Moulin Rouge (1952)

Director:

John Huston

Writers:

John Huston (screenplay)
Pierre La Mure (novel)

Release Date:

23 December 1952 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama

Tagline:

The most startling and daring love story ever told!

Plot:

Fictional account of French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec.

Plot Keywords:

Ostracism | Cancan Dance | Toulouse Lautrec | Paris France | Artist

Awards:

Won 2 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 10 nominations

Cast

José Ferrer	...	Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec / The Comte de Toulouse-Lautrec
Zsa Zsa Gabor	...	Jane Avril
Suzanne Flon	...	Myriamme Hayam
Claude Nollier	...	Countess de Toulouse-Lautrec
Katherine Kath	...	La Goulue
Muriel Smith	...	Aicha
Mary Clare	...	Madame Louet
Walter Crisham	...	Valentin Dessosse
Lee Montague	...	Maurice Joyant
Jim Gérald	...	Pere Cotelle (as Jim Gerald)
Georges Lannes	...	Police Sgt. Patou
Harold Kasket	...	Zidler
Maureen Swanson	...	Denise de Frontiac
Tutte Lemkow	...	Aicha's partner
Jill Bennett	...	Sarah

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Colour:

Colour (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Hungary:14 | UK:PG | UK:A (original rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | UK:PG (video rating) | USA:Approved (PCA #16156) | Australia:PG | Finland:K-16 | France:U (re-release) | Sweden:15 | Canada:PG

Filming Locations:

London, England, UK

Company:

Romulus Films

Trivia:

This film and Baz Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001) won the same Academy Awards: Art Direction and Costume Design.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: When Henri Lautrec arrives at the gallery for the showing of his pictures, as he 'walks' in, his shadow on the ground clearly shows Ferrar's legs tucked behind him as he walks, (in on his knees).

Quotes:

Jane Avril: Have you ever had contact with a legal mind, Henri? It's beyond belief. I wasn't the vision of his dreams, I was the party of the first part. He didn't declare his love for me, he merely acknowledged that as a state of affection exists... Oh Henri, why couldn't you be tall and handsome?
Henri: Two more of these and I shall be.
[He drinks]
Jane Avril: You are the only man who has never bored me.
Henri: I am the only man who has never loved you.
Jane Avril: Henri, over there. There is the most beautiful creature. Look at those shoulders.
[...]

Movie Connections:

Featured in "SexTV: Shunga/Moulin Rouge/Cock Temple (#6.19)" (2004)

Soundtrack:

Can-Can

Beautiful, engrossing drama

Anyone who does not think that John Huston has a broad range as a film-maker needs to watch this and "The Dead." While he spent much of his career making gritty adventure-dramas like "The Maltese Falcon," "The Treasure of the Sierra Madre," and "The Man who Would be King," he also took the time to create well-crafted pieces like "Moulin Rouge."

Jose Ferrer has an astounding, almost unbelievable, performance as Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, a painter from late-1800's Paris who was crippled in his childhood by a horse that ran over his legs. He now spends his days in the raunchy restaurant/dance hall populated by artists, dancers, drunks, and vagrants, sketching away at posters and portraits. Ferrer brings out Henri completely, depicting him as a man who tried to run from his problems using his art and his alcohol.

The film itself has a tenancy to be a little too flashy and gaudy at moments, but Huston manages to keep most of it grounded in the dramatics of the characters. Collete Marchand is also very noteworthy for her performance as a prostitute that befriends Henri. Marcel Vertes' production and costume design won well-deserved Oscars.

A genuinely moving film, a work of art in its own right.