Moulin Rouge!

PREVIOUSLY: ANNO DOMINI

A 2001 jukebox musical romantic drama, Moulin Rouge! takes place at the turn of the last century at the eponymous Paris nightclub. Christian (Ewan McGregor,) a penniless writer, arrives and promptly falls madly in love with the main attraction of the Moulin Rouge, courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman,) who dreams of becoming an actress. Christian and his friends create a play that they hope will make Satine a star. But their producer, the evil Duke, tries to drive Christian and Satine apart. All the while, something darker than jealousy and more powerful than love is beginning to take hold of Satine. (It’s tuberculosis.)

This is one of my favorite films of all time, and quite possibly my favorite movie musical. I know I had a lot of thoughts upon my first viewing, but I don’t know if I can articulate them anymore. I don’t know if they’re even worth articulating. What can I say about this movie? I honestly don’t think there are words to describe how much I adore it.

Have you watched Moulin Rouge! recently? If you’ve never seen it, you should. If it’s been a while, today’s a good day to revisit it.

I’m very annoying about this movie. I do go on and on about how much I love it at any given opportunity. I’ve said before that I’ve gushed about it to family, friends, and coworkers. I have converted more than one person to the church of Baz Luhrmann, and I’m honestly pretty proud of that.

I was fortunate enough to finally see The Phantom of the Opera on Broadway before it closed, and I’m still processing that several months later. I think I’m still in the denial stage of grief. Anyway, the people around me were also from out of town, and during intermission, they were talking about what other shows they’d seen or what they wanted to see while they were there. A few rows behind me, a guy started talking about Moulin Rouge! The Musical (the show.) He’d seen it earlier in his trip and he said he loved it a lot.

At the words, “Moulin Rouge,” I instinctively whipped around in my seat and made eye contact with this stranger. He told the person he was having the conversation with that he hadn’t seen the movie so he couldn’t compare it to that, but he thought the show was a really good time. I had to restrain myself from scrambling over several rows of seats up to him and yelling, “You should watch the movie!”

I saw two other shows while I was in New York, and neither of them were Moulin Rouge! The Musical (the show.) I don’t regret it. I just didn’t have any desire to see it. The movie is basically perfect as it is. The fact that it is a film, specifically a film directed by Baz Luhrmann, is the thing that makes it so special. I’m sure the show is a good time. But I just can’t imagine it holding a candle to the movie.

On paper, the movie sounds pretty bland and boring. Guy meets girl. Another guy meets girl. Love triangle ensues. Girl dies and neither guy gets the girl. The end. And it is extremely trope-y and clichéd, yes. (The Clone Wars people promised they were not “inspired” by a character played by Ewan McGregor having a forbidden romance with a woman named Satine that ends with an angry man taking her away from him and then she dies in his arms, and that any superficial naming or plot similarities were just a big coincidence. Sure, whatever, guys.)

But like I said, it’s a story that I think works best in the medium of film. Films are not meant only to be read about or talked about. They’re meant to be watched. I’m serious, if you’ve only ever heard about this film and thought it didn’t sound like it was for you, you owe it to yourself to give it a chance. Art is meant to be experienced firsthand.

Of course, Ewan McGregor’s performance is a huge reason why I’m so obsessed with this movie (and the soundtrack.) It is impossible to watch it and not fall in love with him. But everyone else in the cast is also wonderful. Nicole Kidman is beautiful, is bringing absolutely everything to this role, and it’s impossible not to fall in love with her as well. The supporting cast is mostly the comic relief and they do that well, but as the film progresses dramatically, they continue to emotionally progress with it. Richard Roxburgh as the Duke manages to be funny, effete, and coldly terrifying. This is one of those movies where it really seems like the cast was having a great time, and those are always a treat.

While I was considering what shows to see in New York and Moulin Rouge! came up, I was like, “Ewan McGregor isn’t playing Christian, what’s even the point?” But I do realize that there are plenty of other handsome, charismatic, talented actors in the world. (For the record, I am zero-to-six on not falling madly in love with the leading men in Baz Luhrmann’s movies, at least while the movie is actively playing. Pretty early on in Elvis, I was like, “…fuck.” So now I’m obsessed with Austin Butler, too. Stay tuned for my next thirst-themed blog, maybe? Thanks for somehow making the camera do heart-eyes at all of your romantic leads, Baz.) Point is, I know Christian is actually not a very complex role and it’s not like it personally belongs to Ewan McGregor. Unless it does. (Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal were both finalists for the role, and it very nearly went to Heath, but he was passed over because it was ultimately decided he was too young. Jake Gyllenhaal said that he and Heath met after the audition process and became friends before Brokeback Mountain because of their “mutual frustration” over losing the role in Moulin Rouge! to Ewan McGregor. When I heard this information for the first time, I had to go lie down.) While I think Ewan was the right choice for the role, other actors would certainly have been very good. The charm of this movie is not solely dependent on this specific cast.

Literally everything else that makes up this movie: The costumes, the production design, the make-up, the hair, the lighting, the blocking, the choreography, the cinematography, the editing, the music selections and arrangements, the sound design…all of it is stunning. Those are the things that truly make it special. I will never get over how brilliantly music is used in Baz’s movies, even in incidental cases. (The romantic soundtrack audibly powering down, the modern equivalent of a record scratch, as Satine realizes that Christian isn’t the Duke absolutely kills me every time.)

Watching it again for the first time in at least a year, I was struck again by how unique Baz Luhrmann’s films manage to look. They’re big and dumb and loud and tacky, like a lot of American blockbusters, but it’s all crafted in such an intentional way. His movies look like that completely on purpose. A lot of time and care has gone into how over-the-top his movies are. And that level of care is something that I feel has been increasingly missing from mainstream American cinema over the past several years.

Moulin Rouge! is a movie that is an antidote to cynicism. Sometimes, relationships end and people leave us, for reasons that are out of our control. But that shouldn’t give us permission to become bitter. It doesn’t mean the love we shared while they were here wasn’t real, or didn’t matter. The love stays, and that love is what continues to propel us forward when those we love are gone. It’s a funny film, but I am also a sobbing mess by the end. It’s a simple little story, a fun ride to go on, and it is shockingly genuine and vulnerable. There are not many filmmakers that are willing or able to take us on a journey like this, in quite this same way.

I’ve seen every Baz Luhrmann film and I’ve enjoyed them all. (Yes, even Australia.) I will continue to see everything else he ever makes. But I don’t know if anything could ever top Moulin Rouge! for me. It holds such a special place in my heart. Every time I watch it or listen to the soundtrack, it makes me happy. It reminds me that you can tell the same old story and sing the same old songs in beautiful and unique ways. It reminds me that not only does love exist, great art and fearless artists exist.

Yes, it’s a silly love song. What’s wrong with that?

COMING UP NEXT: BLACK HAWK DOWN