Stagehands poured Coca-Cola on the floor, Ewan McGregor waved his lightsaber, and people did unspeakable things with the film’s Oscars at the post-awards-ceremony party. Director Baz Luhrmann, Jim Broadbent and more recall filming the record-breaking movie
Moulin Rouge! was a whirlwind of a film, an extravagant assault on the senses that reinvigorated the musical. The doomed love affair between Satine (Nicole Kidman), a glamorous cabaret star and courtesan, and Christian (Ewan McGregor), an impoverished English poet, in turn-of-the-century Paris plays out in feverish song-and-dance numbers made up of medleys of iconic pop songs.
By the time it was released in 2001, the Australian director Baz Luhrmann had already perfected his signature style with Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet – a blend of frantic editing, over-the-top visuals and contemporary music. Moulin Rouge! – the final film in his Red Curtain trilogy – took this up a notch.
