Number 612 on the top 1000 films of all time is the jukebox musical romantic drama Moulin Rouge!
Christian (Ewan Macgregor) is a poet and romantic who wants to become a bohemian revolutionary. He moves to Paris' Montmarte District where he falls in love with Satine (Nicole Kidman) who is the star burlesque performer in the Moulin Rouge! But the course of true love never did run smooth.
Moulin Rouge was pure chaotic energy. It was bright, vibrant, colourful; a total spectacle. It won Oscars for Best Production and Best Costume design which was no surprise. To say it was a treat for the eyes would be an understatement. It would be easy to dismiss Moulin Rouge as style over substance.
In many ways it is, jumping from shoe-horned song to shoe-horned song with the thinnest of storylines connecting everything. But I also think that was the point. Burlesque and Cabaret are genres which are all about excess. They're all about putting on a show and being over-the-top. They're theatrical. And that's all part of the fun.
I admit that after a while the film's novelty wore off, but I still don't think it's fair to criticise the film for its very nature. What I was less keen on was Ewan Macgregor's singing voice. Obviously he isn't known as a singer, and I'm tone-death, but Ewan's singing voice bordered on screeching. His acting was fine, but his singing grated on me.
Moulin Rouge was a highly entertaining film. It had great visual flair. Was it more style than substance? Absolutely. But it was definitely a film that you won't forget in a hurry.
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