Synopsis
Moulin Rouge (1952) is John Huston's drama about painter Toulouse-Lautrec, and you can watch it online on iFILM. Late-1800s Paris, the smoke of the cabaret, a blur of can-can dancers — and in the corner, a crippled aristocrat sketching them all.
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (José Ferrer) was born into a noble family, but a childhood injury left him stunted for life. Wealth doesn't cure loneliness. He drowns his nights in absinthe and the Moulin Rouge, giving his heart to Marie, a streetwalker who only wants his money. Later another woman, Myriamme, enters his life, and the ache returns. Huston moves the story from the glow of the dance hall to the quiet despair of a man whose art will outlive him.
The film is famous above all for its colour: cinematographer Oswald Morris pushed the stock toward the very hues of Lautrec's posters, and the screen seems to glow from within. Ferrer plays a dual role, both the painter and his father. The production picked up two Oscars for its art direction and costumes and competed for the top prize. A young Peter Cushing turns up in a small part. A mature, melancholy biopic for anyone who loves old Hollywood without the gloss. Stream Moulin Rouge (1952) online on iFILM.
Starring
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