MOULIN ROUGE is a lavish biography of French painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (1864-1901), the Parisian postimpressionist whose growth was stunted by two chilhood accidents. Jose Ferrer gives an impressive performance as Lautrec, and director John Huston captures the flavour of the bawdy Montmartre district, its characters, and Lautrec's sadly distorted view of life.
The son of a French count, Lautrec falls in love with Marie Charlet (Colette Marchand) and begins a relationship. He earns most of his money by painting advertising posters, and hangs out with the bohemian sub-culture near a burlesque palace, the Moulin Rouge. This is the setting of the fabulous 20 minute can-can sequence near the beginning of the film.
Jose Ferrer also plays his father, the Compte Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec, who disapproves of his son's art career as a disgrace to the family name.
The Compte: "You should be horsewhipped for smearing the name of Toulouse-Lautrec over every kiosk in Paris. That revolting poster is a disgrace."
Henri: "I am sorry you do not like my work, Father. But I shall continue to sign it as I please, for it is my name and it is my work."
The Comte: "Work? A pretext to hang about cheap dance halls and drink all night. You call that pornographic trash work?"
Henri: "Yes, I call it work. On this I am more of an authority than you, Father. You've never worked. Our kind never did. We are the grand seigneurs, we are above work."
Henri: "Well, Jane, what a long road you have traveled. Only a few years ago you were singing for your supper, and here you are a full-fledged star at twenty-nine."
Jane: "Twenty-five!"
Henri: "Of course, I beg your pardon. Twenty-five."
Jane: "I have been twenty-five for four years, and I shall stay there for another four. Then I'll be twenty-seven for a while. I intend to grow old gracefully....You are the only man who has never bored me."
Henri: "I am the only man who has never loved you."
Jane: "Henri, over there. There is the most beautiful creature. Look at those shoulders."
Henri: "For your sake, I pray that they are not padded."
To play the dwarfish Henri, Ferrer used platforms, concealed pits, special camera angles, and he walked on his padded knees. Lautrec's deformity, physical and mental anguish, and failures in romance lead to his early death--caused by alcoholism, debauchery, and a fall. The deathbed scene is the very best in cinema history. His father apologizes and is very proud to inform Henri that his collection of paintings was just chosen to hang in the Louvre, the only artist to be so honoured in his lifetime.
Ghostly dancers move around him and entertainer Jane Avril (Zsa Zsa Gabor) waltzes in and out of his bedroom, and says, "Henri, my dear, we just heard you were dying. We simply had to come say good-bye." Gabor is excellent in this film. If she had been consistently this good, she would have been a major star, instead of a mere celebrity--famous for being famous.
The cast also includes: Suzanne Flon (Myriamme Hayam), Claude Nollier (Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec), Katherine Kath (La Goulue), Muriel Smith (Aicha), Mary Clare (Madame Louet), Walter Crisham (Valentin Dessosse), Lee Montague ( Maurice Joyant, Jim Gerald (Pere Cotelle), Georges Lannes (Sgt. Patou), Harold Kasket (Zidler), Maureen Swanson (Denise de Frontiac), Jill Bennett (Sarah), Theodore Bikel (King Milo IV), Peter Cushing (Marcel de la Voisier), Charles Carson (Mr. Paquin), Walter Cross (Babare), Colette Marchand (Marie Charlet), Michael Balfour (Dodo), Christopher Lee (Georges Seurat), and many others. Huston wrote the screenplay from the novel by Pierre La Mure. Music is by George Auric and the movie theme hit the top 10 charts in the US.
Nominated for seven Academy Awards, including Best Picture and Best Actor, MOULIN ROUGE won two Oscars: Art Direction and Costume Design.
MOULIN ROUGE (1934) is a good musical comedy about songwriter Douglas Hall (Franchot Tone). Constance Bennett plays two roles: American wife Helen Hall and her sister, a pseudo-French actress who was a success in Paris as Mlle. Racquel. She impersonates her sister to revitalize her marriage and stage career that her husband will not allow. Some of the jokes and costumes are good. The 15 minute grand finale has most of the singing and dancing.
MOULIN ROUGE (1941) is a French musical shot in Paris just before the Nazis invaded and took over. It stars Rene Dary as aspiring singer Lequerec, too poor to get into the Moulin Rouge and prove himself. To survive Lequerec works as an undertaker's assistant and caretaker. With the help of his friend Loiseau (Lucien Baroux) he loans a rich man's clothes and sneaks onstage at the Moulin Rouge and becomes a star. Josephine Baker plays Princess Tam-Tam, the original title of the film, and performs some of her famous dance routines.
MOULIN ROUGE (2001) is a hallucinogenic fantasy and love story with a gaudy, bombastic view of the "City of Lights". Satine (Nicole Kidman) is a notorious nightclub courtesan and Christian (Ewan McGregor) is the narrator and young writer in love with her. Both sing quite well, and there are dozens of songs, mostly hit pop songs from the 1970's and 1980's. John Leguizano plays Toulouse-Lautrec. This movie is inferior to the 1952 film, has virtually nothing in common with it, and it also won Oscars for Art Direction and Costume Design.
