Musical 'Moulin Rouge', a feast for the eyes and heart

By Joko E.H. Anwar

Moulin Rouge **** out of four stars; Romance/Musical/Comedy; Starring Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor, John Leguizamo, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh.; Written by Baz Luhrmann and Craig Pearce; Directed by Baz Luhrmann; A Bazmark/Twentieth Century Fox presentation

JAKARTA (JP): Luhrmann's colorful musical Moulin Rouge seems to stand out as a proud, gorgeous ballerina in a beautiful tutu among an abundance of many bad movies.

It has been so long since there was a movie filled with so much exuberance it glistens on the screen and mesmerizes the audiences hungry for something to spoil their hearts and eyes.

Splashed with almost all colors of the light spectrum, Moulin Rouge is a real spectacle, a fresh, electrifying, and wildly entertaining film -- a simple love story that will likely heal the wound caused by watching the criminally dull and boring Pearl Harbor.

Add Baz Luhrmann to the list of film directors whose signature can be seen on all of his works.

His first feature film, Strictly Ballroom (1992), captured the attention of many art-house film lovers all over the world. The kinetic, comical musical tells a simple story of an ugly duckling who tries to beat the odds in a national dance competition, but Luhrmann's acute stylishness gives the story a new spirit.

His next film was a contemporary adaption of the most popular love story ever told, William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, which proved to be more than just an exercise in stylishness.

Moulin Rouge is a double treat: it has all of the colorful visuals of his William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet, and it is also filled with the comic energy of Strictly Ballroom.

All right, the story is quite slim, but let's leave it to M. Night Shyamalan to make great stories.

The film's opening, its signature scene, will likely amuse even the most jaded audience.

And when the real film starts, a dazzling visual of a colorful recreation of Paris at the close of the 19th century, accompanied by David Bowie's haunting Nature Boy, the film sucks the audience into its dreamlike world.

It soon introduces its first character, Christian (McGregor), an English writer who decides to come down to the city where a new culture of entertainment has just been born. Paris is populated by many bohemians who dub themselves "The Children of the Revolution".

Penniless and out of work, Christian resides in the Paris district of Montmartre where one day a narcoleptic actor falls through his roof after his narcolepsy strikes again during a rehearsal for a play called "Spectacular, Spectacular".

When the rest of the show's crew come to get the narcoleptic actor, Christian impresses them with his ideas and his rendition of the song Sound of Music.

After you ask yourself "What's going on here?", you will quickly get a grip on the film's intended anachronism as director Luhrmann put it, "music and song is the device that releases us from the naturalistic world".

You will find it hard to believe when you see that John Leguizamo playing the group leader, the dwarf Toulouse Lautrec, even after you have seen him in heavy make-up in Spawn.

Toulouse arranges for Christian to meet a beautiful courtesan of the infamous Moulin Rouge, a landmark music hall in the center of Mortmartre.

The courtesan, Satine, is immediately attracted to Christian, after mistaking him for a wealthy duke (Richard Roxburgh), whose investment in the club is hoped for by the club's owner, Zidler (Jim Broadbent).

Satine is a self-proclaimed material girl as she sings Diamonds are a Girl's Best Friend and Madonna's Material Girl. Christian is smitten and so is she.

Satine flirts with the Duke, only to make sure that the club will get its financial backing but she actually gives her heart to Christian.

Soon, they are dancing on the clouds over the Eiffel tower, with stardust falling all around them and a moustached-face moon smiling at them.

Historians may be infuriated by Luhrmann's decision to toy with important historical events but the rest of us will not mind.

McGregor plays his role with intense likability as does Kidman. The film showcases what is arguably their best film performance ever!

Moulin Rouge features extravagant, lavish sets and costumes which somehow do not undermine the rest of the elements of the film.

Despite the extravagant dance and song numbers, the love story works very well and the two principal actors still get to keep their clothes on for the entire film!

And it is so much fun to see extended scenes between the two when they exchange conversation through singing several hits from the 70's and the 80's -- from Dolly Parton's I Will Always Love You to U2's In the Name of Love. Yes, they are not dubbed and yes, they sing with credibility as well as sincerity.

The rest of the cast is also outstanding.

There is already no doubt that Leguizamo can deliver a terrific performance. He is crass and funny in a role which could have easily slipped into an annoying element.

Richard Roxburgh manages to make us hate him while at the same time provides the film with comic relief.

It is delightful to watch British thespian Jim Broadbant as the club owner especially when he performs his rendition of Madonna's Like A Virgin.

Honestly, it is hard to find a let down scene in the film and before you know it, you will find it hard to suppress the urge to clap throughout the film.

However, you still get the feeling the movie falls into the category of being a love-it-or-hate-it film. Me? I cannot think of anything more entertaining for a long time and I have already added Moulin Rouge to my all-time personal favorites list. This one really deserves a standing ovation.