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When I was putting together my top 50 films of the 2000s list, Baz Luhrmann’s groundbreaking musical was among the top 20. Every musical of the 2000s that came after owes a bit of their success to it. The energetic flick breathed life into the dying genre both financially and artistically. Mixing tragedy with humor and song, the film tells an epic love story through a medley of modern popular music.

Christian (Ewan McGregor, STAR WARS prequels) moves to Paris to become a bohemian writer. He falls into an acting troupe led by little person Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo, SUMMER OF SAM), who believes that the naïve author will become the voice of the bohemian revolution. They go to the Moulin Rouge to pitch their new play to burlesque star Satine (Nicole Kidman, DEAD CALM). However, she mistakes Christian for The Duke (Richard Roxburgh, VAN HELSING), a wealthy man who the Moulin Rouge owner Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent, IRIS) hopes will turn the dance hall into a legit theater. Through his song of truth, beauty and love, Christian quickly wins the heart of Satine, who must string along The Duke for the benefit of the majority.

The true ingenuity is how modern music from the likes of Elton John to Nirvana to The Police is used together. In context to the story, the songs take on new meaning and dimension. The raucous medley titled “Zidler’s Rap” combines the can-can with “Smells Like Teen Spirit” and Madonna’s “Material Girl” to enthusiastically introduce the setting of the Moulin Rouge perfectly. It really feels like a bohemian Mecca. While this is a contemporary take on the genre, Luhrmann even pays homage to classic musicals with the unexpected use of “The Sound of Music.” And Madonna’s “Like a Virgin” will never be the same as it is sung by Zidler and The Duke. However, the show stopper is the “Elephant Love Medley” where Satine and Christian battle back and forth using various love song choruses. Elton John’s “Your Song” serves as its core and soul. The whole medley stirs the heart and makes one fall in love with silly love songs again.

The film offers a bit of everything. The tragedy of Satine suffering from TB is set up early, which adds tension to the whole story. A ticking clock on Christian and Satine’s romance. But the early sections of the film are filled with broad, screwball comedy. Luhrmann has a fondness for speeding up footage for laughs like they did in Keystone Cop serials. This is the only film he’s used the technique where it worked. It’s the scene when Satine and Christian are pitching “Spectacular, Spectacular” to The Duke and it works because it adds a frantic pace to a frantic moment. Luhrmann patiently tip toes from these scenes into the wide-eyed romance and then slips into the tragedy without a bump in the process. It’s a remarkable directing effort and a surprising Best Director omission from the Academy for a film that was nominated for Best Picture. (It was a strange year for the Directing category where two directors whose films were not nominated for best picture received nods — Ridley Scott for BLACK HAWK DOWN and David Lynch for MULHOLLAND DR.)

Speaking of Oscars, the film won deserved Oscars for Catherine Martin’s art direction, Brigitte Broch’s set decoration, and Martin and Angus Strathie’s costume design. Through the art and set direction, the world is washed in reds and sparkles. From Satine’s elephant room to the Moulin Rouge to the Duke’s dank castle, the locations are like characters, mirroring mood perfectly. Donald McAlpine’s Oscar-nominated cinematography makes it all look gorgeous. Watch how his use of shadow during the “El Tango de Roxanne” sequence transforms the lively theater into a lonely, uneasy place. And I’d be remiss not to mention Jill Bilock’s Oscar-nominated editing for it is part and parcel to Luhrmann’s success in keeping the tone just right.

Luhrmann was inspired to make the film after seeing a Bollywood musical while on a trip to India. From Christian’s Indian-themed play to the storytelling approach, the Bollywood influence is all over this film. Since then Bollywood has found a cult following in America. But what Luhrmann did was make the Bollywood hodgepodge of melodrama and music work for English-language audiences.

MOULIN ROUGE! is a spectacular spectacular. Christian is a romantic setting up an epic tale of love and loss. Satine is the prostitute with the heart of gold, as well as the tragic beauty. Their love is exciting, fun and full of life just like love is supposed to be. His optimism and purity makes her feel innocent again. When The Beatles’ “All You Need is Love” pops up, you believe that’s all this film needs, because love lifts it up where it belongs and makes his iconic lovers heroes.

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