Moulin Rouge!

An absolutely breathtaking spectacle from an editing standpoint, culminating in the incredible "Roxanne" sequence, which is an audiovisual work of art in its own right. For a generally commercial musical with an average shot length of around a second, Luhrmann has my sincere respect, but I guess that's where it ends. Most of the time, the whole concept was a walk through hell – creepy characters, horrible developments, incredibly stupid humor (three penis jokes, hohoho) or horrible plots and subplots built on mistaken identity and allegories. The film exploits each of these endlessly, and even this is not enough, so that after one of the plots is over, the film turns around and repeats it again (Satine and Christian breaking up)! Then, if during the musical numbers you also feel as if you've fallen asleep under a broken jukebox after a bottle of absinthe, with the top 20 most played songs playing over and over again, I welcome you to the therapy of "Moulin Rouge tried to beat me to death." During our first class, your therapy assignment will be to throw the camera through the spinning blades of the mill. We have 30 attempts at this, so you don't have to feel bad about it. The movie sure didn't feel bad about it. (2018-11-01)

Baz Luhrmann has an amazing ability to turn Moulin Rouge into an unusually intense, emotional, "original", (non-)kitsch spectacle that is just very hard not to succumb to. And I loved the grace with which Moulin Rouge teeters on the edge between total kitsch and riveting emotional spectacle. The choreography, the sets, the costumes, the music, the boldness and inventiveness of the direction, the hauntingly beautiful Nicole Kidman... plainly and simply the prototype of a film that can provide an intense emotional experience from beginning to end. A year earlier, Lars von Trier also made a wannabe musical "his own way", which I coincidentally also gave full marks. The difference is that I was still quite nauseous for a few days after Dancer in the Dark and to this day I have no desire for a second viewing. With this film, I know I will want to watch it again very soon and I definitely won't be nauseous in the "Trier" sense :-) (2013-08-08)

You can expect many things from this film, but you’ll get something different. First of all, it’s worth mentioning the beautiful songs and the amazing performances; I don’t think I’ve ever seen so many likeable actors together. The opening part, playing on a very bold and fun note, blew me away, with its unique costumes, sets, choreographies, and then Nirvana's “Smeels Like Teen Spirit” kicks in – just a blast. The rest of the film is also conducted in the most original spirit and is a feast for the eyes and ears, but I didn't like the more romantic, sometimes a bit depressing part so much. It was still an enjoyable show, but the crazy beginning made a stronger impression. 80% (2012-02-28)

Sometimes I tell myself that it's hardly possible for there to exist such a precisely balanced border between deafening noise and indescribable beauty. A highly romantic affair, in which a tremendous amount of tension lies hidden, led by my favorite film scene of all time: The hiding of the main couple, ingeniously built up to the perfect Because she doesn't love you! moment. The pinnacle of cinematography and the most emotionally captivating affair. Thank you, Mr. Luhrmann, for the best film I have ever seen. (2004-12-23)

In the first fifteen minutes or so I was already saying that it is unbearably over-styled, tasteless, bullshit… and wasn’t far from turning it off. But then – and I didn’t notice exactly when it happened – I realised how much I was enjoying it. I don’t think I ever had such a total change of opinion while watching a film. I can’t provide a sufficiently reasonable explanation why I’m giving five stars to this piece of kitsch, but I just can’t help it. (2009-08-21)