Moulin Rouge!

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This article is about the 2001 motion picture. For other uses, see Moulin Rouge (disambiguation).
Moulin Rouge
Moulin rouge poster.jpg
Theatrical release poster
Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Produced by Fred Baron
Martin Brown
Baz Luhrmann
Written by Baz Luhrmann
Craig Pearce
Starring Nicole Kidman
Ewan McGregor
Jim Broadbent
Richard Roxburgh
John Leguizamo
Jacek Koman
Caroline O'Connor
Music by Craig Armstrong
Cinematography Donald McAlpine
Editing by Jill Bilcock
Studio Bazmark Films
Angel Studios
Distributed by 20th Century Fox
Release date(s)
  • May 9, 2001 (2001-05-09) (Cannes)
  • May 24, 2001 (2001-05-24) (Australia)
  • June 1, 2001 (2001-06-01) (United States)
Running time 128 minutes[1]
Country United States
Australia
Language English
Budget $52 million[2]
Box office $179,213,434[3]

Moulin Rouge! (/ˌmuːlæn ˈruːʒ/, from French: [mulɛ̃ ˈʁuʒ][4]) is a 2001 Australian-American romantic pastiche-jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It tells the story of a young English poet/writer, Christian (Lewis MacGregor), who falls in love with the terminally-ill star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman). It uses the musical setting of the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France. At the 74th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Nicole Kidman, winning two: for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It was the first musical nominated for Best Picture in 10 years, following Disney's Beauty and the Beast (1991).

Contents

Plot [edit]

The film opens in the year 1900, as a depressed writer named Christian sits at his desk and begins to write on his typewriter ("Nature Boy").

In 1899, one year before, Christian moved to the Montmartre district of Paris to become a writer among members of the area's Bohemian movement. He encounters performers led by Toulouse-Lautrec; his writing skills allow them to finish their proposed show, "Spectacular Spectacular", that they wish to sell to Harold Zidler, owner of the Moulin Rouge. The group arrives at the Moulin Rouge as Zidler and his "Diamond Dog Dancers" perform for the audience ("Lady Marmalade/Zidler's Rap (Can Can)/Smells Like Teen Spirit"). Toulouse-Lautrec arranges for Christian to see Satine, the star courtesan, in her private quarters to present the work, unaware that Zidler is promising Satine to the wealthy and unscrupulous Duke of Monroth, a potential investor in the cabaret ("Sparkling Diamonds" medley). Early in the film, it is made evident that Satine suffers from tuberculosis.

Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke, and dances with him before retiring to her private chamber with him in order to discuss things "privately" ("Rhythm of the Night) but soon learns that he is just a writer; by this time Christian has fallen in love with her ("Your Song"). The Duke interrupts them; Christian and Satine claim they were practicing the lines for the Moulin Rouge's new show, "Spectacular Spectacular". With the help of Zidler, Toulouse-Lautrec and the rest of the troupe pitch the show to the Duke with an improvised plot about an evil maharajah attempting to woo an Indian courtesan who is in love with a poor sitar player ("The Pitch (Spectacular Spectacular)"). The Duke agrees to back the show on the condition that only he is allowed to see Satine. Meanwhile, Satine contemplates on Christian and her longing to leave the Moulin Rouge to become "a real actress" ("One Day I'll Fly Away"). Christian later goes back to Satine to convince her that she loves him ("Elephant Love Medley"). As the cabaret is converted to a theater, Christian and Satine continue seeing each other under the pretense of rehearsing Satine's lines. The Duke becomes jealous and warns Zidler that he may stop financing the show; Zidler arranges for Satine to dine with the Duke that evening, but during practice she falls ill ("Górecki"). That night, Zidler makes excuses to the Duke, claiming that Satine has gone to confession ("Like a Virgin"). Zidler learns that Satine's tuberculosis has worsened, and that she does not have long to live. Satine tries to convince Christian that their relationship endangers the show, but he counters by writing a secret love song into the show to affirm their love ("Come What May").

As the Duke watches Christian rehearse lines with Satine, Nini, a jealous performer, points out that the play is a metaphor for Christian, Satine and the Duke. Enraged, the Duke demands that the play ending be changed so that the courtesan ends up with the maharajah; Satine offers to spend the night with the Duke to keep the original ending. While at the Duke's quarters, Satine sees Christian on the streets below, and realizes she cannot go through with this ("El Tango de Roxanne: "Roxanne/Tanguera"). The Duke tries to rape her, but she is saved by Le Chocolat, one of the cabaret dancers, and reunited with Christian, who urges her to run away with him. The Duke tells Zidler that he will have Christian killed if Satine is not his. Zidler reiterates this warning to Satine, but when she refuses to return, he finally informs her that she is dying (A Fool to Believe). Acting on the threat to Christian's life, Satine tells Christian they can no longer see each other as she will be staying with the Duke ("The Show Must Go On"). Christian tries following her, but is denied entry to the Moulin Rouge, and falls into a deep depression, even though Toulouse-Lautrec insists that Satine loves him.

On the night of the show, Christian sneaks into the Moulin Rouge, ready to pay Satine to return his love just as the Duke has paid for her ("Hindi Sad Diamonds"). He catches Satine before she steps on stage, and he demands she tells him that she does not love him. Suddenly they find themselves in the spotlight; Zidler convinces the audience that Christian is the disguised sitar player. Christian angrily denounces Satine and walks off the stage. From the rafters, Toulouse-Lautrec, cries out, "The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return", spurring Satine to sing the secret love song Christian wrote to express their love. Christian returns to the stage, joining her in the song. The Duke's bodyguard tries to kill Christian, but is thwarted by Toulouse-Lautrec and La Petite Princesse (a dancer in the Moulin Rouge), while the Duke's own attempt is stopped by Zidler. The Duke storms out of the cabaret as Christian and Satine complete their song ("Come What May (Reprise)", "Coup d'État (Finale)").

After the curtain closes, however, Satine succumbs to tuberculosis. She and Christian affirm their love before she dies. A year later the Moulin Rouge has closed down, and Christian is writing the tale of his love for Satine, a "love that will live forever" ("Nature Boy (Reprise)").

Cast [edit]

Kylie Minogue as The Green Fairy

Background [edit]

Inspiration [edit]

When asked about his inspiration for Moulin Rouge, Luhrmann remarked:

“ Catherine Martin (production designer and Luhrmann's wife) and I went to India to work on Midsummer Night's Dream. We went out one night and there was a big poster up for a Bollywood movie. I said, "Let's go see that." We did - 2,000 audience members, high comedy, high tragedy, brother kills brother, [they] break out in some musical numbers, all jumbled up together in 4 hours of Hindi. We thought that was amazing. So our question was, 'Could we create a cinematic form like that? Could a musical work?' A musical must be able to work in western culture again, and could it be comic-tragic? So then began this commitment of moving toward 'Moulin Rouge.' I decided I'd do Romeo + Juliet and then a musical film.[5] ”

Luhrmann has revealed in the DVD's audio commentary that he drew from the Greek tragedy of Orpheus and Eurydice. The legend of Orpheus says he was a musical genius, far surpassing anyone in his world; the filmmakers chose to replicate this by using songs from the mid-to-late 20th century, many decades after the film's 1899 setting. In this way, Christian would appear to the other characters to be ahead-of-his-time as a musician and writer.

Production [edit]

Production began in November 1999 and was completed in May 2000, with a budget of $52.5 million.[2] Filming generally went smoothly, with the only major problem occurring when Kidman injured her ribs while filming one of the more complicated dance sequences. The production also overran in its shooting schedule and had to be out of the Fox Studios in Sydney to make way for Star Wars Episode II: Attack of the Clones (in which McGregor also starred). This necessitated some pick-up shots being filmed in Madrid.

In the liner notes to the film's Special Edition DVD, Luhrmann writes that "[the] whole stylistic premise has been to decode what the Moulin Rouge was to the audiences of 1899 and express that same thrill and excitement in a way to which contemporary movie-goers can relate." With that in mind, the film takes well-known popular music, mostly drawn from the MTV Generation, and anachronizes it into a tale set in a turn-of-the-century Paris cabaret. The movie also features editing that several critics compared to a music video, involving swirling camera motion, loud music, dancing, and frenetic cutting. Some of the songs sampled include "Chamma Chamma" from the Hindi movie China Gate, Queen's "The Show Must Go On" (arranged in operatic format), David Bowie's rendition of Eden Ahbez's "Nature Boy", "Lady Marmalade" by Patti LaBelle (the Christina Aguilera/P!nk/Mýa/Lil' Kim cover commissioned for the film), Madonna's "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl", Elton John's "Your Song", the titular number of "The Sound of Music", "Roxanne" by The Police (in a tango format using the composition "Tanguera" by Mariano Mores), and "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana, a song rarely used in films. The film uses so much popular music that it took Luhrmann almost two years to secure all the rights to the songs.

Release and reception [edit]

Originally set for release on Christmas 2000 as a high-profile Oscar contender, 20th Century Fox eventually moved the release to the following spring so director Baz Luhrmann would have more time during post-production. The film premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival[6] on May 9 — making it the festival's opening title.

The film holds a rating of 66/100 at Metacritic based on 35 reviews,[7] and a 76% "Fresh" rating at Rotten Tomatoes, based on 187 reviews.[8]

Awards and honors [edit]

 This section needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. (July 2012)
Academy Awards record
1. Best Costume Design
2. Best Art Direction
Golden Globe Awards record
1. Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
2. Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
(Nicole Kidman)
3. Best Original Score
BAFTA Awards record
1. Best Supporting Actor
(Jim Broadbent)
2. Best Film Music
(Craig Armstrong)
3. Best Sound

The film was selected by the National Board of Review as the best film of 2001. It picked up six Golden Globe nominations including Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (for Nicole Kidman), Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy (for Ewan McGregor), Best Original Score (for Craig Armstrong), Best Director (for Baz Luhrmann) and Best Song ("Come What May"). It won three including the coveted Best Picture trophy. A few weeks later, it received 13 nominations at the BAFTA Awards, making it the most nominated film of the year for that ceremony. It took home three, including Best Supporting Actor for Jim Broadbent.

The film received eight Oscar nominations, including Best Actress in a Leading Role (Nicole Kidman) and Best Picture.[9] The film was not nominated for Best Director (Baz Luhrmann); commenting on this during the Oscar ceremony, host Whoopi Goldberg remarked, "I guess Moulin Rouge! just directed itself." The film won the awards for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction.

"Come What May" (the only original song in the film) was disqualified from nomination for an Oscar because it was originally written (but unused) for Luhrmann's previous film Romeo + Juliet and not written expressly for Moulin Rouge![10]

Entertainment Weekly put it on its end-of-the-decade, "best-of" list, saying, "Baz Luhrmann's trippy pop culture pastiche from 2001 was an aesthetically arresting ode to poetry, passion, and Elton John. It was so good, we'll forgive him for Australia."[11]

American Film Institute recognition
Wins
Nominations

Soundtrack [edit]

Main article: Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film

Songs sung in the film:

The following is a partial list of songs featured in the film along with the artist that popularized them.

Elephant Love Medley

The following is a list of songs featured in the medley, along with the names of the writers and singers of the original.

The "Elephant Love Medley" also contains additional original lyrics that are unattributed.

Two soundtrack albums were released, with the second coming after the first one's massive success. The first volume featured the smash hit single "Lady Marmalade", performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa and Pink. The first soundtrack, Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film, was released on May 8, 2001, with the second Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann's Film, Vol. 2 following on February 26, 2002.

Stage adaptation [edit]

For a while in 2002-03, there was speculation about the possibility of a stage musical based on Moulin Rouge!, possibly in Las Vegas, but there have been no public talks in the years since.[12] Some sources claimed in 2006 that the director, Baz Luhrmann, had approached the leads of the film (Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor) to star in the potential stage version.[13]

In 2008, a stage adaptation, La Belle Bizarre Du Moulin Rouge, toured Germany and produced a cast recording.[14]

References [edit]

  1. ^ "MOULIN ROUGE! (12)". British Board of Film Classification. 2001-06-21. Retrieved 2013-03-07. 
  2. ^ a b "Moulin Rouge! (2001) - Box office / business". The Internet Movie Database. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
  3. ^ "Moulin Rouge!". Box Office Mojo. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
  4. ^ Wells, John C. (2008). Longman Pronunciation Dictionary. 3rd ed. Longman. ISBN 1-4058-8118-6. 
  5. ^ Murray, Rebecca. "Baz Luhrmann Talks Awards and "Moulin Rouge"". About.com Hollywood Movies. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
  6. ^ "Festival de Cannes: Moulin Rouge!". festival-cannes.com. Retrieved 2009-10-17. 
  7. ^ "Metacritic reviews". Internet Movie Database: Moulin Rouge!. IMDb.com, Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2011. 
  8. ^ "Moulin Rouge! (2001)". Rotten Tomatoes. Flixster,Inc. Retrieved 1 December 2011. 
  9. ^ "The 74th Academy Awards (2002) Nominees and Winners". oscars.org. Retrieved 2011-11-19. 
  10. ^ Fung, Alex (February 9, 2002). "Alex's Oscar Column #09 for the 74th Annual Academy Awards". Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
  11. ^ Geier, Thom; Jensen, Jeff; Jordan, Tina; Lyons, Margaret; Markovitz, Adam; Nashawaty, Chris; Pastorek, Whitney; Rice, Lynette; Rottenberg, Josh; Schwartz, Missy; Slezak, Michael; Snierson, Dan; Stack, Tim; Stroup, Kate; Tucker, Ken; Vary, Adam B.; Vozick-Levinson, Simon; Ward, Kate (December 11, 2009), "THE 100 Greatest MOVIES, TV SHOWS, ALBUMS, BOOKS, CHARACTERS, SCENES, EPISODES, SONGS, DRESSES, MUSIC VIDEOS, AND TRENDS THAT ENTERTAINED US OVER THE PAST 10 YEARS". Entertainment Weekly. (1079/1080):74-84
  12. ^ "Moulin Rouge - Stage Production". Baz the Great. Retrieved 2009-03-27. [dead link]
  13. ^ Gorgan, Elena (2006-06-20). "Moulin Rouge on the Stage? - The director Baz Luhrmann has already approached Kidman and McGregor with the offer". Softpedia. Retrieved 2009-03-27. 
  14. ^ "La Belle Bizarre Du Moulin Rouge » Touring Cast : CastAlbums.org". Retrieved 2011-09-07. 

External links [edit]

Wikiquote has a collection of quotations related to: Moulin Rouge!
Films directed by Baz Luhrmann
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