“The greatest thing you’ll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return”: Christian in Moulin Rouge
The story begins in a flashback where we see Christian [Ewan McGregor] a young penniless poet who moves to Paris in hopes of making a name for himself, meeting a dwarf who is trying to write a new song for his show. Impressed with Christian’s talent, the dwarf takes him goes to Moulin Rouge the hippest nightclub, most famous for its cancan dancers & cabaret.
Love at first sight happens for Christian as soon as he lays his eyes on the the most desirable courtesan Satine [Nicole Kidman], she too wants to become a serious actress & this gives Christian a chance to come close to her with his ’’story about love’’. Charmed by his story, Satine agrees to be a part in this play & she proposes to speak to a wealthy Duke of Worcester - who wants Satine to become his mistress - to fund this show. Seduced by her, the duke readily agrees to sponsor their play.
However, Satine falls in love with Christian & on pretext of practising for the show we see the young lovers singing dancing & pledging their love for eachother. As the day for the show nears and even as Satine is ready to face the wrath of the rich-n-repulsive Duke, fate has planned some cruel surprises for the unfortunate lovers.
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The Film/Performances :
This kaleidoscope of vibrant colors & choreography has been directed by Baz Luhrman who has made every scene look exotically beautiful, however far fetched it may seem. The story has nothing new to say coz its much like our hindi films but unlike our 3 hours hindi film, Lurhman has been able convey a charming love story in just two hours. Moulin Rouge is surely one of most sassy, sensual, musical movie ever made & one wishes it would go on and on.
Nicole Kidman as Satine [even otherwise] is extremely beautiful & with her sweet, melodic voice she makes Satine a character to remember. Whether she seduces the Duke or pours out her heart to Christian, Kidman has shown that she is an actress with amazing talent. Right from the moment she makes her grand entry with her ’’ I believe you were waiting for me’’ Kidman captivates the audience with her beauty & superb performance. Must say being dumped by Mr. Tom Cruise has been the best thing to happen to Nicole, who has now got umpteen chances to show her acting talents.
Ewan McGregor is too charming & wow he sings too ! Playing a starry eyed smitten young poet, Ewan makes the audience believe in his love without us thinking of him as a pathetic lover & when Ewan says “Love is the only thing worth living for or ’’Love is like oxygen, it’s a many splendored thing, it lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love’’, you find yourself readily agreeing with him.
Pop star Kylie Minogue has tiny role in the film where she plays a green fairy who springs to life from a billboard, but hey ! don’t blink or you would miss the cute green fairy.
Even though the time is 1900 & Moulin Rouge is in Paris, the film has a superb medley of famous songs by Madonna “Like a Virgin”, Sting-Police “Roxanne”, Elton John “Your Song”, Nirvana “Smells Like Teen Spirit”, U2 “Pride’’, Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mya, Pink sing ’’Lady Marmalade’’, Queen, John Lennon, David Bowie, Dolly Parton, the Beatles, David Bowie and even a song from Fatboy Slim! This pop opera is the scene-stealer of the film. As we all know the song/dance that introduces Satine is from one of our hindi masala film Chinagate called ’’Chamma Chamma’’ cleverly disguised as ’’Hindi Sad Diamonds’’ which ends with ’’Diamonds are girls best friends’’. The soundtrack is as good as the film.
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My Word :
Moulin Rouge isn’t a film that would suit everyone’s taste. We are used to watching our bollywood stars sing-n-dance around trees & on every occasion, here we may find the musical songs too theatrical & the main characters too loud when they sing but both Nicole & Ewan are too charming to be unlikeable. They truly look like a couple in love with love itself. In the song ’’Come what may, I will love you until my dying day’’, they are at their charming best!
The promos for this the movie said “This story is about Truth, Beauty, Freedom & Love.” Rek sayz ’’This is a movie with Masti Magic & is a Must watch !’’
If this movie has been on ur ’’must watch’’ list, DON’T miss watching this on Star Movies this month :)