Truth Beauty Freedom Love

After "Beauty and the Beast," the world waited approximately ten more years for another movie-musical to get a Best Picture Oscar nomination.

That movie was "Moulin Rouge." The movie lost, and its lead, Nicole Kidman, lost, but "Chicago" had better luck the next year. (Though, when "Chicago" made waves, its star, Renee Zellweger, lost *her* Oscar to Nicole Kidman--for "The Hours.")

"Moulin Rouge" is the story of a courtesan; though she is in the final stages of tuberculosis, she has a strong resemblance to Hitchcock-era Grace Kelly. She, Satine, is torn. Should she give her time to a penniless writer, whom she loves? Or should she trade love for commerce? Should she pretend to date a terrible duke, who will finance her acting career?

Satine is tough, and inclined to dismiss the writer. ("The only way of loving me is....if you pay a lovely fee...") But the writer persists. And love wins the day. Love triumphs even over death; aware of her condition, Satine *still* risks everything to be with the writer (even for just a few pre-mortem hours).

"Moulin Rouge" has a sensational Kidman performance; she's funny, outrageous, mysterious, weirdly plausible. But we can't say the same for Ewan McGregor; he can't do much with his under-written role.

Still: "Roxane," the sets, the Bollywood climax, the elephant, the splashy "Diamonds" showstopper....This movie remains a favorite for me.

P.S. No movie-musical has won the Best Picture Oscar *after* "Chicago." That said, "Chicago" is praised for inspiring a movie-musical renaissance...which has led to: "Last Five Years," "Dreamgirls," "Les Miz," "In the Heights," "Dear Evan Hansen," "Enchanted," "Into the Woods," "Sweeney Todd," "Phantom," "A Star Is Born," "La La Land," and more.....

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