MOULIN ROUGE

UK, 1952, 119 minutes, Colour.
Jose Ferrer, Zsa Zsa Gabor, Katherine Kath. Colette Marchand.
Directed by John Huston.

Moulin Rouge is an impressionistic biographical sketch of artist Henri Toulouse Lautrec. It is in the vein of Vincente Minnelli's Lust for Life (1956). Artists are useful for visual biographies, their paintings can be presented and decor, costumes and situations can be the equivalents of the paintings visualised. Goya received melodramatic treatment in Henry Koster's The Naked Maja (1959). Peter Watkins had a very serious look at Eduard Munch (1977.

Jose Ferrer, soon after his Oscar-winning performance in Cyrano de Bergerac in 1950, brings a sensitive and brittle cynicism to his role. He also briefly portrays his father and grandfather. The supporting cast is mixed in its acting capacity from Suzanne Flon excellent to Zsa Zsa Gabor very histrionic and showy. There are glimpses of actors like Christopher Lee and Peter Cushing in their early careers. The colour photography by Oswald Morris is somewhat smokey and suffused, suggesting the atmosphere of Paris of the 1890s and of the Moulin Rouge and its atmosphere. Many of the characters and the sequences are direct visualisations of Toulouse Lautrec's art.

Direction is by writer-director John Huston. Having established himself as a writer, he had success with Humphrey Bogart thrillers in the '40s including the Maltese Falcon, Key Largo and The Treasure of Sierra Madre, for which he won an Oscar. Moulin Rouge comes immediately after his work with Bogart in the celebrated The African Queen and just before Beat the Devil. Huston has had a more than forty years career as a successful and idiosyncratic director. Moulin Rouge is interesting while certainly not perfect.

1. Audience interest in Toulouse Lautrec and his art, the impression of the artist and his skills, creativity? The biographical elements of the film? The background of the artist? The Moulin Rouge as a place full of vitality, the atmosphere of the 1890s? Its fame. symbol of Paris, of the gaiety of France?

2. The work of John Huston as writer and director? His sense of drama and melodrama, character? His appreciation of the artist and his work? The tribute to the artist? Communicating to audiences the personality, the flavour of the times, appreciation? The tensions in the creative struggle?

3. The atmosphere of the 1890s in Paris: the city itself, wealth and poverty, society? The atmosphere of the city, exteriors and interiors? So much of the action in the Moulin Rouge itself? The implications of the style of the Moulin Rouge, recreation for society, change in values and style, the vitality and enjoyment of life, art capturing this verve and vitality?


4. The sketch of Toulouse Lautrec's life? The importance of his height, and this not being revealed immediately in the film? His memories as he walked down the Paris street: the Loire and the castles, his name, nobility, heritage, the pride of his parents, first cousins marrying and the weakness of the blood, the visualising of the accident and its repercussions, medical opinions, re-breaking his leg, his legs not growing? His growing up lonely, bitter? His love and the rejection by the woman whom he loved? His cynicism towards women? Leaving home, artistic ambitions? His drinking? The growing cynicism? His reason for painting the Moulin Rouge? a world in which he could never fully participate? His response to Marie, taking her home, painting her, falling in love? Her carefree attitude towards him and his grief? Rejection? Supporting her with money for her pushcart? The encounter with Miriam, his enjoyment of it but his unwillingness to reveal his true feelings? Lost opportunities ? his rereading of Miriam’s letter? The final decline and death? The skill of Jose Ferrer's performance and impersonation? Appearance, manner of speaking, skill in sketching, the flavour of Toulouse Lautrec's sad life? The importance of using Ferrer for the father and grandfather roles?

5. The artist as a man, what he might have been, his perception of movement and agility, colour and gaiety, portraits? His attitude towards his art, for drinks, for fans? His lack of co-operation with the gallery owner? His reflections about Leonardo Da Vinci, the Mona Lisa, the Louvre Venus? His being bought by kings? His being placed in the Louvre during his lifetime? His subsequent status as an artist?

6. His capacity for sketching, quick work, painting, the background of impressionism? His eye for colour? The scenes of his work with the lithographs? Exhibitions? The collages of his work? The film so often echoing his paintings in character, situation, dance?

7. The atmosphere of the Moulin Rouge? the dancers, the singer and the theme from the Moulin Rouge, the Can Can and its fame and notoriety, the patrons and their enjoyment, ogling the women? Drinking? The respectability of the Moulin Rouge and the change of atmosphere? the influence of his poster? The atmosphere of entertainment, theatre? The death scene and the dancers and personalities of the cabaret coming to farewell him?

8. The character of Marie - with the police, her talking to Toulouse, his painting her, living with her, giving her money for the dress, his disappointment at her absence, her leaving him. his paying for the pushcart? The experience of love and betrayal?

9. The contrast with Miriam, the encounter on the bridge and her rejection of him, the accidental meeting, the range of outings, her telling her story, the key in the river? Sharing so much? His continuing cynical responses? Marcelle and his offer of marriage? Miriam asking him about his love for her? His offhand remark? Her disappearance? His rereading her letter?

10. Jane and her type, singer, fame? The dancers and their fights in the Moulin Rouge? The fame of the dancer and her snobbery, her being found in the slums, drunk, her being saved by Toulouse and Miriam's response to this?

11. The range of characters - the proprietor, the men dancers, the proprietor of the gallery, the other painters in Paris, Marcelle, the lithographer?

12. The implications of social themes? France in the 19th. century, the decaying nobility and their hanging on to the past, not working? Toulouse Lautrec and indicating the freedoms of the 20th century? His father's final regret?

13. The value of the film as a sketch of the artist, basic insights, appreciation? Admiration for genius and regrets for the implicit tragedy in the life of artists?