Sunday, August 11, 2013

Moulin Rouge!

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Yesterday, I watched Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! for the first time. I have been listening to the soundtrack, which my sister owned, for years. It's one of my favorite cds to listen to. My sister also used to own the movie but I never got around to watching it. Also, the only Luhrmann movie that I had watched before this was Romeo + Juliet with Leo DiCaprio and Claire Danes which I really disliked.

That said, I decided to forget Romeo + Juliet and go into Moulin Rouge! with an open mind. Guess what? I loved it. I thought the story was beautiful as was the art direction and I even found myself getting teary eyed at the end.

For those of you who haven't seen the movie, Moulin Rouge! is about a young writer named Christian (played by the lovely and talented Ewan McGregor) who moves to Paris to be at the heart of the Bohemian revolution. He gets involved with his theatre troupe neighbors after wowing them with his lyrics. They convince him to help them get their play performed at the Moulin Rouge.
Moulin Rouge Image Kootation Com
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Through a series of mix-ups, Christian ends up meeting with and falling for the star of the cabaret, Satine, who falls for him as well. However, Satine (played by the beautiful Nicole Kidman) is also wanted by the Duke of Monrath (Richard Roxburgh), the man who is financing the show. He is quite creepy, has a terrible temper, and does not like to share his things. Sadly, for Christian and Satine, the duke thinks that Satine is his. Add on top of that dilema that Satine is very sick and you have yourself one drama filled, heart wrenching movie.

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The soundtrack for this film was magnificent. I loved the mixing of well known songs in the film. The singing was pretty great as well. Ewan McGregor especially has an amazing voice which really shines through in everything he sings, "Your Song" especially. Nicole Kidman in "Come What May" also made me shed a few tears. Richard Roxburgh and Jim Broadbent, who plays the owner of the Moulin Rouge, sing a rendition of "Like a Virgin" that will leave you feeling uncomfortable as well as wondering what exactly you just witnessed which I believe is what Luhrmann intended.

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The costumes and sets were so over-the-top crazy and beautiful. I wish I could have seen them in person so I could study them better. I'm the type of person who loves to look at costumes and these were so detailed. They were amazing.

source: www.fanpop.com
One problem that I had, that I also had with Romeo + Juliet was the editing. Not all the time though. Mostly just in the beginning. The scenes were edited to move so fast that at some points I felt like I was getting whiplash. I think that's just a Baz Luhrmann movie trait though and it didn't seem to be as bad as the movie progressed.

I would really recommend this movie to anyone who loves musicals or romance movies. Be warned: their is quite a bit of adult stuff in it which is a given considering the fact that is centered around Moulin Rouge. If you're okay with that and you don't mind "loud" movies with fast-paced editing, you should really give it a go. You might really like it!

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