Baz Luhrmann’s romantic musical masterpiece Moulin Rouge starring Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman as doomed lovers at the dawn of the 20th century in Paris, France turns 10 years old this year. Returning to Moulin Rouge for the first time in a few years, I am not surprised to find the same magic that moved me a decade ago.
The Great Bohemian Romance
In director Baz Luhrmann’s vision of Paris circa 1900, a bohemian revolution has captured the city spreading a spirit of freedom, beauty, truth and love, most especially love. Into this maelstrom of creativity and romance comes a naïve young writer named Christian (Ewan McGregor) who dreams of writing the great bohemian romance of all time.
On his first day in Paris, Christian finds himself inducted into a group of bohemian artists, musicians and actors who draft him to create a bohemian musical for the legendary nightclub cum theater, the Moulin Rouge. The musical will star the legendary courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman) and espouse the bohemian values of these glorious artists and the club’s unique owner, Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), the rare bohemian with an eye on the bottom line financials.
Spectacular, Spectacular!
To put on the show, understatedly titled “Spectacular, Spectacular,” the club will need money and to secure the funds Zidler has invited The Duke (Richard Roxburgh) to spend the night with Satine. Unfortunately, a mix up at the club puts Christian in Satine’s room ahead of The Duke and they fall in love before she realizes that he is not the man she is supposed to be seducing.
There is so much going on in the opening minutes of Moulin Rouge that one can be forgiven for getting overwhelmed. In just the first thirty minutes the film has already paid tribute to The Sound of Music, Nirvana, Madonna, disco and The Beatles as well as the grandest Broadway musicals and movie genres from the fish out of water comedy to the mistaken identity comedy and, of course, classic romance.
Classic Hollywood and Modern Special Effects Fantasy
Thankfully, the film does slow down a little and adopts the posture of romantic drama before progressing toward grand tragedy. There are few words to describe Baz Luhrmann’s work here. The images that Luhrmann brings to the screen in Moulin Rouge are a mixture of classic Hollywood and modern special effects fantasy and somehow the whole thing doesn’t dissolve into some gigantic mess.
The Music of Moulin Rouge
The music of Moulin Rouge cannot be praised enough for its magical qualities, its pop nostalgia and for its amazing degree of difficulty. There are so many classic pop songs thrust at the screen in Moulin Rouge that only a true music nerd could keep track of it all. By my accounting Luhrmann and his team include the music of Queen, The Police, Elton John, U2, Joe Cocker, DeBarge, Madonna, Nirvana and David Bowie and do many of the songs in just two different montages.
Queen and The Police get the most extended screen time and the most unique uses. Queen’s remarkably operatic “The Show Must Go On” is sung in tandem by Jim Broadbent and Nicole Kidman as a metaphoric funeral march while The Police classic Roxanne is played spot on as a furiously jealous dirge sung as a duet by Ewan McGregor and the brilliant Jacek Koman whose growling vocal perfectly captures the song’s unrelenting, passion and resigned anger.
McGregor and Kidman Transcend Stereotypes
Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman’s task in Moulin Rouge is as much crafting romance as it is not being overwhelmed by the massive production. Both actors are magnificent at conveying their love in song and are far better singers than you expect; neither having a background in musical theater. When Moulin Rouge reaches its magnificent conclusion McGregor and Kidman capture your heart in the most unexpected ways. Kidman known for her icy veneer and McGregor for his boyishness transcend their stereotypes beautifully.
Director Baz Luhrmann crafted a masterpiece that dances ever so close to the edge of disaster. One false step and Moulin Rouge could tip over into simple kitsch or some massively bloated, over produced mess. Somehow, Luhrmann corrals every aspect of Moulin Rouge, music, characters and story, into a cohesive whole and it becomes a truly transcendent mix, a visionary tragic romance.
Sean Kernan - Sean Kernan is a member of the Broadcast Film Critics and Broadcast Television Journalists Associations. Contact him ...
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