I know my original plan for my ‘Modern Classics‘ feature was to celebrate my first time viewings of recent classics but with Baz Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge available on the new Disney+ Star channel, I couldn’t resist.

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Starring: Ewan McGregor, Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Richard Roxburgh, John Leguizamo

Awards: Oscar Winner – Best Set Design, Best Costume Design. Oscar Nominee – Best Picture, Best Actress, Cinematography, Film Editing, Make Up, Sound.

The the late 1890’s meets the contemporary stylings of the twenty-first century to tell the story of Christian, a young English writer who moves to Paris to follow the ideals of the Bohemian Revolution; Freedom, Beauty, Truth and Love.

Christian meets an eccentric group of fellow Bohemians who are rehearsing for a play to be performed at the Moulin Rouge, a famous nightclub where the upper elite mingle with the seedy glamour of the underworld. Christian soon meets Satine, the talented and beautiful star of the Moulin Rouge, and they fall deeply in love. Unfortunately for the two lovers, the club’s owner, Harold Zidler, has promised Satine to a wealthy and obsessively jealous Duke in order to secure financial backing.

As a passionate and dangerous love triangle ensues, Christian and Satine must overcome all odds to hold their love together but something more deadly than jealousy and desire threatens their happiness.

Luhrmann takes the unique cinematic stylings of his 1996 adaptation of Shakespeare’s famous play, Romeo + Juliet, and dials them up to eleven to deliver a story that is a true feast for the senses.

From the chaotic and frenzied choice of camera angles and shooting styles to the delightfully garish costumes and ornate set design, it is easy to feel bombarded and overwhelmed but I believe that to be a creative choice, one that helps to simulate both the atmosphere of the Moulin Rouge and the all encompassing whirlwind that is Christian and Satine’s love affair.

The characters are as flamboyant and ostentatious as their surroundings, and delightfully so. Richard Roxburgh’s ‘The Duke’ is a character the audience will love to hate, every sneer and creepy stroke of his hat has us rooting more and more for his downfall. John Leguizamo is hilarious but under used in his role as bohemian artist, Toulouse-Lautrec. He manages to deliver one of cinema’s cheesiest lines in a way that makes you cheer rather than cringe.

Jim Broadbent seems to be having a right ball as the larger than life impresario, Harold Zidler. He is extravagant, over-the-top and somewhat conflicted. Although he seems desperate to keep his financier happy and turn the Moulin Rouge into a legitimate theatre, he also appears to genuinely care about Satine.

Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman are Spectacular Spectacular! in their central roles (sorry, couldn’t help myself lol). They have a great chemistry and really play well off of each other. From their initial meeting to their secret song to the film’s climax, their love is believable and something to truly root for.

If I haven’t already sold you on this film, Moulin Rouge‘s coup de grace is its fantastic soundtrack. With the exception of the lovers secret song ‘Come What May’, all songs are collaborations and amalgamations of those that we all know and love but are delivered in a way that is contemporary and well balanced.

So if you want to see Jim Broadbent and Richard Roxburgh performing their duet of Madonna’s ‘Like A Virgin’ – yes, really! – or The Police’s ‘Roxanne’ delivered as an intense and sexually charged tango then check out this film and then immediately download the soundtrack. You won’t be disappointed.

Moulin Rouge is now available to stream on Disney+