Moulin Rouge

Paris, 1890. Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec sits at the same table at the Moulin Rouge every night, drinking and drawing. As a child he broke both his legs; the bones did not set properly and he stopped growing. His family are aristocrats and carry him like a burden. He draws the dancers at the club; his posters make the place famous. One night in the street he meets a woman called Marie. A relationship begins and ends badly. Years later a woman called Myriamme offers him something else. Henri does not believe it. John Huston directs. José Ferrer plays Toulouse-Lautrec; Colette Marchand, Zsa Zsa Gabor and Suzanne Flon are in the cast. The source is Pierre La Mure's novel. Ferrer plays two parts; the painter and his father. A special arrangement was used for the role; the actor worked on his knees and was filmed with prosthetic legs. The film won Oscars for art direction and costume design. Oswald Morris is the cinematographer; the colour was brought close to the poster art of the period, which was technically difficult work. The narrative does not build the painter's work as a story of success; alcohol and solitude are at its centre. The opening section takes place at the club and the dancing is held long. Its limit is form; the narrative leans on melodrama and the women are thinly written. Who it is for: viewers who like classic biography and colour studio production. Who it is not for: the melodrama is strong, the pace slow, and the historical accuracy partial.