Directed by: Baz Luhrmann
Written by: Baz Luhrmann & Craig Pearce
A penniless writer falls for a beautiful courtesan Satine, while they are making a play, but an investor for the play, The Duke, also wants Satine for himself.
Moulin Rouge! was on TV last night, and since I hadn't seen it in ages I decided to watch it.
The story of Moulin Rouge! is quite simple when you think about it. But it's not just the story, there are of course other elements, like the bohemian revolution, and the characters' quest to have truth, beauty freedom and love in their play. And while the love story is simple, combined with everything else that's happening in the movie makes Moulin Rouge! quite unique, and clearly it stands out from the romance genre.
While the story is of course tragic, Luhrmann and Pearce didn't make it just tragic. Moulin Rouge! is beautiful, lovely, tragic and hilarious. Moulin Rouge! is actually pretty wild, The shots and special effects alone make it so, but also the humour is amazing. There's a lot of misunderstandings and second-hand embarrassment, and so many other ways it's amazing. Especially the beginning of the movie is extremely wild, and it brings out the contrast between the tragedy of the movie.
One of the strengths in Moulin Rouge! is the visual side of the film. It's extremely colourful and very detailed. Many of the set designs are extremely detailed - in fact they are so detailed, there's no point even trying to see every detail in certain rooms etcetera. Also a lot of scenes consist of extremely fast and short shots. That's usually fine by me, it creates a nice effect, but in some parts they are used way too much. Sometimes it hard to concentrate and focus because the shots don't necessarily flow so nicely. But still, that is just one thing, because otherwise the cinematography in this film is almost perfect.
The music is beyond amazing! I have the soundtrack and I love each and every song on that soundtrack. They take songs from our time and put them in 1899, that's just amazing. My absolute favourite is El Tango De Roxanne, because they way the song Roxanne is turned into something completely knew is so effective, almost surprising every time I watch this movie. Also the choreography and the visual side of the scene during El Tango De Roxanne is just amazing. Apart from that I can not say which song is my favourite, because every song is so amazing. Sparkling Diamonds, Elephant Love Medley, Come What May, Someday I'll Fly Away... All those are magnificent!
When you don't watch Moulin Rouge! for along time, you might forget about its charm. Maybe it's also because now I'm older, but Moulin Rouge! is probably one of my favourite musicals. Every part of this movie works.
☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆☆
9 / 10
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