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Fox / 128 Minutes / 2001 / Rated PG-13 / Street Date: October 19, 2010
Like the famous nightclub it was named after, the "Moulin Rouge" teases with an invite to tax-free hedonism, the luxury to indulge every whim and fantasy without remorse or discourse. And within Baz Luhrmann's highly stylized, world, Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor star as hopeless lovers, and they sure do look great. And Kidman and her costar McGregor both possess adequate singing voices: They may not overpower the film's visuals, but they definitely put their own stamps on the material. But the question in terms of this long-awaited Moulin Rouge update to Blu-ray Disc is: Is it worth it? We asked our longtime contributor Aurora Miller - a devout Moulin Rouge aficionado - what she thought of Fox's new BD edition of the film:
"I’m not a quality whore. I care much more about content than appearance, and I sort of resent the idea of having to go out and re-buy my entire collection with each new technology that comes out. As a result, there are some movies that I still watch on (eek!) VHS – because the experience of watching them is not hampered by graininess or lack of clarity.
Now, that said, there are some movies designed to be visually compelling; the experience of which is incredibly diminished on small screens or antiquated technology. The “content” is as much about the visuals as it is about the storyline and performances. Moulin Rouge is one of these, and I will freely admit to having upgraded my copy from VHS to DVD. But is it worth upgrading yet again to BD?
Absolutely and without reservation: Unequivocally YES! I was skeptical, especially after having been burned by some other films that weren’t upgraded as effectively as I would have liked. But the folks at Fox gave this flick all of the attention it deserves: The images here have an astonishing clarity – capturing the brilliant sparkle of the jeweled costumes, and Ewan MacGregor’s baby blues (yum!) – or Nicole Kidman’s, for those otherwise inclined.
Truly, it looks even better than I remember seeing on the big screen; I was spellbound by the movie all over again."