Trailer
Plot summary
In 1899, Christian, a young English poet, arrives in the Montmartre district of Paris and joins a troupe of Bohemian performers led by Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, who are putting together a stage show called Spectacular Spectacular. Christian helps them finish it, and the troupe brings him to the Moulin Rouge, hoping its star, the courtesan Satine, will persuade the proprietor, Harold Zidler, to have Christian write it. Zidler has other plans: he wants the wealthy Duke of Monroth to sleep with Satine in exchange for the money that would turn the club into a theater. Satine mistakes Christian for the Duke, dances with him and takes him to her chamber, where he admits who he is. The Duke interrupts them, and the group passes the evening off as a rehearsal.
Cast
Did you know?!Facts and trivia about Moulin Rouge! (2001)
Can contain spoilers, watch the movie first.
- Filming generally went smoothly, but Kidman broke her ribs twice when she was lifted into the air during the dance sequences, and she suffered a torn knee cartilage in a fall during the "Diamonds Are a Girl's Best Friend" production song.
- Luhrmann also considered younger actors for the role, including Heath Ledger and Jake Gyllenhaal, before Ewan McGregor won the part; in 2026 he said Ledger and Nicole Kidman were "extraordinary together" but that Ledger was "just a bit too young".
- Kidman later said in an interview with Graham Norton that she broke a rib while getting into a corset, tightening it as much as possible to achieve an 18-inch waist, and that she fell down the stairs while dancing in heels.
- Luhrmann had intended to use songs by The Rolling Stones and Cat Stevens but could not obtain the rights; when Stevens denied consent for "Father and Son" due to religious objections to the film's content, "Nature Boy" was chosen as its replacement.
- Despite the film's overwhelming success, Baz Luhrmann was notably excluded from the Best Director lineup, and host Whoopi Goldberg remarked at the Oscar ceremony, "I guess Moulin Rouge! just directed itself."
- Leonardo DiCaprio, who worked with Luhrmann on Romeo + Juliet, unsuccessfully auditioned for the role of Christian, even going so far as to sing.
- Kidman also experienced a recurring knee injury while filming, which made her drop out of the lead role in Panic Room.
- Courtney Love auditioned for the role of Satine, and she gave approval for "Smells Like Teen Spirit" to be used in the film.
