Campus Classics: "Moulin Rouge"
Melani Gerenia
Issue date: 9/21/06 Section: Arts & Entertainment
"Moulin Rouge" has been one of my all-time favorite movies and I felt the need to share it with the rest of you. Although the opening scene is kind of slow, the point is made that the movie takes place as a flashback. The plot begins with the paths of a hopeful writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor) and an aspiring actress, Satine (Nicole Kidman), strategically crossed. They kindle a love which is doomed from the beginning, and the actress finds herself torn between her career and her romantic desires. The movie peaks when Satine is forced to make a decision and has to deal with the consequences of her choice.
Nicole Kidman was a good choice for the role of Satine because her natural elegance helps keep her character from being classified as a typical harlot. She is also able to maintain a mysterious air about her which keeps the audience interested in learning more about the character. Ewan McGregor's role as Christian was also well played. He has been seen in movies that involve a lot of fighting, such as the Star Wars trilogy and Black Hawk Down, but in this film he is able to maintain the sensitive, loving role that his character requires.
The first thing that struck me was the colorful settings of the Moulin Rouge. Everything was elaborately decorated and even the costumes were beautifully designed to show the flirtatious and wild side of the dancers. The sets were filled with bright colors consisting mainly of red and gold. The director, Baz Luhrmann, was able to incorporate the setting with the actors quite well, and I found myself looking at the sets almost more than at the actors themselves.
There are many scenes with large group choreography, which helps keep the excitement up. However, I found that the numerous scenes of high energy were a little exhausting to watch and they seemed to start up with little to no notice. I enjoyed the ballads in the movie more than the high intensity songs because they seemed to flow with the scenes better, and they also seemed to blend in with the particular parts of the conversations. As the movie continued, I found that the songs fit the plot better and became more relevant to the story.
The miscommunication in the beginning between the characters provides comedic relief. Interaction between the characters is always broken up with some sort of funny comment or inappropriate reference. Keep in mind, this does takes place mainly in a French brothel.
I did catch some inconsistencies in the movie, but nothing that overly affected the movie or the plot. Overall, the tale grows more and more desirable as the movie goes on. It is a bit long (a little over two hours), but the ending is definitely worth it.
Nicole Kidman was a good choice for the role of Satine because her natural elegance helps keep her character from being classified as a typical harlot. She is also able to maintain a mysterious air about her which keeps the audience interested in learning more about the character. Ewan McGregor's role as Christian was also well played. He has been seen in movies that involve a lot of fighting, such as the Star Wars trilogy and Black Hawk Down, but in this film he is able to maintain the sensitive, loving role that his character requires.
The first thing that struck me was the colorful settings of the Moulin Rouge. Everything was elaborately decorated and even the costumes were beautifully designed to show the flirtatious and wild side of the dancers. The sets were filled with bright colors consisting mainly of red and gold. The director, Baz Luhrmann, was able to incorporate the setting with the actors quite well, and I found myself looking at the sets almost more than at the actors themselves.
There are many scenes with large group choreography, which helps keep the excitement up. However, I found that the numerous scenes of high energy were a little exhausting to watch and they seemed to start up with little to no notice. I enjoyed the ballads in the movie more than the high intensity songs because they seemed to flow with the scenes better, and they also seemed to blend in with the particular parts of the conversations. As the movie continued, I found that the songs fit the plot better and became more relevant to the story.
The miscommunication in the beginning between the characters provides comedic relief. Interaction between the characters is always broken up with some sort of funny comment or inappropriate reference. Keep in mind, this does takes place mainly in a French brothel.
I did catch some inconsistencies in the movie, but nothing that overly affected the movie or the plot. Overall, the tale grows more and more desirable as the movie goes on. It is a bit long (a little over two hours), but the ending is definitely worth it.
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