Archive for August 31st, 2007

The TGIF Movie Review: Moulin Rouge!

August 31st, 2007 by Matt

Okay, okay, okay, okay, and okay. I know, I know. Every week since we revved up Progressive Wednesday like the fair-minded and well-meaning Harley that it is, I’ve reviewed a flick that recently made its way from the silver screen to DVD, and this week, if it wasn’t already clear from the title, I’m cheating a bit, but for a bunch o’ good reasons.

First off, Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge! is one of only five movies that I’ve ever seen in the theater twice (since you asked, the others are The Shawshank Redemption, Rushmore, I [Heart] Huckabees, and Lost in Translation). Second off, Moulin Rouge! is one of the best musical movies ever made, and it is, without a doubt, one of the most daring films to ever pass this man’s eyes and ears. Third off, I just watched it again a few days ago so the sucker’s pretty fresh in my noggin.

So, for those of you not in the know, Moulin Rouge! tells the story of Christian (played by Ewan McGregor) a fresh-faced writer who lands in Paris and joins a group of Bohemian artists trying to raise money for a musical of their own. Partially because of a case of mistaken identity, he ends up pining for then falling in love with Satine (played by Nicole Kidman), a courtesan at the Mouline Rouge club. A rich Duke fights for Satine’s love using brute force, his wealth, and the promise of fame. Satine, it turns out, is dying from TB, but keeps her illness a secret from Christian, who she ends up loving in return. Conflicts rise and fall from there, but the film essentially culminates with the production of the musical. I won’t lie: the plot isn’t filled with many surprises. But plot isn’t really want people look for in musicals. The surprises here come in the form of pyrotechnic editing reminiscent of music videos, and the use contemporary songs in a film set in 1899.

To pinpoint highlights in this movie is to pick out your favorite Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups in a sack of those delicious suckers. But select I will. Some of my fave moments include the only original song in the flick, “Come What May.” Much like in traditional musicals, this big “number” closes out the first act, and it’s reprized at the end of the second act. It manages to capture the big-heartedness expected of musicals, and yet steers clear of the sentimentality often expected and accepted in this genre of art.

Other keister-kicking moments include: the unexpected and inventive use of Elton John’s “Your Song;” a hilarious scene where the Bohemians pitch a musical called “Spectacular Spectacular;” and our introduction to the Moulin Rouge cabaret, which fuses together the songs “Lady Marmalade” and Nirvana’s big-amped alternative anthem, “Smells Like Teen Spirit.”

But the crème de le crème of this movie is, without a diggity-doubt, what’s dubbed the “Elephant Love Medley,” a melding of thirteen 20th century rock and pop songs mixed together seamlessly and precisely. The result is the salvation of some not-so-great numbers, and the reinvention of some contemporary classics. What carries this medley, though, are the delicate vocals of Kidman and the lift-your-heart pipes on McGregor. Tunes in the medley include:

  • “I Was Made for Lovin’ You” by KISS
  • “Pride (in the Name of Love)” by U2
  • “Love is Like Oxygen” by Sweet
  • “All You Need is Love” by The Beatles
  • “Don’t Leave Me This Way” by Thelma Houston
  • “One More Night” by Phil Collins
  • “Love is a Many-Splendored Thing” by Frank Sinatra
  • “Lover’s Game” by Chris Isaak
  • “Silly Love Songs” by Paul McCartney and Wings
  • “I Will Always Love You” by Dolly Parton (made waaaaaaaaaay too famous by Whitney Houston)
  • “Up Where We Belong” by by Joe Cocker and Jennifer Warnes
  • “Your Song” by Elton John
  • “Heroes” by David Bowie

The kicker for me, though, is the last on the list: the use of “Ziggy Stardust’s” masterful “Heroes.” And I ain’t afraid to say that that moment in the medley gives this man exhilarated shivers.

For my money, this flick is as much about the place where realism and romance meet as it is about the creation of art (characters create a musical within this musical), and maybe more than that, it’s a flick about falling in love–gloriously, effortlessly, ultimately–with music. Get ready to rock….

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I keep talkin’ this tune up to those around me, so I’m not sure I could live with myself come Saturday morning if I didn’t give you a taste of “Heroes” performed live by Mr. Bowie. I mean, how can you go wrong with these lyrics: “I, I can remember/ Standing by the wall/ And the guns shot above our heads/ And we kissed/ As though nothing could fall/ And the shame was on the other side/ Oh, we can beat them, for ever and ever/ Then we could be heroes/ Just for one day.” You can’t go wrong. You can’t.

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And I’d be seriously remiss if I didn’t include the “Elephant Love Medley.”


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