Moulin Rouge! is a 2001 Australian–American jukebox musical romantic comedy film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann. It tells the story of a young English poet/writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor), who falls in love with the star of the Moulin Rouge, cabaret actress and courtesan Satine (Nicole Kidman). It uses the musical setting of the Montmartre Quarter of Paris, France.
At the 74th Academy Awards, the film was nominated for eight Oscars, including Best Picture and Best Actress for Nicole Kidman, winning two: for Best Art Direction and Best Costume Design. It was the first musical nominated for Best Picture in 10 years, following Disney’s Beauty and the Beast (1991). (by wikipedia)
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. But 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… (by imdb.com)
Moulin Rouge! Music from Baz Luhrmann’s Film is a soundtrack album to Baz Luhrmann’s 2001 film Moulin Rouge!. It was released on May 8, 2001. The album features most of the songs featured in the film. However, some of the songs are alternate versions and there are two or three major songs that are left off. The original film versions and extra songs were featured on the second soundtrack.
The soundtrack consists almost entirely of cover versions—”Come What May”, composed by David Baerwald and Kevin Gilbert, is the only original song on the album. The opening track, “Nature Boy”, is performed by David Bowie, though in the film the song is performed by actor John Leguizamo as the character Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. Originally by American singer-songwriter Eden Ahbez, the song is reprised as the last song on the soundtrack with performances by Bowie and Massive Attack, along with a dialogue by Nicole Kidman.
“Lady Marmalade”, written by Bob Crewe and Kenny Nolan, was made famous in the 1970s by the girl group Labelle. The song contains the sexually-suggestive lyric “Voulez-vous coucher avec moi, ce soir?”, which translates to “Do you want to sleep with me tonight?” Labelle’s version of the song was inducted into the Grammy Hall of Fame in 2003. The version for the soundtrack is performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa, and Pink, with production and additional vocal credits by Missy Elliott. The song was well-received, topping the Billboard Hot 100 in the United States and earning a Grammy Award for Best Pop Collaboration with Vocals[9][10] (see here for additional information about the Moulin Rouge! version, including additional chart positions and awards).
“Because We Can” is credited to Norman Cook, with performance and production credits given to his stage name Fatboy Slim. The song contains portions of “Zidler’s Rap”, performed in the film by Jim Broadbent as the character Harold Zidler, and has been called the “‘Can Can’ for the next generation”. “Sparkling Diamonds” is performed by Kidman, Broadbent, Caroline O’Connor, Natalie Mendoza and Lara Mulcahy. The song is a medley featuring “Diamonds Are a Girl’s Best Friend”, written by Jule Styne and Leo Robin and introduced by Carol Channing in the Broadway production of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes (1949), and “Material Girl” by Madonna. “Rhythm of the Night” was a hit single made famous in 1985 by the American R&B group DeBarge. The track reached number one on the Billboard Hot R&B chart and number three on the Billboard Hot 100, and is said to have “jumpstarted” the career of songwriter Diane Warren. The soundtrack version is performed by Valeria, and includes a dialogue by Kidman. (by wikipedia)
At the very least, director Baz Luhrmann has created something different here. His modern-day musical weaves new cover versions of songs from the past three decades into one story about a brothel in turn of the century Paris. Its an odd combination to begin with, and the soundtrack itself bounces back and forth between very hip, modern tracks from artists at the top of their game and big Broadway-style ballads from the cast of the film. Some of the most well-respected names in music signed on for the project, including Beck, Bono, Timbaland, and David Bowie. Fatboy Slim created a “Can Can” for the next generation with “Because We Can,” and Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Pink, and Mya teamed up for a surefire hit with their naughtier version of Patti Labelle’s “Lady Marmalade.” In stark contrast to these edgy tracks, the album spends the rest of its time on love songs from Ewan McGregor and Nicole Kidman. They perform big-voiced, orchestra-backed versions of sentimental favorites like Elton John’s “Your Song.” The “Elephant Love Medley” strings together some of pop’s sappiest hits, including “Up Where We Belong,” “One More Night,” and “I Will Always Love You.” Perhaps to many people’s surprise, Kidman and McGregor can really sing, and maybe in a different environment it would be easier to take these songs seriously, but standing here outside the context of the film and next to Beck covering David Bowie, they seem more comic than creative. (by Brad Kohlenstein)
Tracklist:
01. David Bowie: Nature Boy (Ahbez) 3.25
02. Christina Aguilera, Lil’ Kim, Mýa and P!nk: Lady Marmalade (Crewe/Nolan) 4.25
03. Fatboy Slim: Because We Can (Cook) 3.27
04. Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, Lara Mulcahy, Caroline O’Connor and Natalie Mendoza: Sparkling Diamonds (Brown/Rans) 2.52
05. Valeria: Rhythm Of The Night (Warren) 3.49
06. Ewan McGregor and Alessandro Safina: Your Song (John/Taupin) 3:40
07. Bono, Gavin Friday and Maurice Seezer: Children of the Revolution (Bolan) 2.59
08. Nicole Kidman: One Day I’ll Fly Away (Sample/Jennings) 3.18
09. Beck: Diamond Dogs (Bowie) 4.34
10. Nicole Kidman, Ewan McGregor and Jamie Allen: Elephant Love Medley ( 4:13
11. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor: Come What May (Baerwald) 4.48
12. José Feliciano, Ewan McGregor and Jacek Koman: El Tango de Roxanne (Sting) 4.42
13. Rufus Wainwright: Complainte de la Butte (Pepin/Wainwright) 3.07
14. John Leguizamo, Nicole Kidman, Joe Leguabe and Alka Yagnik: Hindi Sad Diamonds ( 3:28
15. David Bowie and Massive Attack: Nature Boy (Ahbez) 4.23
ManyFantasticColors 