Moulin Rouge (2001) (Movie Review)

Dir: Baz Luhrmann
Starring: Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor
Dur: 2 hrs 8 mins
Genre: Musical, Romance
PG: The theme of the club is very sensual. Sexual references are made on and off. A couple of kisses.
Rating: 7/10

Before actually watching the film I briefly went through it and judged that it wasn’t my kind of movie. Since it was of a musical sort I figured it would be a bore. But my prejudice couldn’t have been more false.
It tells a story that is truly and completely about love. What’s great is that it touches nearly every emotion one would associate with love. Better still it does so with music and theatrics. A young idealistic writer falls for ‘The Sparkling Diamond’, a stage name for a woman of poor character and rich looks. The setting is an entertainment club of the past century. Hence one musn’t be appalled at the gyrating and frisking, not to mention the sexual innuendoes. There is however a lot of colour and choreographed dance sequences to go along with the opera-style singing.

The villain also with a typical theatrical name, The Duke, upsets the young lovers with his lust for beauty. Things begin to get pretty predictable less than half way through the film and one can easily surmise that the power of love will finally prevail.

Although we hear a lot about love in the film, it is the ending that tells the real tale of love. There is indeed nothing greater than to love and to be loved for “love is like oxygen. It is a many splendoured thing. It lifts us up to where we belong. All you need is love.” 

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