MOULIN ROUGE Offers Stunning Musical Romance by Betty Jo Tucker

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Watching those old MGM musicals, I felt sure something special was in store for me every time Mickey Rooney said to Judy Garland, “Let’s put on a show!” Never mind about strikingly similar plots, dialogue, and characters in Babes in Arms, Babes on Broadway, Girl Crazy, and so on. That didn’t faze me. I couldn’t wait for the singing and dancing to begin. Other glorious musicals like Singin’ in the Rain, Easter Parade, and The Pirate also enchanted me while I was growing up. But why has it been decades since a film had that kind of impact on me. Did movies change all that much? Or have I become too cynical as an adult? After seeing Moulin Rouge, I have  my answer. Grown-up me can still be thrilled by a well-filmed musical. 

Nevertheless, I must admit Moulin Rouge is unlike any musical I’ve seen before. Instead of presenting the usual joyful story, filmmaker Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom) successfully combines romance, comedy, and a La Boheme-like tragedy as he showcases two doomed lovers who meet at the Moulin Rouge, a decadent Paris night club made famous by painter Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo), during the late 1800s.

Ewan McGregor (The Phantom Menace) and Nicole Kidman (Eyes Wide Shut) give the best performances of their careers as this ill-fated romantic duo. McGregor plays Christian, a poor writer, with such innocent charm it’s easy to see why the courtesan Satine (Kidman), Moulin Rouge’s star attraction, falls for him. Equally effective, Kidman absolutely sizzles on screen with her come-hither looks and sexy theatrical costumes by Catherine Martin (William Shakespeare’s Romeo and Juliet). She reminded me of sirens Marlene Dietrich, Marilyn Monroe, and Rita Hayworth all rolled into one, especially when singing “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend.” Besides displaying her seductive charms, Kidman made me sympathize with Satine, a woman hiding an illness in order to maintain her vibrant public persona.                    

Although neither McGregor nor Kidman are professional singers, their voices sound just fine. McGregor won me over with his absolutely stunning rendition of Elton John’s “Your Song.” (How did he manage to smile so captivatingly at Kidman while singing to her at the same time? I guess that’s called acting.)  Happily, both stars put genuine emotion into the lyrics of each tune. In one terrific scene, they seemed to be having as much fun singing a medley of love songs as I had watching and listening to them. In fact, I had to force myself not to hum along as the couple performed a combination of such pop favorites as “All You Need Is Love,” “I Was Made for Lovin’ You,” “One More Night,” “Silly Love Songs,” “Up Where We Belong,” and “I Will Always Love You.”    

McGregor and Kidman don’t do enough dancing, but making up for that is a comical, rousing version of “Like a Virgin” by Jim  Broadbent (Topsy-Turvy) and Richard Roxburgh (Mission Impossible II) who are backed up by a group of energetic dancing waiters. Broadbent, as Moulin Rouge impresario Zidler, puts a table cloth over his head to imitate Satine, hoping to placate the evil Duke of Worcester (Roxburgh) when the lovely courtesan fails to show up for a tryst.  I couldn’t help laughing out loud as Zidler lied to the Duke by telling him that Satine said he made her feel like she was “being touched for the first time.”  Excelling as the snobbish backer of Zidler’s “Spectacular, Spectacular” show who plans to close down everything if he can’t have Satine, Roxburgh sneers and frowns with the best --- or the worst --- movie bad guys.

Because this story takes place mostly inside the Moulin Rouge, of course there’s a lively, provocative Can Can number. But, in one of the movie’s few weak spots, it’s filmed with too much speed and excessive cut-away shots. There’s also a tango (to “Roxanne”) which works much better, even though the camera still pans to other scenes during this intense, dramatic routine.                

Sheer cinematic artistry comes through loud and clear in Moulin Rouge. It’s an outrageously creative film. From the opening of a plush red curtain at the beginning of the movie to its closing at the end, I was bowled over by the film’s imaginative production design (including a “gentlemen’s club” inside a structure built like an elephant, for gosh sakes). Moulin Rouge’s touching romance also had a profound emotional effect on me.  Corny as it seems, I believe in the film’s “Nature Boy” theme. “The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.”     

C’est magnifique.        

(Released by 20^th Century Fox and rated “PG-13” for sexual content.)

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