Moulin Rouge!
Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 Academy Award winning musical film directed by Baz Luhrmann. It tells the story of a young British poet - writer, Christian, who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge cabaret, actress and courtesan, Satine. It uses the colourful musical setting of the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France.
Some plot details, specifically the poor artist and his dying lover, bear relation to the Giacomo Puccini opera La bohème (which Luhrmann has also directed several times), including references to the Bohemian subculture. The storyline is also similar to the myth of Orpheus, which tells of the muse retrieving his love from the Underworld, and the famous "Can can" music comes from one of the operatic versions of Orpheus and the Underworld. Otherwise, the plot resembles that of Giuseppe Verdi's opera La traviata (and its source, the novel The Lady of the Camellias) in great detail. Luhrmann was said to have been inspired to make the movie after watching Dil Se (1998) by director Mani Ratnam.
The film was nominated for eight Oscars. Won two for art direction and costume design. It was shot at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia.
Due to the film's international success, it was widely credited with revitalizing the musical genre, setting the stage for films such as Chicago, Rent and The Phantom Of The Opera, and TV shows on the subject of musical shows.
In 2006 Moulin Rouge! ranked b25 on the American Film Institute's list of best musicals.
Description
Moulin
Rouge! is a cinematic musical that has a storyline and structure said to be inspired
and influenced largely by Italian grand opera: exuberant music, colourful visuals,
elaborate sets and costumes. It also has some elements of Bollywood films such
as a simple story line with a simple conflict, a melodramatic heroine and two-dimensional
characters, with the added touch of an India-inspired and very "Bollywood
style" play within a play, "Spectacular Spectacular", which itself
may have been based on an ancient Sanskrit play The Little Clay Cart. In addition
to the Bollywood influence, Baz Luhrmann has revealed in the DVD's voice over
commentary that he drew from the ancient Greek tale of Orpheus and Eurydice. Orpheus
was a musical genius far surpassing anyone in his world; the film-makers chose
to replicate this by using songs from the mid-to-late 20th century, many decades
after the film's 1899 setting. In this way, Christian would appear to the other
characters to be an innovative musician and writer.
The film takes well known popular songs and modifies them to fit into a tale of a turn-of-the-20th-century Paris cabaret, blending swirling camera motion, loud music, and dancing. Some of the songs it samples include "Chamma Chamma" from the Hindi movie China Gate, Queen's "The Show Must Go On" (arranged in an opera format), David Bowie's (originally sung by Nat King Cole) rendition of the Eden Ahbez jazz standard "Nature Boy", "Lady Marmalade" by LaBelle (the Christina Aguilera/P!nk/Mýa/Lil’ Kim cover having been commissioned for this film), Madonna's "Like a Virgin" and "Material Girl", Elton John's Your Song, the titular song of "The Sound of Music", "Roxanne" by The Police, and one of the few film uses of "Smells Like Teen Spirit" by Nirvana. The film uses so much popular music that it took Luhrmann almost two years to secure all the rights to the songs.
Principal cast
Nicole
Kidman as Satine
Ewan McGregor as Christian
Jim Broadbent as Harold Zidler
Richard Roxburgh as The Duke
John Leguizamo as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
SPOILER END GIVEN AWAY
Plot summary
The theme of the movie is love
and its age old conflict with wealth, materialism and jealousy. The main character,
Christian (Ewan McGregor), is a British poet/writer who comes to Paris at the
height of the Bohemian movement, a city of artists, parties, and absinthe. He
falls in love with a principal singer of the Moulin Rouge cabaret, Satine (Nicole
Kidman), who unknowingly suffers from a terminal case of consumption.
Satine
and Christian sing in a love scene of Moulin Rouge!.Satine is a worldly and beautiful
courtesan who believes that diamonds are a girl's best friend. She wants money
and not love from her gentlemen clients, yet she dreams of leaving the show to
become a real actress. Through mistaken identity, Satine believes Christian is
wealthy and powerfula, a Duke, who will invest in the cabaret's new show, keep
everyone employed, and make her a star. While meeting him in the Elephant Room
for a tryst to seal the deal, Satine is at first taken with Christian's poetry
(a version of Your Song by Elton John) but is shocked to realize he is a penniless
Bohemian poet.
The real Duke arrives and catches them. Christian's quick wit and Satine's charm fool the Duke into believing that they were rehearsing their new show, "Spectacular Spectacular." Christian, with the help of Satine and the Bohemians, quickly improvises the show's plot: an Indian themed musical extravaganza. The Duke is impressed and agrees to support the show, but he quickly reveals that he is a violently jealous man who will shut down the Moulin Rouge if he does not get Satine all to himself. Nevertheless, he accepts that she will be busy with rehearsals and in close contact with Christian, the writer.
Christian and Satine fall madly in love, while Harold Zidler, the Moulin Rouge's manager and a father figure to Satine, struggles to keep the Duke interested in the show even though Satine has not yet spent the night with him. Zidler discovers that Satine is dying of consumption, but does not tell anyone because "The show must go on". At last the Duke realizes he is being cuckolded, he tells the cast that the ending of the play will be changed to his liking. At hearing this, Satine finally agrees to spend the night with the duke, in exchange for allowing Christian's original ending to be in the play. Christian becomes overrun with jealousy, but Satine insists that she is doing it for his play and that she still loves him. That night, Satine has dinner with the duke, while being offered everything she has dreamt of. But when the Duke realizes that Satine would never love him and will always love Christian, he tries to take Satine by force. After she escapes, Satine and Christian plan to run away. When Satine asks Christian about the play, he tells her that the play doesn't matter to him as long as they can be together. The Duke insists that the play WILL end his way and threatens to kill Christian and at Zidler's urging, after he convinces her not to leave by revealing that she is dying, Satine tells Christian she never loved him, hoping he will leave town and escape the Duke's wrath.
At the show's debut, Satine, now aware she has only a short time to live, performs wearily. Christian, unwilling to give up on her, confronts her backstage. When she tries to drive him off again, he takes the place of the show's hero, throws money at her feet to "pay his whore," and storms off. Although she is dying and his life is in danger, Satine calls him back by singing their secret lovers' song, and they are reconciled in full view of the audience and the Duke. The Duke attempts to shoot Christian with his manservant's gun, but Zidler unexpectedly drives him off. The show ends. The audience wildly applauds what they perceived as a good drama, but privately, backstage, Satine is overcome by her illness and dies in Christian's arms. Moments before she dies, she makes Christian promise that he will live on without her (to which Christian insists that he cannot), and write their story.
A year later Christian finally writes their story and ends it by saying "The greatest thing you will ever learn, is just to love and be loved in return".
Release and reception
Production on the film began in November 1999 and was
completed in May 2000, with a budget of just over $50 million. Production generally
went smoothly, with the only major problem occurring when star Nicole Kidman injured
her knee while filming one of the more complicated dance sequences. Originally
set for release on December 25, 2000 as a high profile Oscar contender, 20th Century
Fox eventually moved the release to early summer so director Baz Luhrmann would
have more time during post production. The film premiered at the Cannes Film Festival
on May 9, 2001, making it the festival's opening title. A limited release on May
18, 2001 followed, and the film was released to theaters nationwide on June 1,
2001.
The film was an instant success in limited release, grossing $185,095 in only two theaters on a opening weekend. Representatives from the studio said many audiences even burst into applause during screenings. The numbers continued to increase over the Memorial Day weekend, with the film making $254,098. When it expanded into over 2500 theaters, it made $14.2 million in its first weekend of wide release. It had great word of mouth and managed to have sturdy legs throughout the summer season, eventually grossing over $57 million domestically. It had a brief re release in October 2001 for Oscar consideration, with Luhrmann stating that his intent was to get Kidman and McGregor nominated.
The movie was even more successful overseas. It broke box office records in Australia where it was given a rare theatrical re release at the end of 2001, and managed to find a stable audience in almost every country. It made over $120 million internationally, resulting in a total of over $177 million worldwide.
Awards
Academy
Awards record
1. Best Costume Design
2. Best Art Direction-Set Decoration
Golden Globe Awards record
1. Best Picture - Musical or Comedy
2.
Best Actress - Musical or Comedy
(Nicole Kidman)
3. Best Original Score
BAFTA Awards record
1. Best Supporting Actor
(Jim Broadbent)
2.
Best Film Music
3. Best Sound
When awards season rolled around, the film
was still fresh in people's minds due to a high profile DVD release in December
2001. It was selected by the National Board of Review as the best film of 2001
over many other contenders. After that, it picked up six Golden Globe nominations
including Best Motion Picture, Musical or Comedy, Best Actress in a Motion Picture,
Musical or Comedy (for Nicole Kidman), Best Actor in a Motion Picture - Musical
or Comedy (for Ewan McGregor), Best Original Score, Best Director (for Baz Luhrmann)
and Best Song ("Come What May"). It won three including the coveted
Best Picture trophy. A few weeks later, it received 13 nominations at the BAFTA
Awards, making it the most nominated film of the year for that ceremony. It took
home three, including Best Supporting Actor for Jim Broadbent.
When Oscar nominations were announced, the film received eight nominations including Best Actress in a Leading Role (Nicole Kidman) and Best Picture. The film was not nominated for Best Director (Baz Luhrmann); commenting on this during the Oscar ceremony, host Whoopi Goldberg remarked, "I guess Moulin Rouge! just directed itself." It took home two Oscars when the winners were announced for Best Costume Design and Best Art Direction. At the lower-profile MTV Movie Awards, Kidman took home a Best Actress trophy and Kidman and McGregor took home Best Musical Sequence.
It should be noted that "Come What May" (the only original song in the film) was disqualified from nomination for an Oscar because it was originally written (but unused) for Luhrmann's previous film William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet and not written expressly for Moulin Rouge!
Soundtrack
The
following is a partial list of songs featured in the film along with the artist
that popularized them.
"The Sound of Music" - Mary Martin (and
later by Julie Andrews) (from the Rodgers & Hammerstein musical of the same
name)
"The Lonely Goatherd" - also from The Sound of Music (but
heard as instrumental)
"Lady Marmalade" - Labelle (and later by
All Saints and by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mýa and P!nk)
"Because
We Can" - Fatboy Slim
"Nature Boy" - Eden Ahbez (and later
by Nat King Cole)
"Complainte De La Butte" - Georges Van Parys,
Jean Renoir
"Rhythm of the Night" - Debarge
"Material Girl"
- Madonna
"Smells Like Teen Spirit" - Nirvana
"Diamonds
Are a Girl's Best Friend" - Carol Channing (later, and notably by Marilyn
Monroe)
"Diamond Dogs" - David Bowie (and later by Beck)
"Galop
Infernal (Can-can)" - Jacques Offenbach (tune for Spectacular, Spectacular)
"One Day I'll Fly Away" - The Crusaders, later Randy Crawford among
others
"Children of the Revolution" - T. Rex
"Gorecki"
- Lamb
"Come What May" - Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman (written
by David Baerwald)
"Roxanne" - The Police (Title in film: "El
Tango De Roxanne")
"The Show Must Go On" - Queen
"Like
a Virgin" - Madonna
"Your Song" - Elton John
Elephant Love
Medley
"Love Is Like Oxygen" - Sweet
"Love is a Many-Splendored
Thing" - Frank Sinatra
"Up Where We Belong" - Buffy Sainte-Marie,
Will Jennings and Jack Nitzsche for An Officer and a Gentleman (later a hit for
Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes)
"All You Need Is Love" - The Beatles
"Lover's Game" - Chris Isaak
"I Was Made For Lovin' You"
- Kiss
"One More Night" - Phil Collins
"Pride (In The Name
Of Love)" - U2
"Don't Leave Me This Way" - Harold Melvin &
the Blue Notes (later Thelma Houston, The Communards, among others)
"Silly
Love Songs" - Paul McCartney and Wings
(Repeated) "Up Where We Belong"
"Heroes" - David Bowie (and later by The Wallflowers)
"I
Will Always Love You" - Dolly Parton (and later by Whitney Houston)
"Your
Song" - Elton John
Two soundtrack albums were released, with the second
coming after the first one's massive success. The first volume featured the smash
hit single "Lady Marmalade", performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil’
Kim, Mýa and P!nk.
Track listings are as follows:
MOULIN
ROUGE - Music From Baz Luhrmann's Film (Vol. 1)
"Nature Boy" performed
by David Bowie
"Lady Marmalade" performed by Christina Aguilera,
Lil' Kim, Mýa and Pink
"Because We Can" performed by Fatboy
Slim
"Sparkling Diamonds" performed by Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent,
Caroline O'Connor, Natalie Mendoza and Lara Mulcahy
"Rhythm Of The Night"
performed by Valeria
"Your Song" performed by Ewan McGregor
"Children
Of The Revolution" performed by Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer
"One
Day I'll Fly Away" performed by Nicole Kidman
"Diamond Dogs"
performed by Beck
"Elephant Love Medley" performed by Nicole Kidman
and Ewan McGregor
"Come What May" performed by Nicole Kidman and
Ewan McGregor
"El Tango De Roxanne" performed by Ewan McGregor,
Jose Feliciano and Jacek Koman
"Complainte De La Butte" performed
by Rufus Wainwright
"Hindi Sad Diamonds" performed by Nicole Kidman
and Cast
"Nature Boy" performed by David Bowie and Massive Attack
MOULIN ROUGE - Music From Baz Luhrmann's Film (Vol. 2)
"Your Song"
performed by Craig Armstrong
"Sparkling Diamonds (Original Film Version)"
performed by Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Caroline O'Connor, Natalie Mendoza
and Lara Mulcahy
"One Day I'll Fly Away (Remix)" performed by Nicole
Kidman
"The Pitch (Spectacular Spectacular)" performed by Nicole
Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh
"Come
What May (Original Film Version)" performed by Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
"Like A Virgin" performed by Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh
"Meet Me In The Red Room" performed by Amiel
"Your Song
(Instrumental)" performed by Craig Armstrong
"The Show Must Go On"
performed by Jim Broadbent, Nicole Kidman and Cast
"Ascension/Nature
Boy" performed by John Leguizamo and Craig Armstrong
"Bolero (Closing
Credits)" composed by Steve Sharples and performed by Craig Armstrong
Distinctions
Award wins:
Golden Globe Award for Best Motion Picture -
Musical or Comedy
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical
or Comedy (Nicole Kidman)
Academy Award for Art Direction-Set Decoration (Catherine
Martin & Brigitte Broch)
Academy Award for Costume Design (Catherine Martin
& Angus Strathie)
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Score - Motion
Picture (Craig Armstrong)
Producers Guild of America's Award for Best Picture
National Board of Review's Award for Best Picture
Award nominations:
Academy
Award for Best Picture
Academy Award for Best Actress (Nicole Kidman)
Academy
Award for Best Cinematography (Donald McAlpine)
Academy Award for Film Editing
(Jill Bilcock)
Academy Award for Makeup (Maurizio Silvi & Aldo Signoretti)
Academy Award for Sound (Andy Nelson, Anna Behlmer, Roger Savage, Guntis Sics)
Golden Globe Award for Best Director - Motion Picture (Baz Luhrmann)
Golden
Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Ewan McGregor)
Golden Globe Award for Best Original Song - Motion Picture (David Baerwald
- song "Come What May")
Best Compilation Soundtrack Album for a
Motion Picture, Television or Other Visual Media
Trivia
Tim Wheeler,
of the rock band Ash, auditioned for the lead role of Christian which led him
to write the track "Orpheus".
The film is dedicated to Baz Luhrmann's
father, Leonard, who died just as filming was about to begin.
The production
was overrunning in its shooting schedule and had to be out of the Fox Studios
in Sydney to make way for Star Wars: Episode II: Attack of the Clones (in which
Ewan McGregor also starred). This necessitated some pick-up shots being filmed
in Madrid.
Kylie Minogue makes a cameo as "the Green Fairy", appearing
in Christian's hallucinations as he drinks. Originally the character's portion
of the film was intended to be longer and use Ozzy Osbourne's voice to replace
Minogue's as the absinthe drives Christian deeper into hallucinations. The only
remnant of Osbourne's voice is the scream the Green Fairy utters as her eyes turn
red and the camera pulls into the Moulin Rouge.
Plácido Domingo voices
the operatic Moon.
The film version of Sparkling Diamonds is a fusion of Diamonds
Are a Girl's Best Friend and Madonna's Material Girl. The two songs were already
linked previously as Madonna's original Material Girl music video directly paid
tribute to Marilyn Monroe's performance of Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend.
Ewan McGregor and Jim Broadbent starred together in the British film, Little
Voice.
The set and costume style was an inspiration for a music video of the
band The Killers for their hit single Mr. Brightside
The band Panic! at the
Disco was also inspired by the costumes worn in the movie, creating the band's
anachronistic clothing style.
Nicole Kidman wasn't interested in doing the
musical until she heard Baz Luhrmann was directing.
Not only did Nicole Kidman
injure her knee during the filming of Moulin Rouge, but also broke ribs when her
corset was tied too tightly.
Baz Luhrmann (born Mark Anthony Luhrmann on
September 17, 1962) is an Oscar and Golden Globe nominated Australian film director,
screenwriter, and producer. His films are distinguished by their flamboyant theatricality
and oversaturated colors.
Animation
- Comedy - Crime
- Documentary
-
Family - Foreign
Language - Historical
- Horror - Musical
- Political
Recommended- Romance- Science Fiction and Fantasy - Sport Movies -- Thriller - War - Western - Wildlife
Biographies of many famous footballers