I am Teppy re: "Moulin Rouge". I hated the modern songs, and "La Boheme" has better music.

Re: updated operas--I pissed some friends off very badly when I pointed out that "Rent" was "La Boheme." They'd been waxing rhapsodic over how original and hard-hitting and modern the play was.

I hated the modern songs

This was me the first time I saw the movie. The second time I saw it, I really loved the music and now I have it on my iPod.

Steph, you put into words very neatly what I didn't like about Moulin Rouge. It kept yanking my emotions from one place to another, til I didn't know how I was supposed to be feeling about it. I can handle combining musical, love story, and fantasy, but throwing farce and slapstick humor into any story that's meant to be taken seriously - like a love story - takes me too far out of the serious. It's like a guy proposing to you wearing a clown suit, down on one knee with the big shoes and all.

You're all wrong.

hugs Moulin Rouge tightly

I love Moulin Rouge. For me, it comes down to "awesome songs! Pretty costumes! EWAN!!!!SQUEE!!!!!!!" I liked the use of the modern music, but that's because I like rock opera and I liked the songs they used -- I wasn't looking for, like, a realistic portrait of 1899. It might have also helped that I knew about the modern music going in to it; I'm not sure how I would have felt if I had seen it without that expectation.

And Teppy, I don't know about official genres or whatever, but yes, I would consider it a musical.

I had no problem with the genre of music, but re-using known songs struck me as lazy. "I want to direct a musical! Oh, wait, that involves finding composers. Nah, I'll just ask a bunch of artists if I can use some of their songs instead. That'll be easier." I suppose he was making an artistic point of some sort, but I missed it.

I suppose he was making an artistic point of some sort, but I missed it.

Love songs are universal and timeless.

I suppose he was making an artistic point of some sort, but I missed it.

Love songs are universal and timeless.

I thought it was old and hackneyed plots never die.

Love songs are universal and timeless.

Yeah, pretty much, IIRC. I think I've had this discussion with either Hec or Paul, but it was a few years ago. Sort of an exploration into the sincerity of schlock.

Connie, I felt like the use of well-known songs served a couple of purposes. First -- and this is the bit that is lazy -- it sometimes makes for an emotional shortcut. Christian doesn't need to sell us his love poem for Satine as much, because we already associate "Your Song" with mushiness. On the other hand, the use of songs for the "Elephant Love Medley" was pretty brilliant, in the jigsaw way they fit all the pieces together, and many songs are subverted or released from their original meanings (e.g., "Like a Virgin," "Smells Like Teen Spirit") It is worth noting that the single most important song, "Come What May," is an original.

On another level, I felt the use of modern songs brought the story from being a pretty freaking cliched plot we've all seen a couple hundred times to something that kept the basics of that story, kept the emotion of that story, and also rose above its limits. If the movie had played it straight -- if it hadn't been five different genres and postmodern and edited like a music video -- it would have been a standard costume drama, and I wouldn't have liked it.

But the movie does seem to be a bit of a love it or hate it proposition, and I understand that it doesn't work for some people.