Moulin Rouge! [Blu-ray]

Moulin Rouge, a beautiful combination of romance, comedy, and tragedy set in Paris, France at the turn of the 20th Century, truly dazzles audiences. Currently, the movie is available to stream via Amazon Prime, Apple TV, and Vudu but ran in theaters for 84 weeks. The story follows a poor, struggling writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor,) as he recounts his tantalizing relationship with both love and art during the peak of the bohemian revolution. Once in Paris, he is immediately awestruck by an eclectic bunch of self-proclaimed children of the revolution, colorful can-can dancers, and the lifestyle that encourages indulgence. Christian, wishing to be a successful writer, becomes enamored by the sparkling diamond that is the courtesan Satine, played by Nicole Kidman, who also dreams of one day becoming a real actress. Through a series of comedic missteps and miscommunications the two are thrust together, quickly forming a love triangle with the Duke, a keen investor with a high price – Satine all to himself. Richard Roxburgh transforms into the creepy and controlling Duke, expertly executing the unhinged villain role which is no surprise given his familiarity with playing the antagonist. Throughout the film, Satine’s boss and keeper, Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), wrestles between his greedy selfishness and his genuine care for his shining star, causing a love-hate relationship between the over-the-top character and the audience. The Duke invests in Zidler, the Moulin Rouge, and Satine and makes it clear that he will do whatever it takes to get his money’s worth.McGregor and Kidman shine not only in their acting performance but both stars unveil unexpected talents as they debut their musical abilities on the big screen. McGregor had made his Star Wars premiere as Obi-Wan Kenobi in the first installment of the prequel trilogy the previous year which received mixed reactions from fans of the franchise. In Moulin Rouge! he fully embraces the initially naïve, love-struck aspiring writer, promptly gaining a whole new category of fans. Years later, Ewan would showcase his vocal chops again to play Sky Masterson in Guys and Dolls on the West End. Before Moulin Rouge!, Kidman had already shared the versatility of her craft with the masses as she had seen success in other film genres like romance, action, and drama. However, Practical Magic, which premiered the previous year, was considered a flop. Now the film, which she starred in opposite Sandra Bullock, is referred to as a cult classic. Kidman would also continue to use her vocal abilities throughout her career and even star in another movie musical, PROM.The chemistry between Kidman and McGregor is palpable and makes the forbidden love story that much more captivating. The introduction to “the Sparkling Diamond” is an extraordinary artistic display that literally has Kidman flying high, setting expectations soaring for the rest of the film. Thankfully, what follows does not disappoint. In “The Elephant Medley” scene, the audience watches these two characters fall in love despite themselves all while singing some of the most popular classic love songs. The heartbreaking conclusion of the story is beautifully tragic, as the music epically ends, good conquers evil, the lovers are finally free, but the happiness lasts only for a moment.Baz Luhrmann, known for Strictly Ballroom and coming off his successful film adaptation of William Shakespeare’s Romeo + Juliet, creates an impressive world of “freedom, beauty, truth, and love.” The fast tempo of the story is memorizing, and even though Satine’s fate is shared within the first moments of the movie, the quick-thinking exchanges and those triumphant arcs give fruitless glimmers of hope of a happy ending. Luhrmann has built a brand on extravagant and illustrious films and Moulin Rouge! is no exception. The staging and visual aesthetics are astounding as nuances in positioning, costumes, and lighting are reflective of the developing schemes. Luhrmann has an extraordinary way of establishing sensational platforms while allowing the actors to work within it instead of it overpowering them.Luhrmann and his company, Bazmark, which he founded with his wife Catherine Martin, produced this film. Based on the previously mentioned filmography, extravagance was expected. In addition to Martin and Luhrmann, the creative production team also included Briggette Broch (Romeo + Juliet) and Angus Strathie (Strickly Ballroom). It is no surprise that both Strathie and Martin were needed to tackle the enormous task of costume design. The sheer number of costumes is overwhelming, then add in the glitz and glamour. The outfits are modernized versions of early 1900’s fashion which mirrors the clash of historical and contemporary through the film. Martin with the help of Briggette Broch, captured the world of the bohemian revolution and successfully translated it to the big screen. This group of artists has clearly worked together before given how smoothly the different aspects of film fit together. The production design becomes a supporting character in this movie, it is literally the elephant in the room, that enable the actors to fully express their roles. The musical selection perfectly pairs with the scenes and are seamlessly integrated into the film. Younger audiences may find it surprising that there is only one song, “Come What May” used as the lover’s secret signal, that is original to the film.Overall, Moulin Rouge! is an impressive hit and adds another well-deserved feather in Baz Luhrmann’s director cap. This movie needs undivided attention to get the spectacular recognition it deserves. It created a significant enough fanbase that the idea of a Broadway adaptation was not only explored it was successful. Moulin Rouge! The Musical has been at the Al Hirschfeld theatre since 2019 and is currently on tour in the US.

Good movie!

It was absolutely spectacular, though the ending, gonna spoil it is pretty sad.

Moulin Rouge was already a film with a huge cult following before its appearance on blu ray. A blu ray transfer of a film when done correctly is an amazing experience and raises a films clarity and quality stratospheres of levels. But when not done well a film can even look worse than the dvd. So for a film as lush and dynamic as Moulin Rouge it would seem it was made for blu ray. So - how does it look and sound? There are no words to describe how amazing it is. This film truly was made for blu ray and all its qualities are made that much better.Moulin Rouge may not be for everyone's taste but it is truly an artistic masterpiece made with great ambition. That cannot be denied. It is a big, bold and clever extravaganza. It also miraculously used top 40 tunes from various decades to tell a beautiful, romantic love story and in the process bring the musical back to a place of relevance. Old and new comes together and visually and musically the film soars from beginning to end. The cast is superb with major star turns by Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. Tour de force performasnces by both.Now to the blu ray transfer. The video is truly a stunning presentation here and shows blu ray to its true best capability. The colors are so vibrant and seem to jump off the screen. The black levels, skin tones and overall clarity of picture are just truly amazing. And then you add in the audio which would either make or break this film. Well rest easy Moulin Rouge fans for the audio is rich and expansive. Dialogue is very strong and clear and the music takes a life of its own. This beautiful audio transfer makes use of all the speakers even when there is no music. This blu ray presentation honestly will make you feel as if you are inside Moulin Rouge. With this movie music and its use in a film are also brought to a new level. The film is magical, creative and a truly romantic fantasy experience. The blu ray transfer is beautiful and makes this a must have for fans and will definitely bring new admirers to this movie through its magic. Highly recommended.

So my partner wanted to watch this movie and, not knowing anything about it except that it's a musical, I was prepared to nap through it. Instead, I totally enjoyed it and we ended up watching the musical scenes again the next night b/c they were so funny! This movie had me laughing out loud (they don't make 'em like this anymore). Well-acted and produced! You will not be disappointed.

Saw this movie with Nicole Kidman. I first saw it around the age of 10, and it set unrealistic standards for love in life, I have been let down romantically ever since.

It's zany and heart wrenching! Good luck trying not to sing along to some of the many recognizable songs! Ewan (obi wan) is top notch in this film!

If you are a Baz Luhrman fan (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliette, The Great Gatsby, Elvis) this is a must see movie. Moulin Rouge is in my all-time top ten movies!

"Moulin Rouge" aus dem Jahr 2001 ist der Aschluß von Baz Luhrmanns "Red Curtain Trilogie", zu denen auch "Strictly Ballroom" aus dem Jahr 1992 und "Romeo und Julia aus dem Jahr 1996 gehören. Der Film, der im Montmartre Quartier in Paris um 1900 spielt, ist eine Co-Produktion von Australien und den USA. Mit einem Einspielergebnis von ca. 180 Millionen Dollar war dem Film ein großer Erfolg beschieden, ausserdem verhalf der australische Filmemacher dem beinahe schon totgeglaubten Genre des opulenten Musicalfilms ein furioses Comeback. Das letzte Filmmusical, dem die Ehre zuteil wurde als bester Film des Jahres eine Oscarnominierung zu bekommen, war "All That Jazz" im Jahr 1980. Diesen Oscar hat "Moulin Rouge" zwar nicht gewonnen, aber dafür wurde die Art Direction und die besten Kostüme ausgezeichnet und sicherlich hat er dem nächsten großen Musical "Chicago" ein bisschen Schützenhilfe geleistet, die Gunst der Akademiemitglieder zu gewinnen - ein Jahr nach "Moulin Rouge" wurde Bob Marshalls "Chicago" zum besten Film des Jahres gewählt.Neben den Nominierungen als bester Film, den Nominierungen in den Kategorien Schnitt, Ton und Make up muss die Nominerung von Nicole Kidman in der Rolle der Kurtisane Satine besonders hervorgehoben werden, denn trotz aller Schauwerte ist "Moulin Rouge" Nichole Kidmans Film. Leider unterlag sie Halle Barry in "Monsters Ball". Luhrman selbst gelang es vortrefflich den Zauber der nostalgischn Musicals mit unserem Zeitgeist zu verbinden, daher hatte auch die MTV Generation Gefallen daran, auch wenn der Film nur aus Farbe und Musik, Ton und Bewegung, kinetischer Energie, breiten Strichen und opernhaftem Übermaß besteht. Die Liebesgeschichte nimmt natürlich einen großen Part im Geschehen rund um das "Moulin rouge" ein. Ein besonders origineller Einfall war, dass für den Film keine eigenen Songs verwendet wurden. Luhrmans Idee war es aus dem reichhaltigen Angebot bereits bekannter Songs zu schöpfen und diesen Songklassikern ein völlig neues Gewand zu geben. Ausserdem verwendete er für einige der Gesangseinlagen kurze Versatzstücke weiterer bekannter Songs und fügte sie als neue Einheit zusammen. Sowohl Ewan McGregor als auch Nicole Kidman sangen ihre Songs selbst.Luhrman benötigte 2 1/2 Jahre, um sich die Rechte an seinen für den Film gewünschten Songs die Rechte zu sichern, es sind "The Show must go on", "Your Song", "Like a virgin", "Lady Marmelade", "Heroes", "Nature Boy", "Material Girl", "Roxanne", "The Sound of Music", "One Day I fly away", "Silly Lovesongs" oder "Smells like teen Spirit"und viele weitere mehr.Im Jahr 1900 beginnt Christian (Ewan McGregor), ein junger Schriftsteller, der über den kürzlichen Tod der Frau, die er liebte, deprimiert ist, in einer kleinen Mansardenwohnung in Paris, ihre gemeinsame Geschichte auf seiner Schreibmaschine zu schreiben. Ein Jahr zuvor kommt er in den Pariser Stadtteil Montmartre, um sich der Boheme-Bewegung anzuschließen. Plötzlich trifft er Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo) und seine Künstlertruppe, die ein Stück mit dem Titel "Spectacular Spectacular" schreiben. Nachdem Christian ihnen geholfen hat, das Stück fertigzustellen, gehen sie zum Moulin Rouge, wo sie hoffen, dass Christians Talente Satine (Nicole Kidman), denStar des Etablissements und gewünschte Hauptdarstellerin so zu beeindrucken, dass auch Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent), der Besitzer des Moulin Rouge dieses Stück herausbringen wird. Allerdings plant Zidler, den wohlhabenden, mächtigen und skrupellosen Herzog von Monroth (Richard Roxburgh) mit der Kurtisane Satine zu verkuppeln mit dem Hintergedanken, dass der steinreiche Herzog Finanzier für Zidlers Vorhaben wird den Club in ein Theater umzuwandeln. Natürlich ist der fiese Herzog besessen von dem Gedanken mit Satine zu schlafen und sie zu seiner ständigen Geliebten zu machen. In dieser Nacht verwechselt Satine Christian mit dem Herzog und versucht ihn zu verführen, indem sie mit ihm tanzt, bevor sie sich mit ihm in ihr Privatgemach zurückzieht, um die Dinge privat zu besprechen, doch schließlich enthüllt Christian seine wahre Identität. Und natürlich verlieben sich die beiden ineinander. Aber es ist eine verbotene Liebe, denn der Herzog soll glauben, dass Satines Herz ihm gehört. Zu aller Tragik ist Satine auch noch an Schwindsucht erkannt, was sie selbst nicht weiß...Eine Story, die traurig endet und die von dem ebenfalls für den Oscar nominierten Kameramann Donald M. McAlpine perfekt in opulenten Bildern eingefangen wurden - die künstlichen Kulissen entfalten einen unerwarteten Zauber. Das American Film Institute wählte Luhrmans Publikumserfolg auf Platz 25 der besten Musicals und auch der Filmsong "Come what may" platzierte sich dort auf Platz 85 der besten Filmsongs - es war der einzige Songs, der extra für den Film geschrieben wurde. Ganz am Anfang der Vorstellung ist Kylie Minogue als "Grüne Fee" zu sehen.

This dvd works but was not happy as case was damage. And one off the disc had fallen out but the important thing is film played find.

One of my favourite films, brought to life on blu-ray. I'm not going to attempt to review this film (as I won't do it justice) but suffice to say it's a musical extravaganza with an incredible cast and beautiful visuals. Sound and picture are exquisite on this blu-ray and bring the incredibly intricate CGI to life in a way I've never seen before so don't waste this on your TV speakers, but get some surround sound action going!

Muy bueno sin problema llegó antes

Loved it from start to finish!!!