[Chuck Mayer]

Dome,
What many of the fans feel was original was the structure, design, and sheer energy of the film. The story was timeless and simple, and Baz L. effectively explains why on the incredible DVD. While you may feel it wasn't original (and that is very fair), many of those who love it feel it was a special, special film.

Different tastes for different folks

Take care,
Chuck

[Ryan L B]

dont we get to see some skin because acording to an add it was rated pg13 for "scenes of contemporary violence and brief sexuallity."

[Dome Vongvises]

Chuck said

Quote:

While you may feel it wasn't original (and that is very fair), many of those who love it feel it was a special, special film.

Of course it's a special film for many others. Why would there be so many people rushing to its defense? I wish I had that same sense of awe most people had for this movie.

Chuck also said

Quote:

sheer energy of the film

I will concede that point though about Moulin Rouge!. The film posseses a sense of kinetics I've never seen or felt before.

[Joseph Young]

Finally saw Moulin Rouge last night..

My main gripe with the movie was the direction. The idea of placing culturally embraced anachronisms into the lyrical content was fine by me. As far as clever, 'wink-wink' pop culture references go, it was integrated seamlessly and played straight... and far more successful than movies like SoL.

The first half hour was almost unbearable for me because of the direction alone. The camera kept flicking from one image to the next, and not even in a poetic or seamless way.

Shot of bawdy opulent wided-eyed degenerate. Back to brief reaction shots of leads. Another shot of bawdy opulent debauchery. A pasty in slow motion. Reaction shot in slow motion. Mustachioed man with mouth agape, in slow motion. The camera did its best to keep your impression of the leads to their various reaction shots.. never lingering enough to fully draw you into their world, or their motivations.

I find it interesting that the inclusion of such songs as Smells Like Teen Spirit and Roxanne did not strike me as self conscious and uncomfortable. Rather, it was the affected, busy, panicked directing style that went way over the top. I don't feel it captured the bawdy clamour of the period at all but rather felt like someone had a lot of good ideas but didn't have the time or the patience to sort them intelligently. For such an ambitious film, it is not really surprising, but with less lazy directing, this would have passed from 'good' to 'great.'

So does this mean I was not moved or entertained by Moulin Rouge? Not at all. After I adjusted to the short-attention-span directing and just realized the camera was not going to allow me to invest anything real into the characters or the story, I sat back and enjoyed the ride.

Joseph

[Rich Malloy]

I don't require originality - a brilliantly executed reworking of an old idea or form works for me, too. But it seems that so many of those who love "MR" tend to champion it's "originality". And I, too, am having a hard time seeing anything original in this film.

[Billy Fogerty]

Said it before, and I will say it again. This is one of the worst films I have seen, since that awful Shakespeare In Love. How any of these were even considered for any kind of Oscar, is incredible.

[Terrell]

Quote:

I don't require originality - a brilliantly executed reworking of an old idea or form works for me, too. But it seems that so many of those who love "MR" tend to champion it's "originality". And I, too, am having a hard time seeing anything original in this film.

No, it's not terribly original. But that doesn't keep it from being a great film. If I skipped all of the great films that weren't completely original, I would have had far less fun than I've had with movies. Execute the film, make an entertaining product, and that's all that matters. But it has been a while since we've had anything like Moulin Rouge.

[Russ Lucas]

It's funny that you'd bring up Shakespeare in Love, Billy, because in trying to think of the ways that Moulin Rouge underwhelmed me (apart from the "Come What May" and "Roxanne" numbers), one thing that came to mind was how much more poignant the whole "writer works out his doomed romance through characters in his art" theme was worked out in SiL, a movie I really love.

[Joseph Young]

Had Moulin Rouge featured more carefully orchestrated dance numbers instead of this piercing juxtaposition of confused (and inspired, to its credit) images, I would have had a bigger fondness for it. Again, I had no problem with any of the songs, although I will admit the Roxanne/Come What May was a highlight. It was the panic attack that Lurhman appeared to be having while behind the camera that unnerved me. I wish that such a gifted director with such a unique vision (and I credit him for that) would have enough faith and patience in his ideas to let them gel onscreen for more than 3 seconds before moving on to the next reaction shot or slow motion camera sweep.

[Off Topic] As much as I wanted to like SoL, I felt personally that it was a brazenly self-congratulatory, self conscious exercise. Much as some people have suggested that Shakespeare himself was actually a committee of scholars who set out to make literary history (something I dispute personally), I feel that the studio, directors, screenwriters for SoL considered themselves the modern-day equivalent of said committee. [/Off Topic]

However, I felt that Moulin Rouge, for all of its faults, managed to feel like something new. I am shocked to hear myself say this, but I didn't feel that MR was derivative at all.

Joseph

[Paul_D]

edit

[Hal Senal]

I loved Moulin Rouge on many levels (I could have gone without the first rocky 30 minutes of stomach churning, quick-cut, MTV-style editing. But no film is perfect, right?). I did. But how the &*$% did Nicole get nominated for an Oscar and Ewan not?!?!?! I can't believe it!!! Her performance, while not bad, was merely adequate. I've seen her do much better stuff (Come on! She was ROBBED of a nomination for Gus Van Zandt's "To Die For." She was the ultimate gold-digging bitch!). Ewan, on the other hand, had a more difficult task to accomplish. Create a character who was innocent, naive and absolutely, positively sincere in his belief of true, unadulterated LOVE!!! I love that part of the movie. Here's this guy who just has just had his heart broken by the love of his LIFE! This woman was his end all and be all. And now...she's gone. And the fact that Ewan conveyed such a sweetness throughout the whole movie only made this heartbreak all the more tragic. I can't give Ewan enough kudos. If his performance is as good in Star Wars Episode 2 as it was here, then whoa, people, a star (no pun intended) will certainly have been born. His name will be Ewan McGregor. That's my rant.

[MichaelPe]