Moulin Rouge

The third instalment in Baz Luhrmann’s ‘Red curtain’ trilogy (made up of “Strictly Ballroom” and “Romeo and Juliet”), “Moulin Rouge” is a kinetic and gaudy paean to the infamous Paris nightclub. Borrowing its cues from just about every pop song written in the last century from Marc Bolan to Kurt Cobain, this ferociously paced musical tells the tragi-comic tale of doomed lovers Satine (Nicole Kidman) and Christian (Ewan McGregor). Apart from the countless Hollywood musicals it borrows from, “Moulin Rouge” ultimately takes it’s inspiration from the classic Orpheus and Eurydice tale, substituting 1900’s Paris for the underworld that Orpheus descends into in order to rescue his true love. Kidman’s Satine (played as a larger than life Marilyn Monroe), is the collectively worshiped dance hall queen of the Moulin Rouge who falls for the hapless poet, Christian. McGregor brings genuine feeling to his role as the innocent dreamer who learns the hard way of the darkness lurking behind the seductive glamour of the Paris night scene. Luhrmann has much fun with this decorative folly, not stopping for a breath as he moves from one outlandish set to another. Everything is pitched at the most broadest level from the performances (Richard Roxburgh is beyond camp as the slippery Duke of Monroth), to the manic camera work which zooms from the smallest detail to the highest roof top in a single leap. Cast includes Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, John Leguizamo, Garry McDonald, Christine Anu, Kylie Minogue, David Wenham and Kerry Walker.