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

Also Known As:

Moulin Rouge (Austria) (West Germany) [de]
Moulin Rouge (Belgium: French title) (France) [fr]
Lied aus Paris, Ein (Switzerland: German title) [de]
Målaren på Moulin Rouge (Sweden) [sv]
Moulin Rouge (Denmark) [da]
Moulin Rouge (Spain) [es]
Moulin Rouge (Spain: Catalan title) [ca]
Punainen mylly (Finland) [fi]

Runtime:

119 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.37 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono (Western Electric Recording)

Certification:

Hungary:14 | UK:PG | USA:Approved (PCA #16156) | UK:PG (video rating) | UK:A (original rating) | West Germany:16 (nf) | 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:

Continuity: When Henri takes the fatal fall down the steps, the legs of the person falling are normal length.

Quotes:

Henri: Big crowd tonight.
Zidler: Too big, thanks to your poster. Oh, I know I'm making millions, but I liked the Moulin Rouge as she was, lighthearted and hot-blooded, a little strumpet who thought only of tonight. Now she is grown up and knowns better. She has money in her stocking, wears corsets, and never drinks a drop too much. Worst of all, she never sees her old friends anymore. She has gone into society. Last night she entertained a cabinet minister and his wife and daughter. It's *disgusting*!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in Dirty Work (1998)

Soundtrack:

Can-Can

The Real Deal

This is one of the most interesting biographies I've ever seen on film.

Until I acquired the DVD, I never fully realized how beautiful this film looked, either. I was stunned to see how spectacular the colors were and how much it helped capture the flavor of the dance hall and the cobblestone streets of France 100 years ago.....and, of course, Tolouse-Lautrec''s great artwork. This movie is a feast for the eyes.

The DVD also offers an opportunity to do something I suggest other fans of this movie try: use the English subtitles. This way, you don't have to strain to understand the French accents, notably Colette Marchand's, and it makes this intriguing story even better.

Story-wise, it's a bit of a soap opera but one I still found fascinating, thanks mainly to Lautrec's dialog. He had some really interesting things to say, mostly in a cynical way. That cynicism, unfortunately, caught up with him in the end. Jose Ferrer captured this tortured soul about as well as any actor could expect to do. I'm sorry he didn't win an Academy Award for this performance.

Younger viewers who only saw the more recent "Moulin Rouge!" missed the real story. That movie was a farce; this is the real thing.