Moulin Rouge

Courtesan…Geisha…Escort…Street walker…and lately, GRO…Euphemisms for the oldest profession, according to those in the know. But I’m not talking about them here, for who am I to judge?

In the 70’s there’s this Heber Bartolome song about the plight of the many Nena’s in our society. He poignantly presented the side of these women, and why they have been trapped in that unthankful trade in the first place. Heber’s contemporaries like Florante, Asin, Mike Hanopol, Sampaguita, Coritha, and the legendary Freddie Aguilar, also presented the ills, drama, and levity of our culture through their songs. At a very young age, I was subtly introduced to the realities of life through their haunting lyrics and catchy melodies.

I wonder where the likes of these artists are now.

Movie Recall: Moulin Rouge(2001)

The Story: The year is 1899, and Christian, a young English writer, has come to Paris to follow the Bohemian revolution taking hold of the city's drug and prostitute infested underworld. And nowhere is the thrill of the underworld more alive than at the Moulin Rouge, a night club where the rich and poor men alike come to be entertained by the dancers. But things take a wicked turn for Christian as he starts a deadly love affair with the star courtesan of the club, Satine. Her affections are also coveted by the club's patron: the Duke. A dangerous love triangle ensues as Satine and Christian attempt to fight all odds to stay together but a force that not even love can conquer is taking its toll on Satine.

My Review:

I was definitely entertained by the wit and uniqueness of the movie. From the hilarious opening credits, to the melodious songs, to the acting, to the set. I fell in love with Ewan McGregor a hundred times here. I wished I had Nicole Kidman's beauty and class--pre-botox. And who would think that she can make fun of herself? I wanted to sing and dance Lady Marmalade and Tango with the Chorus. Nakakahilo. Nakakalurkey. But so worth watching.

Trivia:

Courtney Love auditioned for Satine, and allowed Baz Luhrmann to use Nirvana's "Smells Like Teen Spirit" in the opening sequence, a rare case of allowing her late husband Kurt Cobain's work to be used in film or TV.

Courtney Love has gone on record calling losing the role of Satine to Nicole Kidman one of the biggest disappoints of her career and made no secret of her resentment against Kidman. Director Baz Luhrmann characterized the difference between the two actresses in a Vanity Fair article by saying "Courtney is fire and Nicole is ice." This prompted Love to remark that Kidman was "a puddle" and dedicate the song "Miss World" (a song about a self-loathing beauty queen) to Kidman on her 1999 tour with her band Hole.

Filming was halted for two weeks in November 1999 after Nicole Kidman fractured two ribs and injured her knee while rehearsing a dance routine for the film. Many of the scenes where she is seen only from the chest up, including "A real actress!", were shot while she was in a wheelchair.

During Satine's trapeze entrance, blue light was used due to Nicole Kidman's pale skin tone, the director found that the blue light made her almost "glow" and therefore stood out during the scene.

"Come What May" was written by David Baerwald for Romeo + Juliet (1996) but not used. In Moulin Rouge, it is newly written for the stage show by Christian. It is the only completely original song in the entire film. However, because it was written for another film, it was disqualified for the Oscars' Best Song award.

Ayan, nainlababo na naman ako kay Ewan!!