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emerlion asked what the big deal was with Moulin Rouge. Instead of posting a comment on her lj, I'm writing about it here because I meant to write about it after I saw the movie.
"Moulin Rouge" reminds me of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec paintings and posters. The colors and movement he caught in his paintings are captured in the spirit of the movie. I think some other painters did works on the can can dancers too, although I can't remember right now.
Also, I thought it was wonderful that the actors believed so much in the material that they sung the songs themselves. Ewan McGregor doesn't have the best singing voice, IMHO, but his soul was in every note he sang.
The songs would not have had as much meaning for modern day viewers if they had put in period music. The modern songs worked, again IMHO, to capture the viewers - and make us laugh and cry.
I remember in 10th grade Chem class, my friends and I were bored a lot so we would pass around a note where we would each add on a line to a different song each time. The mix of songs in the movie reminded me of that memory which I had long forgotten.
Another thing, when you are in love for the first time with someone, or when you are falling in love, don't you have songs going through your head about them? I know I do. This is the first movie I've ever seen that does the same thing. I may not sing all the songs out loud when I fall in love, but McGregor and Kidman did it for me in the movie.
I thought Kidman was beautiful, wonderful, captivating, stunning and acted her part very well as a dancer who wanted to be an actress. She was cutesy and tarty when she needed to be and soft and loving when she wanted to be.
The movie sticks with you for days after you've watched it. The memories danced in my mind like the memory on my tongue of a deliciouse meal. Stephanie Zacharek from salon.com explained it far better in her review than I could by myself:
"That Kidman, McGregor and most of the other actors in "Moulin Rouge" do their own singing (mostly surprisingly well) is more than just a charming touch. It's an affirmation of the whole cast's commitment to Luhrmann's outlandish, go-for-broke vision: How far will you go to risk the audience's ridicule? And can you continue to believe in yourself, even if they laugh at you?
That vision, and the actors' pledge to it, is what makes "Moulin Rouge," messiness and all, so moving. Like a movie version of Mad King Ludwig's Bavarian fairytale castle, it's a mishmash of decoration, drapery and debauchery that's both deeply pleasurable and kitschy. It may not be the kind of place you'd actually want to live in. But after you've seen it, its rooms magically reassemble themselves in your memory, and the colors are softer, the vibe is warmer and there's love in every corner. "Moulin Rouge" is l'amour fou written in neon. "
"Moulin Rouge" reminds me of Henri Toulouse-Lautrec paintings and posters. The colors and movement he caught in his paintings are captured in the spirit of the movie. I think some other painters did works on the can can dancers too, although I can't remember right now.
Also, I thought it was wonderful that the actors believed so much in the material that they sung the songs themselves. Ewan McGregor doesn't have the best singing voice, IMHO, but his soul was in every note he sang.
The songs would not have had as much meaning for modern day viewers if they had put in period music. The modern songs worked, again IMHO, to capture the viewers - and make us laugh and cry.
I remember in 10th grade Chem class, my friends and I were bored a lot so we would pass around a note where we would each add on a line to a different song each time. The mix of songs in the movie reminded me of that memory which I had long forgotten.
Another thing, when you are in love for the first time with someone, or when you are falling in love, don't you have songs going through your head about them? I know I do. This is the first movie I've ever seen that does the same thing. I may not sing all the songs out loud when I fall in love, but McGregor and Kidman did it for me in the movie.
I thought Kidman was beautiful, wonderful, captivating, stunning and acted her part very well as a dancer who wanted to be an actress. She was cutesy and tarty when she needed to be and soft and loving when she wanted to be.
The movie sticks with you for days after you've watched it. The memories danced in my mind like the memory on my tongue of a deliciouse meal. Stephanie Zacharek from salon.com explained it far better in her review than I could by myself:
"That Kidman, McGregor and most of the other actors in "Moulin Rouge" do their own singing (mostly surprisingly well) is more than just a charming touch. It's an affirmation of the whole cast's commitment to Luhrmann's outlandish, go-for-broke vision: How far will you go to risk the audience's ridicule? And can you continue to believe in yourself, even if they laugh at you?
That vision, and the actors' pledge to it, is what makes "Moulin Rouge," messiness and all, so moving. Like a movie version of Mad King Ludwig's Bavarian fairytale castle, it's a mishmash of decoration, drapery and debauchery that's both deeply pleasurable and kitschy. It may not be the kind of place you'd actually want to live in. But after you've seen it, its rooms magically reassemble themselves in your memory, and the colors are softer, the vibe is warmer and there's love in every corner. "Moulin Rouge" is l'amour fou written in neon. "
