It’s the iconic move musical that has inspired West End and Broadway adaptations.
Yet it’s hard to believe that this year, Moulin Rouge! is marking its 25th anniversary.
Set in the 1900s, the 2001 hit drama/musical follows the love story of a poet (Ewan McGregor) who falls in love with Satine (Nicole Kidman) who is the star of the iconic cabaret establishment, Moulin Rouge.
On Sunday, fans of the film were left delighted when stars Nicole and Ewan reunited at the Academy Awards to mark the anniversary.
Performing a skit before announcing the Best Picture winner, Ewan quipped: ‘Nicole, even though it’s been 25 years [since Moulin Rouge], every time I hear the word love, I still imagine someone is going to lower a chandelier and cue the orchestra!’
Such is the cultural impact of the film that it was voted the best movie of the Noughties in a Lovefilm survey.
Yet even with its reach, there are still things you don’t know about Moulin Rouge!
It’s the iconic move musical that has inspired West End and Broadway adaptations… yet it’s hard to believe that this year, Moulin Rouge! is marking its 25th anniversary (Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor pictured)
On Sunday, fans of the film were left delighted when stars Nicole and Ewan reunited at the Academy Awards to mark the anniversary (pictured)
Nicole was severely injured on set
Nicole has previously revealed she was so desperate to have an 18-inch waist on the set of Moulin Rogue! that she broke a rib while getting into a corset.
After injuring herself falling down a set of stairs on the set of the 2001 blockbuster, Nicole then re-broke her rib in an attempt to lace her burlesque-dancer corset as tight as possible.
Speaking about getting injured, the Australian actress said on The Graham Norton Show: ‘I hurt myself dancing in heels at three in the morning and I fell downstairs.
‘I then re-broke my rib getting into a corset. I had this thing that I wanted to get my waist down to 18 inches, which Vivian Leigh had on Gone with the Wind and I was just like, ‘tighter, tighter!’
The fall also resulted in her fracturing her knee, which forced her to pull out of another film.
Shortly after Nicole wrapped filming on Moulin Rouge! she had been due to take the lead in 2002’s Panic Room.
However, it soon became apparent that the hairline fracture in her knee hadn’t healed properly and she wouldn’t be able to commit to the physical role of a mother trying to defend her young daughter from a group of armed burglars.
As a result Jodie Foster ended up taking over the role of Meg Altman, with Kirsten Stewart playing her daughter Sarah.
Jodie spoke about the situation during a Hollywood Reporter roundtable discussion, saying: ‘There’s this misconception that somehow female actresses are at each other, or they don’t like each other or whatever. Like, Nicole, I took over a movie that you had to leave.’
Nicole responded: ‘Yes! And thank you. I was in a really bad way.’
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Nicole’s necklace
Nicole’s ‘Satine’ necklace was the most expensive piece of jewellery ever made for a film, costing around $3 million
The dazzling item contained 1,308 diamonds and a 2.5-carat clasp with abundant lace patterning and scrolls, reminiscent of the style worn in French King Louis XVI’s court
Nicole’s ‘Satine’ necklace was the most expensive piece of jewellery ever made for a film.
The dazzling item contained 1,308 diamonds and a 2.5-carat clasp with abundant lace patterning and scrolls, reminiscent of the style worn in French King Louis XVI’s court.
Created by Sydney jeweller Stafano Canturi, the diamond necklace was worth around $3 million.
The jewellery earned the movie two awards for Best Costume and Production Design at the Oscars.
The necklace even had its own stunt double for the part when Richard Roxburgh rips the necklace from Nicole’s neck in one scene.
Ozzy Osbourne was originally set to play The Green Fairy
Ozzy Osbourne was supposed to voice the role of a long haired muscle man before it was changed to the Tinkerbell-like Kylie Minogue version, aka The Green Fairy
Ozzy Osbourne was originally set to play the role of The Green Fairy but as a long haired ‘muscle man’.
He was supposed to voice the role before it was changed to the Tinkerbell-like Kylie Minogue version.
Kylie’s character is a hallucination that appears as the young poet Christian and his bohemian friends begin to experience the effects of the alcoholic spirit absinthe, often called the Green Fairy because of its colour and mind-altering qualities.
Though Ozzy’s part was scrapped, he still voiced the scream we hear when the fairy turns evil.
Courtney Love lost the role of Satine to Nicole Kidman
Courtney Love was one of the many actresses who auditioned for the role of Satine but lost out to Nicole Kidman.
And the singer has made no secret about her resentment against Nicole.
Courtney dedicated her song Miss World, which is about a self-loathing beauty queen, to Nicole on the 1999 tour with her band Hole.
She soon got all the glory after scoring $125,000 for the rights to use her late husband Kurt Cobain’s Smells Like Teen Spirit in the film.
Courtney also got a contract that allowed her to block Marilyn Manson to perform part of the song for Moulin Rouge! opening montage.
Many male A-listers competed for the role of Christian
Multiple iconic male Hollywood actors competed for the role of Christian in Moulin Rouge!
Before it ultimately went to Ewan McGregor, Heath Ledger, Hugh Jackman, Jake Gyllenhaal and Ronan Keating were all considered.
Director Baz stated that the then young Heath was considered ‘a bit too young’ at the time to star alongside Nicole.
Jake previously confirmed he was down to the final three with Heath and Ewan, noting a very long audition process.
Before becoming a household name for musical roles, Australian actor Hugh was also considered for the part.
Many actresses competed for the role of Satine
While Nicole ultimately scooped the role of Satine, many Hollywood actresses were itching to get the part
While Nicole ultimately scooped the role of Satine, many Hollywood actresses were itching to get the part.
Catherine Zeta-Jones, Renée Zellweger, Kate Winslet, Hilary Swank, Natalie Mendoza, Sharleen Spiteri, and Sophie Ellis-Bextor were all in the running.
Catherine, who was a keen contender, went onto star as Velma Kelly in the 2002 film adaptation of the musical Chicago after failing to get the part of Satine.
Come What May is the only original song in the film
Come What May is the only completely original song in the 2001 film Moulin Rouge!
The song was originally composed for Baz’s 1996 film Romeo + Juliet but it wasn’t used at the last minute.
Written by David Baerwald and Kevin Gilbert, the song was disqualified from being nominated for the Oscars Best Original Song award because it was originally written for another film.
Can Can dancers had their own persona
The majority of Can Can dancers in Moulin Rouge! have a specifically designed persona, with most of them based on different male fetishes
The majority of Can Can dancers in Moulin Rouge! have a specifically designed persona, with most of them based on different male fetishes.
The name of Can Can dancer Antoinette is based on the famous French Queen Marie-Antoinette.
Arabia is based on Arabian courtesan garb, while Babydoll who is dressed in infant clothing is often mistaken for Bo Peep.
A Garden Girl Can Can dancer is based on a hippie, bohemian earthy-seeming girl.
The Nini Legs-In-The-Air dancer wears a costume decorated with windmills as the character is said to have the best legs in the Moulin Rouge and is always showing them off.
Pearly Queen, decorated in sophisticated clothing like pearls and jewels is a dwarf woman in a princess costume.
The Paris landscape was digitally produced
Moulin Rouge! was mostly shot at Fox Studios in Sydney, Australia with no location filming at all.
It means the Paris landscape and Parisian feel was digitally produced and created through CGI.
It took hours to fit Jim Broadbent into his fat suit everyday
Everyday, it took the costume and makeup designers two and a half hours to fit Jim Broadbent into his fat suit
Everyday, it took the costume and makeup designers two and a half hours to fit Jim Broadbent into his fat suit.
Jim, now 76, previously described the process of wearing the suit ‘agonising’.
To ensure the padding and costumes fitted perfectly, producers made a full plaster mold of his body.
Jim’s elaborate costume combined with his performance helped create the ‘operatic excess’ described by critics for the film.
Nicole Kidman refused stunt doubles
The scene where Nicole is lowered in her swing dressed in a sparkling corset while singing Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend, is entirely Nicole and not a stunt double
The scene where Nicole is lowered in her swing dressed in a sparkling corset while singing Diamonds Are A Girl’s Best Friend, is entirely Nicole.
Though the Australian actress had to do a number of extensive and intricate routines, she refused any use of a stunt double.
It meant Nicole underwent two weeks of gruelling training for particular scenes.
Nicole and Ewan wore harnesses for the elephant scene
Both Nicole and Ewan wore harnesses for their elephant scene together as they were 60 feet off the ground.
The acting duo, who both refused their own stunt doubles, took extra precaution for their daring scenes.
John Leguizamo had special prosthetics to play Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
John, now 65, plays French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec which required him to learn how to speak with an accent and a lisp
John, now 65, plays French artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec which required him to learn how to speak with an accent and a lisp.
He also had to learn how to walk using prosthetic legs to give the effect of a man afflicted with dwarfism.
‘That was a little daunting,’ John admitted back in 2001. ‘I was afraid I was going to fail.’
John complained at the time that wearing the 45-pound prosthetic device saw him suffer with accompanying back pain.
‘It was a beautiful work of puppetry and special effects. They erased the back of my legs that stuck out digitally.
‘I couldn’t wear [the prosthetic legs] for more than 45 minutes, though, or I would get pins and needles in my lower back,’ he said.
Moulin Rouge! was almost set at Studio 54 In the 1970s
The movie, which was filmed in Australia and based on the setting of Paris in 1899, was almost set in Studio 54, a legendary New York City nightclub.
The story if changed would have involved a young writer and singer moving to New York and getting mixed up with A-listers in the seventies.
20th Century Fox told audiences Moulin Rouge! wasn’t a musical
Another interesting fact about Moulin Rouge! that many fans might not know is that 20th Century Fox kept audiences in the dark about the film.
The production company failed to tell test audiences that the film was a musical over fear it wouldn’t be a hit if people knew the genre.
The Moulin Rouge! cast had wild parties during production
The cast of Moulin Rouge! had wild parties back when the movie was being filmed in the noughties
The cast of Moulin Rouge! had wild parties back when the movie was being filmed in the noughties.
Nicole and Ewan previously teased what kind of nights went down, with the actor admitting ‘he doesn’t remember any’.
Nicole stated: ‘We’d have great parties. Remember those Friday nights, those Saturday nights?’
Ewan chimed: ‘Not all of them. Don’t remember all of them.’
Baz Luhrmann’s father passed away on the first day of filming
Director Baz’s father sadly passed away on the first day filming took place for Moulin Rouge!
When production started, Baz received the news that his father had died following a battle with skin cancer.
Before his father’s passing Leonard told his son to continue filming whatever the outcome.
And so, Baz followed his father’s instructions and made the world-wide success.
Two huge bands refused to lend their music to the movie
The Rolling Stones and Cat Stevens were the two bands who refused to lend their music to the movie.
Baz had gathered modern music from Paul McCartney, Madonna and Elton John but failed to get the approval from the other two.
It took Baz two years to clear the rights for the music.
Paul’s composition Silly Love Songs and All You Need Is Love, written with John Lennon, contribute to the soundtrack’s success.
Madonna’s hits Like A Virgin is famously featured in the film while Elton’s Your Song is also covered.
The jukebox musical also includes songs from legendary artists such as David Bowie, The Police and Christina Aguilera.
Original drafts of the script
In original drafts of the script, Satine had a three-year-old child and the story was told in flashbacks, told by Christian to the child.
Moulin Rouge! is based on The Myth Of Orpheus
Moulin Rouge! tells the story of a writer falling in love with a dying woman and wants to save her from the evil Duke and the Moulin Rouge.
According to Entertainment Weekly, the inspiration behind Moulin Rouge! came from the storyline of Orpheus.
The storyline of The Myth Of Orpheus is similar, Orpheus loses his love and has to trench through the Underworld in order to bring her back from the dead.
Marilyn Manson was removed from the soundtrack
The American rock musician, now 57, was initially hired to sing Smells Like Teen Spirit before he was removed from the soundtrack
The American rock musician, now 57, was initially hired to sing Smells Like Teen Spirit before he was removed from the soundtrack.
Baz was forced to change singers due to the longstanding feud between Courtney and Marilyn.
Courtney evoked the performer approval clause in her contract which forced production to switch directions six days before the movie premiered.
Baz quickly found an unknown band to re-record the song instead of Marilyn.
Stars Wars pushed production back
Baz was forced to stop production of Moulin Rouge! because it clashed with Star Wars: Attack Of The Clones.
The Star Wars prequel was scheduled to start filming on the same sound stages as Moulin Rouge! in Australia.
Coincidentally, both of the much-loved films starred Ewan McGregor.
Moulin Rouge! is part of Baz’s Red Curtain Trilogy
Baz’s three movies 1992’s Strictly Ballroom, 1996’s Romeo + Juliet and 2001’s Moulin Rouge! is part of his Red Curtain Trilogy.
Although the films have nothing to do with each other, he released them together in a DVD boxed set in 2002.
Moulin Rouge won two Academy Awards
It was the first musical film to be nominated for Best Picture at the Academy Awards since Beauty And The Beast (1991).
The musical was nominated for eight Academy Awards at the 74th Academy Awards, including Best Picture, Best Actress in a Leading Role, Best Cinematography, Best Makeup, Best Editing and Best Song.
Yet it only walked away with only two awards: Best Art Direction-Set Direction and Best Costume Design.
Moulin Rouge! became a Broadway musical
Back in 2019, the Academy Award-winning musical launched on Broadway.
Moulin Rouge! is now a Tony-winning Broadway musical having premiered six years ago on stage.
Directed by Alex Timbers and written by John Logan, the Broadway musical has received 14 Tony nods and has won 10.
