This is not my first watching of this movie. This isn't even my tenth watching of this movie. But I believe this is one of the best musical and romantic movies of all time.
At first glance, this is a very strange film. Especially the first half. It's filled with absinth Argentinians with narcolepsy, music from This Sound of Music, and lots and lots of colorful strippers/prostitutes. What you might not necessarily notice is the heart of this movie. It's a movie about hope and love and beauty. As the characters subscribing to the Bohemian lifestyle constantly say, this movie is about "freedom, beauty, truth and love."
The curtains open. They literally open. We see Christian (Ewan McGregor) typing away on his typewriter about the woman he loves. We learn right away that she is (SPOILER) deceased. Thus, the audience knows right away the end game of this movie. Of course, by the end of the film, you will be hopelessly wishing that Christian was lying in his voiceover. In between this revelation and the end, the movie is filled with beautiful people, dancing, singing, and love.
Christian meets Satine (Nicole Kidman) at the Moulin Rouge where she mistakes him for the Duke, who we learn is going to invest at the theater and develop a show. After some awkward encounters and flustering, Christian is assigned to write this play and Satine will play the main character. Of course, through the writing of the play, Christian basically writes about their story. Satine is supposed to end up with the Duke eventually, but after a duet between the two, they realize their love. Of course, she is still entrusted to the Duke, but making up every excuse in the book to not sleep with him. So the illicit affair begins. There are bumps along the road, but it's nothing that cannot be fixed with a song.
The music in this movie really is phenomenal. I applaude the one who made the music arrangements and especially the one who wrote Come What May. That may easily be the best music made for a movie ever, in my humble opinion. It is used as the lover's secret song, when Satine and Christian want to let each other know that they love each other. Elephant Love Medley (where Satine and Christian realize their love) is a well arranged mash-up. Nature Boy is the perfect beginning and end song of the movie. And one of the best of the film is Christian's version of Your Song, originally sung by Elton John. This song on its own is wonderful, but in the context of the show, when Christian is wooing Satine, it is one of the most romantic songs in cinema.
Botton line: One of the best, if not the best, movie musicals of all time. And one of the best romantic movies. Perfect casting, perfect songs. All in all, just a wonderful movie that I can watch over and over.
Grade: A+
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