Moulin Rouge

I liked the historical fiction setting, the integration of modern popular music, and the interesting and artful imagery. I disliked the tragic ending, but such is tragedy.

I absolutely love Moulin Rouge. I have never seen anything at all like this movie; it is nothing short of indescribable. Previews and descriptions offer only the smallest glimpse into the epic world of intense human emotion, amazing sets, and incredible music that is Moulin Rouge. The setting is Paris in 1900, where the Moulin Rouge is the place to be, a spectacularly unreal world wherein inhibitions are left at the door and beauty, truth, freedom, and love are pursued on an epic scale. Ewan McGregor plays Christian, a young, idealistic, penniless poet who has come to Paris to embrace the bohemian spirit flourishing there. He soon finds himself writing songs for a lavish production alongside a truly unforgettable cast of characters led by Toulouse Lautrec (John Leguizamo). His new friends are awestruck by the lines and lyrics he comes up with, all of which are drawn from the pop culture of our own modern day. A shot of absinthe and a vision of the Green Fairy (played by the lovely Kylie Minogue) later, he finds himself inside Moulin Rouge. Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent) leads the way for one of the most lavish musical production numbers ever created on film, topped off by the appearance of Satine (Nicole Kidman) on a huge swing above the amazingly enthusiastic audience. Despite the odds, Christian and Satine fall in love, but they must keep their love hidden because the club's wealthy patron, The Duke (Richard Roxburgh), wants Satine for himself and is willing to make her the real actress she longs to be in return for her affections. I was rather surprised to discover such a deeply emotional tale at the heart of this movie; it is a beautiful but tragic love story that outshines even the incredibly lavish production numbers for which this film is most famous.I love musicals, but I had come to doubt the ability of modern moviemakers to make one worth seeing. What director Baz Luhrmann has done is to actually reinvent the musical as audiences know it. It sounds strange to say that the music for a movie set in 1900 consists of modern pop, opera, hip-hop, and other songs of the late twentieth century, but it really works beautifully and draws the modern viewer more deeply into the world of "real artificiality" Luhrmann succeeded in creating. If you had asked my thoughts on having two guys who look like David Spade and Rip Taylor singing Madonna's Like a Virgin in a movie, I would have laughed you out the door, yet it actually works in Moulin Rouge. Each of the terrific songs included here does serve rather than detract from the story itself. Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman do actually sing their own songs, it is important to note, and I was amazed to discover that Kidman's singing voice is as beautiful as she is herself. Dialogue alone could never manufacture the power unleashed by the music of Moulin Rouge, and the great tragedy of the story is made even more poignant by songs such as the haunting Come What May. Don't think this movie uses its garish production numbers as a means of hiding a weak story because the love story of Christian and Satine is nothing short of breathtaking, heartbreaking, and somehow wondrously beautiful all at the same time.A terrific movie deserves a terrific DVD release, and Moulin Rouge features more extras than I could even watch all at once. When you watch the movie, you will marvel at the sets and costumes and wonder how on earth this movie was made. There are features on just about every aspect of the making of Moulin Rouge included on Disc Two. I love the commentaries and interviews, but what I really love are the uncut dance sequences. The dance numbers in this movie are just beautiful and beyond amazing, but they cannot be shown uncut in the film itself because things are happening story-wise at the same time and those scenes take precedence over the dances. Here, not only can you watch each of these musical production numbers in its completeness, you can even watch each one from multiple camera angles.I know there are some people who dismiss this movie out of hand because it is a musical or because the hedonistic themes revealed in the movie previews give the impression of gaudiness over substance. This is not a musical in the traditional sense of the word, and the sets, while opulently lavish, are actually less stunning than the plot itself. This is a love story for the ages, sprinkled with comedy but dominated by the deepest of human emotions. Even though I was interested in this movie from the time it was released, I myself did not expect story itself to be as powerful and moving as it is. Moulin Rouge is, in almost every conceivable way, one of the best motion pictures I have ever seen.

I love this movie. I still get chills at the end.

Not original story but it's definitely one of the greats. Listen to the end credits because that track is awesome. The piano though...ugh, so good.

Watched this movie many timesbut I will continue to stress it is not a kid appropriate movie

Just not enough good things to say about this movie. The costumes, sets, music and performances are superb. We could watch this over an over again. Don't miss the nuance of John Leguizamo playing his entire role on his knees. Come what may... this one is worth watching!

Moulin Rouge was already a film with a huge cult following before its appearance on blu ray. A blu ray transfer of a film when done correctly is an amazing experience and raises a films clarity and quality stratospheres of levels. But when not done well a film can even look worse than the dvd. So for a film as lush and dynamic as Moulin Rouge it would seem it was made for blu ray. So - how does it look and sound? There are no words to describe how amazing it is. This film truly was made for blu ray and all its qualities are made that much better.Moulin Rouge may not be for everyone's taste but it is truly an artistic masterpiece made with great ambition. That cannot be denied. It is a big, bold and clever extravaganza. It also miraculously used top 40 tunes from various decades to tell a beautiful, romantic love story and in the process bring the musical back to a place of relevance. Old and new comes together and visually and musically the film soars from beginning to end. The cast is superb with major star turns by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Tour de force performasnces by both.Now to the blu ray transfer. The video is truly a stunning presentation here and shows blu ray to its true best capability. The colors are so vibrant and seem to jump off the screen. The black levels, skin tones and overall clarity of picture are just truly amazing. And then you add in the audio which would either make or break this film. Well rest easy Moulin Rouge fans for the audio is rich and expansive. Dialogue is very strong and clear and the music takes a life of its own. This beautiful audio transfer makes use of all the speakers even when there is no music. This blu ray presentation honestly will make you feel as if you are inside Moulin Rouge. With this movie music and its use in a film are also brought to a new level. The film is magical, creative and a truly romantic fantasy experience. The blu ray transfer is beautiful and makes this a must have for fans and will definitely bring new admirers to this movie through its magic. Highly recommended.

The second of the Red Curtain Trilogy. Lots of songs to enjoy here.

Love this film so much. I'm a huge Nicole Kidman fan and in my opinion this is definitely one of her best films, she is an amazing singer too. This film has it all: comedy, music, romance but it also made me cry. The ending is so sad, this is one film I could watch over and over again which I have done as it never gets boring

Moulin Rouge is not your 'normal musical', it is different in many ways.The acting, music, and singing quite different to the average musical.The acting is first class and it is possibly what you might call a 'modern opera'.Most of the cast are not known for their singing ability, but due to the interestingstoryline and first class acting it comes over as a very entertaining musical.

I bought this because I thought I had misjudged this film as crap when I saw it at the cinema. Goes to show you should trust your first instincts. It is as crap as I recalled. Pointless self indulgent rubbish. Ewan McGregor is as annoying as ever. But give it a go you might just like it... I could be wrong.

The DVD arrived promptly was well packaged and in good condition. I have only watched it once, so don't want to give a critical assessment yet. However I will say, other Australian films with a more serious content, like "The Dress Maker" , "My Brilliant Career" and "Shine" appealed to me more.

I got this brand new, still in its cellophane for a bargain 1p!!! Had not seen this film before but I bought it because I am very much a musical geek! 'Different' type of musical but I enjoyed it still. I don't think it is for everyone as it is a bit weird in places but I'm sure everyone will recognise at least one tune from this film. I was thoroughly impressed with Ewan McGreggors voice in this, particularly for the song come what may.