Moulin Rouge is a 2001 romantic Jukebox musical film directed, produced, and co-written by Baz Luhrmann.

 

The film tells the story of a young, Bohemian poet/ writer, Christian (Ewan McGregor), he lives in 1899 Paris, defies his father by joining the colorfully diverse clique inhabiting the dark, fantastical underworld of Paris' now legendary Moulin Rouge. In this seedy but glamorous haven of sex, drugs and newly-discovered electricity, the poet-innocent finds himself plunged into a passionate but ultimately tragic love affair with Satine (Nicole Kidman), the club's highest paid star and the city's most famous courtesan. Their romance is played out against the infamous club—a meeting place of high and low, where slumming aristocrats and the fashionably rich mingle with workers, artists, bohemians, actresses and courtesans.

 

When asked about his inspiration for Moulin Rouge, Luhrmann remarked: "Catherine Martin (production designer and Luhrmann's wife) and I went to India to work on Midsummer Night's Dream. We went out one night and there was a big poster up for a Bollywood movie. I said, "Let's go see that." We did - 2,000 audience members, high comedy, high tragedy, brother kills brother, they break out in some musical numbers, all jumbled up together in 4 hours of Hindi. We thought that was amazing. So our question was, 'Could we create a cinematic form like that? Could a musical work?' A musical must be able to work in western culture again, and could it be comic-tragic? So then began this commitment of moving toward 'Moulin Rouge.' I decided I'd do Romeo + Juliet and then a musical film. "

 

Originally set for release on Christmas 2000 as a high profile Oscar contender, 20th Century Fox eventually moved the release to the following spring so director Baz Luhrmann would have more time during post production. The film premiered at the 2001 Cannes Film Festival on May 9—making it the festival's opening title.

 

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.