge!" plays full force, overpowering our senses. The film doesn't even wait for its opening credits to begin. The usual 20th Century Fox logo appears on the screen within a screen as a little bald musician rises from the bottom, and continues to frantically conduct the traditional Fox fanfare. From this, we cut to "The Sound of Music," where young writer morns over the loss of his true love. The film includes an interesting use of the bookend structure, and I like how it reveals the information about the main character's deadly disease early. This is the kind of movie that does not need to astonish us with sudden plot twists or unexpected character revelations. 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.

Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman prove that they can really sing. Most of the time, celebrity singers turn to the silver screen with a lot of star power but little acting ability. Look at LL Cool J, Ice Cube, Jennifer Lopez, and I just know Brittany Spears is going to turn up in a movie one of these days. "Moulin Rouge" may be one of the first movies to open musical doors for its leading performers. Even Jim Broadbent proves to be well cast in a crazy, intensified character that he really sinks his teeth into. 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. Several peculiar figures live above him, including the French artist Toulouse-Lautrec (Leguizamo) and his Bohemian troupe attempting to construct a play. After a freak accident, Christian is suddenly thrust into the middle of their play. The crew hires him as the star writer. He then takes a visit to the flirtatious Moulin Rouge night club, ran by the robust Harold Zinder (Jim Broadbent). It is here where he tries to persuade the club's popular, sexy lead performer and courtesan, Satine (Kidman), to work in their production.

After mistaking Christian for a rich and powerful aristocrat, The Duke (Richard Roxburgh), Satine falls in love with Christian, much to the dismay of many. However, she believes herself to be a simple prostitute, who should never fall in love because it will get in the way of success. When the Duke agrees to produce a major production at the Moulin Rogue, but only under his circumstances, things become even more complicated. The Duke demands that Satine becomes his personal property if Harold and the others want his financial support.

Obviously, the best thing in "Moulin Rouge!" is the music. Apart from the cast, the film's big list of musical artists includes David Bowe, Christina Aguilera, Mya, Pink, Fatboy Slim, Beck, and many others. The kind of music that plays here does not account for a period epic at all, however. "Moulin Rouge!" doesn't try to be a historic depiction, but instead an expression of fantasy and passion. The elegant sets, eventful style, and powerful choreography scream modern day, post-pop-culture. I ran out to purchase the motion picture soundtrack. You should, too. But listening to the soundtrack on your CD player at home is nothing like experiencing the memorable singing and dancing, sexual energy, and relentless enthusiasm on the big screen.

As I say in very few film critiques, some movies are you watch, others you experience. "Moulin Rouge" is an experience not to be missed. It is a bizarre, unique blend of exhaustive energy and lively action-one of the bravest, most ambitious and entertaining movies of the year.