Moulin Rouge (1952)
Believe it or not, when I watched the 1952 Moulin Rouge, I had no idea who Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was. At least I knew that the movie held no similarity to the 2001 “musical” – which is imperative to be able to appreciate the film. So, as I saw the opening scene of the dancing can-can girls in 1800s Paris, I got sucked into the colors, sounds, and lovely full frames from director John Huston. José Ferrer sat at a little table, drinking and drawing the girls in his sketchpad. At the end of the scene, all the patrons, including Joe, left their tables and emptied out of the club. Just in case you’re a young person reading this review and also don’t know who the famed French artist was, I won’t reveal anything else about that first scene.
Ferrer’s performance, once again, was fantastic. He’s a wonderful, trained actor and he was able to immerse himself in the character, stay faithful to the historical man, and also bring him to life for 1952 audiences. Parts of the movie make you feel like he’s part of his own paintings, and that somehow advanced animation has made him move and speak in front of a camera. Other parts make you cry as you get sucked into the romantic melodrama (which was cleaned up for Hollywood’s sake).
As long as you’re not expecting the flash and glitz of Nicole Kidman singing “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”, there’s a lot to appreciate about this movie. The beautiful theme and song “Where Is Your Heart?”, an English and French version, was written for the film. When you’re done with this heavy drama, pop in Deep in My Heart for Joe to cheer you up.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Sara Corales" for posting!
More José Ferrer movies here!
Ferrer’s performance, once again, was fantastic. He’s a wonderful, trained actor and he was able to immerse himself in the character, stay faithful to the historical man, and also bring him to life for 1952 audiences. Parts of the movie make you feel like he’s part of his own paintings, and that somehow advanced animation has made him move and speak in front of a camera. Other parts make you cry as you get sucked into the romantic melodrama (which was cleaned up for Hollywood’s sake).
As long as you’re not expecting the flash and glitz of Nicole Kidman singing “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend”, there’s a lot to appreciate about this movie. The beautiful theme and song “Where Is Your Heart?”, an English and French version, was written for the film. When you’re done with this heavy drama, pop in Deep in My Heart for Joe to cheer you up.
Want to watch it? Click here to see it on ok.ru and thanks "Sara Corales" for posting!
More José Ferrer movies here!
Hot Toasty Rag Awards:
Best Original Song of 1952: "Where Is Your Heart?"
Hot Toasty Rag Nominations:
Best Actor: José Ferrer