Moulin Rouge Review

Austrlian director Baz Luhrmann brought Shakespeare back to mainstream multiplex audiences with his daring version of "Romeo And Juliet," and with "Moulin Rouge" he has set out to bring back another kind of movie that used to pack cinemas decades ago: the big budget Hollywood musical (even if he did make it entirely in his native Australia). However Luhrmann has brought the genre bang up to date; it may be set in & around the legendary Parisian night club in 1899 but "Moulin Rouge" features a wealth of songs from the last forty years, including show tunes such as "Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend" through pop classics by the likes of The Beatles, Elton John and The Police to such 90s hits as Nirvana’s "Smells Like Teen Spirit." It also combines the frenetic style and manic pace seemingly demanded by the MTV generation, with an opulence and overwhelming lushness on screen.

From the very opening – with the parting of huge red curtains – we know we are not in for a conventional movie, and within moments the captivating Ewan McGregor is telling in flashback a tragic love story we already know the outcome to. McGregor’s is the idealistic poet Christian, and Nicole Kidman (who practically steals the movie) is the sultry diva Satine. Of course the path of true love is not allowed to run smoothly, particularly as she is promised to the villainous Duke (Richard Roxburgh) who is wealthy enough to save the troubled club. It is McGregor and Kidman’s convinving performances as young lovers that gives the film its strength, and it’s a treat to discover they can both sing too. Overall though it’s the sheer massive spectacle of "Moulin Rouge" that will stay with you long after you leave the cinema.