Spectacular, Spectacular

I mentioned Moulin Rouge in very fine print on my Hamlet post

and it caught Stevie Wren's eye. She and I had a chat about how

much we like the movie. It is one of those films that you either

absolutely love or absolutely hate. Well, I'm one of those who love

it and I have watched it more times than I care to say. It has a

wonderful intoxicating quality which entrances me every time.

Director Baz Luhrmann took a bold step by making this dynamically

unique film. Set in 1899 Paris, it is just like stepping into a vividly

colored Toulouse Lautrec painting. It is truly a feast for the eyes,

with it's fabulous costumes and extraordinary sets. Yes, it's a silly

musical with lots of singing and and dancing, but all the music is post

1899 with a quirky mix of Rogers & Hammerstein, Elton John,

The Police, Madonna and even Nirvana, among others. It sounds

odd, but it really does work, in fact it is unbelievably captivating.

Nicole Kidman shines as Satine the "Sparkling Diamond" and

speaking of diamonds, she wears the most expensive piece of

jewelry ever specifically made for a film, a diamond and platinum

necklace totaling 134 carats. The handsome Ewan MacGregor is

perfect in the role of the innocent penniless writer and this man

can really sing! He absolutely makes me melt. John Leguizamo

is a hilarious lisping Toulouse Lautrec, and I'm not quite sure how

they did it, but they made his legs look about 12 inches long! The

funniest scene in the entire movie is a scene where Jim Broadbent,

outfitted in a fat suit, sings "Like a Virgin", complete with dancing

waiters. "Roxane", on the other hand, is one fantastic and very

steamy tango dance scene that leaves me completely limp. So, to

make a long story short, this film is funny, visually and musically

stunning and well, I think...spectacular.