Moulin Rouge! 2001

"Moulin Rouge!" has always been one of the films I loathed when I was younger. And here I am, reevaluating it positively in the Year of Our Lord MMXXIII. The ostentation and extremization of all the clichés of melodrama, the unapologetically kitsch presentation, the epileptic '90s MTV-style editing… all factors that might sound derogatory, but instead become added values in this absurd operation undertaken by Luhrmann and company. A full commitment to bad taste in every detail, yet it never ends up becoming a parody. On the contrary, it’s a movie that in many ways dignified an iconography that we may now tend to sweep under the rug, but that will likely one day be aligned with the great classics of cinema. At times, it might even be compared to one of Disney’s finest classics, complete with hyper-choreographed musical sequences and the Bohemians working as the fairies/animal sidekicks to the protagonist.

You might think, can the presentation alone compensate for the utter stupidity of the story narrated? Yes and no. Despite the tight pace of the opening scenes, which first overwhelms and then intoxicates the audience, the film suffers from an interminable second act that feels obnoxious to say the least, especially when Kidman suddenly goes from Paris’ most known prostitute to a barefooted nun. The vocal performances of the two leads do not help either, suffering from an unwelcoming stiffness in what was supposed to work as the most emotional beats of the film. Fortunately, it all picks up in the final moments.

I was really disappointed in this movie. I generally like musicals and have enjoyed many of them in the last several years (La La Land, The Greatest Showman and Mama Mia! Here We Go Again, to name a few). In reading the reviews for this film I can see that it definitely has a love-it-or-hate-it feel to it and you can count me in the latter. Roger Ebert described the experience of watching it as "like being trapped in an elevator with the circus". Inexplicably he thought this was would be a good thing. And therein is the biggest problem that I had with it - at times it was complete sensory overload (especially the first 20 minutes). Is it impressive on some level? Sure, I guess it is if you're into seeing repeated tight shots of a lot of people dancing. It also tried to add a comedic feel in some of the dancing scenes - again, it was sensory overload. The movie's best scenes were the ones where there was little production and instead focused on the acting and singing. I get the the film is supposed to be campy but it can't have it both ways. The cheese and the sensory overload completely took away from the storytelling. I could actually see this being a decent stage musical once the over-the-top production is removed.

I've also seen reviews where people said that despite its flaws it is an original idea. I can't classify a musical that re-interprets someone else's music as being "original".

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Even as someone who rates this so highly, it is easy to see why so many may be put off. From the opening scene, this is a film utterly committed to its theatrical style and format, making no concessions to those who may be put off by the excess and editing style that dominates the opening scenes and many that follow. And yet this is not a film out of control - far from it, the format perfectly suits the environment within which this musical takes place and each of these moments serves the story and stage format that Luhrmann is trying to adhere to. Nor is it these scenes that remain with you at the end - fortunately for a film whose essential message is about the power of love, it is in the central love story that the film’s greatest strength lies. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman have yet to better their performances here and one would have to be a hardened cynic not to be swayed by their romance. Each of their musical moments together are beautifully played and so committed are they to playing their romance straight, that there is a genuine feel to their chemistry. It is also in these scenes where Luhrmann alters the frenetic style, allowing for these quieter moments to shine. The choreography is superb and the film is edited to within an inch of its life, the highlight of which is a stunning rendition of Sting’s "Roxanne" to a tango (though it is equally likely that the film’s version of Madonna’s "Like A Virgin" will linger in the memory too, but for different reasons). Luhrmann's finest film to date.