Directed by: John Huston
The film was nominated in 1953 for Best Picture, Best director, Best Actor, Best Supporting Actress, and Best Editing. It won best Art Direction and Best Costumes.
This came on TCM the other night, and the announcer said it had nothing to do with the 2001 version. He was clearly wrong. This is the story of a crippled painter named Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec. The film flashes back to a rough childhood, which leads him to become an alcoholic, which in turn is what ends his life early. The 2001 Moulin Rouge was similar because of the setting and general story. However the main focus of this version was on the life of the painter, and not of the girl. This film was not a musical like the newer one, but the music and dancing were very alike.
Overall it was fun to watch, but got a little long during the middle. It started out a love story, turned sad, and ended with another love story. I have a hard time calling it a romance film because the main character never gets what he wanted so badly, a wife. Henri is too stubborn to let himself believe that anyone could actually love him which makes this film more of a tragedy than anything else. It was the paintings that brought this film to life, and its the paintings that gives it a happy ending despite the continuous sad tone. The editing, like the newer one is amazing. So while it is not a direct remake, so much from this was used to make the 2001 film the amazing film it was.
I give it 4 of 5 stars. I love the new one so much, and it was great to see where it came from, but it was also very unique, and had such a different take on the story that it was like watching a whole different movie.
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