Moulin Rouge
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Moulin Rouge (French pronunciation: [mulɛ̃ ʁuʒ], Red Mill) is a cabaret built in 1889 by Joseph Oller, who also owned the Paris Olympia. Close to Montmartre in the Paris red-light district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, it is marked by the red windmill on its roof. The closest métro station is Blanche.
The Moulin Rouge is best known as the spiritual birthplace of the modern form of the can-can dance. Originally introduced as a seductive dance by the courtesans who operated from the site, the can-can dance revue evolved into a form of entertainment of its own and led to the introduction of cabarets across Europe. Today the Moulin Rouge is a tourist destination, offering musical dance entertainment for visitors from around the world. Much of the romance of turn-of-the-century France is still present in the club's decor.
History of the Moulin Rouge
BIRTH OF THE MOULIN ROUGE
Context:
- The Belle Epoque, a period of peace and optimism marked by industrial progress and a particularly rich cultural exuberance. The Universal Exhibitions of 1889 (celebrating the centenary of the French Revolution and the opening of the Eiffel Tower) and 1900 are symbols of this period.
- Japonism, an artistic movement inspired by the Orient with Toulouse-Lautrec as its most brilliant disciple, is at its height.
- Montmartre, which, at the heart of an increasingly vast and impersonal Paris, manages to retain a bucolic village atmosphere. Festivities and artists mixing with pleasure and beauty as their values.
- The Montmartre artists: Lautrec, Renoir, Juan Gris, Braque, Van Dongen, Apollinaire, Alphonse Allais, Picasso, Marcel Proust, Utrillo, Modigliani, Bonnard Dorgelès, Max Jacob, Mac Orlan.
- 6 October 1889: The Moulin Rouge opens, in the Jardin de Paris, at the foot of the Montmartre hill. Its creator Joseph Oller and his Manager Charles Zidler are formidable businessmen who understand perfectly the public’s tastes. The aim is to allow the very rich to come and slum it in a fashionable district, Montmartre. The extravagant setting – the garden is adorned with a gigantic elephant – allows people from all walks of life to mix. Workers, residents of the Place Blanche, artists, the middle classes, businessmen, elegant women and foreigners passing through Paris rub shoulders. Nicknamed “The First Palace of Women" by Oller and Zidler, the cabaret quickly becomes a great success.
- The ingredients for its success:
- A revolutionary architecture for the auditorium that allowed rapid changes of décor and where everyone could mix;
- Festive champagne evenings where people danced and were entertained thanks to amusing acts that changed regularly, such as the Pétomane;
- A new dance inspired by the quadrille which becomes more and more popular: The French cancan, danced to a furious rhythm by dancers in titillating costumes;
- Famous dancers whom history still remembers: la Goulue, Jane Avril, la Môme Fromage, Grille d’Egout, Nini Pattes en l’Air, Yvette Guilbert ;
- A place loved by artists, of whom the most iconic was Toulouse-Lautrec. His posters and paintings secured rapid and international fame for the Moulin Rouge.
THE MOULIN ROUGE’S GREATEST MOMENTS
- The early years of the Moulin Rouge are marked by extravagant shows, inspired by the circus, and attractions that are still famous such as Pétomane. Concert-dances are organised every day at 10pm.
- 1886 – 1910: Footit and Chocolat, a comic act of a white, authoritarian clown and a black, long-suffering Auguste, are very popular and often appear on the Moulin Rouge poster.
- 19 April 1890: 1st review, “Circassiens et Circassiennes”.
- 26 October 1890: His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales, the future Edward VII, who on a private visit to Paris, booked a table to see this quadrille whose reputation had already crossed the Channel. Recognising him, La Goulue, with her leg in the air and her head in her skirts, spontaneously called out “Hey, Wales, the champagne’s on you!” ".
- 1891: “La Goulue”: Toulouse-Lautrec’s first poster for the Moulin Rouge.
- 1893: The “Bal de Quat’zarts” caused a scandal with its procession of a nude Cleopatra surrounded by young naked women.
- 12 November 1897: The Moulin Rouge closed its doors for the first time for the funeral of its Manager and co-founder Charles Zidler. Yvette Guilbert had paid him homage saying “You have the knack of creating popular pleasure, in the finest sense of the word, of entertaining crowds with subtlety, according to the status of those to be entertained".
- 1900: visitors from all five continents, attracted by the Universal Exhibition, flock to the “Moulin Rouch”. Once home again, these visitors thought of Paris as a modern Babylon, the capital of pleasure and the “little ladies of Paris”. In many capital cities "Moulin Rouges" and "Montmartres" sprang up like mushrooms, but their methods of imitation and free interpretation made them more like Sodom and Gomorrah than Babylon.
OPERETTA AND GRAND SHOWS
- January 1903: the Moulin Rouge reopens after renovation and improvement work carried out by Niermans, the most “Parisian” architect of the Belle Époque (amongst other works he designed the brasserie Mollard, the Paris Casino, the Folies Bergère in Paris, the Palace Hôtel in Ostend in Belgium, the rebuilding of the Hôtel du Palais in Biarritz and the creation of the Hôtel Négresco on the Promenade des Anglais in Nice). First aperitif concert, where the elite of the fashionable world met for dinner and a show in a setting more beautiful and comfortable than any that existed elsewhere.
- Until the First World War, the Moulin Rouge becomes a real temple of operetta. Further successful shows follow: “Voluptata”, “La Feuille de Vigne”, "le Rêve d’Egypte" , "Tais-toi tu m’affoles" and many others, each with a more evocative title than the last.
- 3 January 1907: during the show “le Rêve d’Egypte”, Colette exchanges kisses that show her links with the Duchess of Morny. Deemed to be scandalous, the show is banned.
- 29 July 1907: first appearance of Mistinguett on stage at the Moulin Rouge in the “Revue de la Femme”. Her talent is immediately obvious. The following year she has a huge success with Max Dearly in “la Valse chaloupée”.
- Mistinguett, born in poverty, was not particularly beautiful but had an undeniably quick wit. She wanted to build her own life and said “the poor suburbs, it’s not enough just to want to get out. I had a talent: life. All the rest remains to be done, to be thought about. I couldn’t allow myself just to be a beautiful animal, I had to think of everything”. A peerless businesswoman, she first listened carefully then captivated. She lived wholly for her art, and toured Europe and the United States.
- 9 April 1910: A former lady-in-waiting to the Empress Eugénie attends a showing of the Revue Amoureuse at the Moulin Rouge. She is so enchanted by the faithful recreation of the ceremony for the return of the troops from Italy that she can’t stop herself from calling out “Long Live the Empress!”
- 27 February 1915: the Moulin Rouge is destroyed by fire.
- 1921: The rebuilt Moulin Rouge finally reopens.
THE MISTINGUETT YEARS
- After the war, Francis Salabert takes charge of the Moulin Rouge. A businessman rather than a showman, he gives Jacques-Charles, the leading impresario of the time, the task of reinvigorating the cabaret. The Moulin Rouge now takes off again, thanks to stars such as Mistinguett, Jeanne Aubert or Maurice Chevalier, and to the first showing in Paris of American revues with the Hoffmann Girls.
- Gesmar, aged 20, becomes set designer. His drawings and models will always be associated with the image of the Moulin Rouge.
- Jacques-Charles and Mistinguett are the originators of shows that have become mythical:
- 1925 : "la Revue Mistinguett"
- 1926 : "Ça c’est Paris"
- 1928 : "Paris qui tourne"
- At the Moulin Rouge, Mistinguett creates many songs that will endure for ever, including “Valencia”, "Ça c’est Paris", "Il m’a vue nue", "On m’ suit", the latter with Jean Gabin.
AFTER MISTINGUETT
- 1929: Mistinguett retires from the stage and leaves the Moulin Rouge.
- After her departure, the ballroom is transformed into the most ultra-modern Night Club of the time.
- June – August 1929: the revue “Lew Leslie’s Black Birds”, by a troop of a hundred black artists accompanied by the Jazz Plantation Orchestra, is put on at the Moulin Rouge.
- 1937: the Cotton Club, all the rage in New York, is put on at the Moulin Rouge; Ray Ventura and his Collegians also appear.
- 1939 – 1945: the Second World War interrupts the Moulin Rouge’s sparkle.
- 1944: a few days after the liberation of Paris, Edith Piaf, whose talent is already evident, performs at the Moulin Rouge, with Yves Montand, a newcomer chosen to appear with her.
THE AGE OF RENEWAL
- 22 June 1951: Georges France, called Jo France, founder of the Balajo, acquires the Moulin Rouge and starts major renovation work. He gives Henri Mahé, one of the most fashionable architects of the day, the task of improving and fitting out the new auditorium. The décor envisaged by Jo France and largely realized by Henri Mahé still delights today’s visitors to the Moulin Rouge.
- The evening dances, the acts and of course the famous French cancan are all back at the Moulin Rouge.
- 19 May 1953: the 25th “Bal des Petits Lits Blancs“, organised by the novelist Guy des Cars, takes place at the Moulin Rouge in the presence of the French President, Monsieur Vincent Auriol, and it includes, for the first time on a European stage, Bing Crosby. The evening attracts 1,200 artists and stars from around the world, including Josephine Baker who sings “J’ai deux amours”.
- Between 1951 and 1960, a succession of famous artists appears: Luis Mariano, Charles Trénet, Charles Aznavour, Line Renaud, Bourvil, Fernand Raynaud, Lena Horne
- 1955: Jo France transfers the Moulin Rouge to the brothers Joseph and Louis Clérico who already own the Lido. Jean Bauchet becomes Manager. The famous French cancan is still performed, soon to be choreographed by Ruggero Angeletti.
- 1957: Doris Haug creates the “Doriss Girls” troop at the Moulin Rouge. Initially four girls, today there are sixty.
- 1959: the Moulin Rouge is transformed with the creation and fitting out of new kitchens so as to offer the increasingly international clientele a dinner-show with a gastronomic menu and revues that soon acquire a worldwide reputation.
- 1960 The “Revue Japonaise” makes news. Entirely composed of Japanese artists, the revue launches the Kabuki in Montmartre
F AS IN …
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- 1962: Jacki Clérico, son of Jospeh Clérico, takes control of the Moulin Rouge. It is the start of a new era: Enlargement of the auditorium, installation of a giant aquarium and the first aquatic ballet
- 1962: Revue “Cancan”, devised by Doris Haug and Ruggero Angeletti
- Since 1963 and the success of the “Frou-Frou” revue, out of superstition Jacki Clérico chooses only revue titles that start with the letter F. Naturally, the famous French cancan is performed at every revue.
- 1963-1965 : “Frou-Frou”
- 1965-1967 : “Frisson”
- 1967-1970 : “Fascination”
- 1970-1973 : “Fantastic”
- 1973-1976 : “Festival”
- 1976-1978 : “Follement”
- 1978-1983 : “Frénésie”
- 1983-1988 : “Femmes, femmes, femmes”
- 1988-1999 : “Formidable”
- Since 1999: “Féérie”
- 7 September 1979: the Moulin Rouge, the centre of Paris night life, celebrates its 90th birthday. On stage, for the first time in Paris, Ginger Rogers is surrounded by various stars including Thierry Le Luron, Dalida, Charles Aznavour, Jean-Claude Brialy, Georges Chakiris, les Village People, Zizi Jeanmaire
- 23 November 1981: the Moulin Rouge closes for one evening only so as to present its show to Her Royal Highness Queen Elizabeth II.
- 4 February 1982: one-off show with Liza Minnelli.
- 3 July 1984: gala with Dean Martin.
- 25 September 1984: gala with Frank Sinatra.
Current Show
The current revue is named "Féerie". This show contains 4 main scenes with a total of 69 songs.[1] The multiple acts are performed by a total of 100 artists including Doriss girls (similar to Las Vegas showgirls), dancers, acrobats, magicians and clowns.
New Revue
Each revue runs for 10 to 12 years and costs 7 to 9 million Euros. Féerie was launched in December 1999. A new show has been under preparation for a long time and is almost ready. Scripts, songs, and costumes have been prepared, and the music has been recorded in a studio. The cabaret is expected to close for about five weeks beginning November 15, 2012, to revamp the stage and sets for the new revue. Reopening is scheduled just before Christmas 2012. Tradition demands that the name of the new show begin with "F". The new Revue is called FLASH.
In culture
"Moulin Rouge" is the title of a book by Pierre La Mure, which was adapted as a 1952 film called Moulin Rouge, starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa-Zsa Gabor. Several other films have had the same title, including 2001's Moulin Rouge!, starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Both the 1952 and 2001 films were nominated for the Academy Award for Best Picture. The Moulin Rouge is also the subject of paintings by post-impressionist painter Toulouse-Lautrec.[1]
Films with the title Moulin Rouge
Six films have been made with the title Moulin Rouge:
- In 1928, directed by Ewald André Dupont.
- In 1934, directed by Sidney Lanfield. Lucille Ball appeared as a chorus girl.
- In 1939, directed by André Hugon.
- In 1944, directed by Yves Mirande.
- In 1952, directed by John Huston, starring Jose Ferrer and Zsa Zsa Gabor.
- In 2001, directed by Baz Luhrmann, starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
Other appearances
- The film French Cancan (1955), directed by Jean Renoir, is a fictionalised history of the Moulin Rouge.
- A Night at the Moulin Rouge, a 1951 film (also circulated under the title Ding Dong!) of burlesque acts of the Moulin Rouge club in Oakland, California.
- The music video for Christina Aguilera, Pink, Lil' Kim and Mýa's "Lady Marmalade" was set at the Moulin Rouge.
- Prince and his concert film Sign o' the Times (1987) featured the Moulin Rouge as part of his stage venue and props.