Moulin Rouge (Single Disc Edition) Reviews

I think this is because "MR" reinvents that most sacred and traditional of genres, the romantic musical, and because the film has the audacity to take pop culture [and pop music specifically] seriously. Plus, the idea of watching Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor, whatever you think of their acting, SINGING for more than two hours isn't intuitively appealing.

But I urge viewers to give this movie a chance if you haven't already, and I'd highly recommend buying the DVD if you already DO like the film from the theaters. This is a marvelous piece of cinematic entertainment and the DVD is a fantastic exploration of the medium and the source material. I applaud the director and his crew for delving so deeply behind the scenes.

Make no mistake: "MR" is a work of art. If you didn't like it, I posit that you didn't get it.

Rating: 5 - Love it or Hate it--it is a great film and an awesome DVD!
Yes, this is a film like most any groundbreaking or specific director's vision that will cause people to love it or hate it. People who like musical theatre have both hated it and loved it. People who don't like musical theatre have both hated it and loved it. It just depends on how the film grabs you. If you don't like the first 10-20 minutes--wait--because the film's tone changes. It's like ROMEO AND JULIET. The first part is a crazy, comical spectacle. The second half is a gut wrenching, beautifully filmed drama. The film is thrilling and majestic. The DVD is FULL of incredible extras. If you listen and watch how Baz and his creative team made the choices that became this film, you really understand how well thought out this film is. I love the film even more knowing that there is indeed an intelligent method to the madness. And hey, the film hold the National Board of Review Award, Golden Globes, and 8 Academy Award nominations including Best Picture. Seems the Love it audience is bigger than the (vicious) Hate it audience. I love this film and especially its DVD extras.

Rating: 5 - Remarkably inventive
I was very reluctant to see this film, primarily because so many people had so many negative things to say about it. But see it I did. And I was astounded at just how good it was. What I find incredible is that the always-frosty Nicole Kidman has garnered all the accolades while precious little has been said about Ewan McGregor. Yet it is McGregor who is the very soul of this film; it is his heartfelt performance that gives the film its depth. On top of that, he can actually sing, and with, again, great feeling.

The blending of original tunes written especially for the film (and, shockingly, not nominated for an Academy Award for best song) and previously recorded songs is very powerful--none moreso than the Sting tune, Roxanne, intercut with another number performed as an exquisitely danced, emotionally fraught tango.

Director Luhrmann knows his territory and covers it very well indeed. The dance sequences are frantic, even mad; the sets and costumes are brilliant--both in conception and in color. This is a film that fills the senses; there is so much going on, even in the quieter scenes, that it warrants being viewed several times.

Particularly powerful is McGregor's climactic scene with the dying Kidman. Here is an actor who endows even the rather asexual Kidman with his own heat.

There are a lot of reviews posted with declarations of dislike for this movie. I suspect they were written by people who were expecting to see something like a 1950's MGM musical. Moulin Rouge is a musical for now; a rendering of a classic tale done by the likes of Puccini and Verdi--all variations on La Dame aux Camellias--the naive young man who falls in love with a courtesan only to lose her to consumption.

This is very worth seeing. Approached with an open mind, it's a feast for the senses. Highly recommended.

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Moulin Rouge (Single Disc Edition)