Customer Reviews
Wonderful - By: J. Davidson, 29 May 2006 
A brave move to set a period film against the backdrop of a very modern soundtrack, butin this case, it works, & very well too.
Fans of the movie will love this soundtrack, but it's also just a great CD, one that should be a staple of any collection. The clever reworkings of so many old hits, El Tango de Roxannein particular, give a new flavour to the tracks & help to up the kitsch value of the movie. Although it was a huge worldwide hit, it was certainly quirkier than most of your five-star movies, & the soundtrack is exactly the same.
The Elephant Love Medley is a sparkling blend of too many songs to count, but you'll have fun trying to name them all, if you're not too caught upin just how wonderful Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman are. Their voices sound beautiful together & apart, & with the infectious & familliar tunes, you won't be able to help singing along, or at least humming!
Come What May is,in my opinion, the best song on the album. It's a proper passion-filled duet with an amazing crescendo that just begs you to get all choked up with emotion. The centre-piece of the movie, this sounds just as good on CD as it didin the cinema.
Every track on here is worth a mention, & I'm no expert, so I'll leave it at that. Buy the CD, analyse it yourself.
Tra la lal la! - By: S. Tattersall, 13 Feb 2004 
Yes i saw the film.
Yes i thought it was exceptional.
Yes i thought the direction was amazing!
Ok, all that aside. This soundtrack is appalling. The musical score that sounded so good on screen sounds dreadful on CD. The album comes over as an awful soundtrack for a west end musical, you know what i mean. Actors with tone poor vocals but lusty diaphrams all singing loudly. Weak tone punched out by drama trained diagphrams does not make good singing. When you listen to this you end up wanting toput the same tune on by the original artist, just to hear it done properly.
Soundtrack to Cats anyone?
You don't have to be a Moulin Rouge fan to enjoy this music - By: Daniel Jolley, 21 Aug 2003 The first Moulin Rouge soundtrack cannot really be considered or described out of context with the later second volume that was released. The deficiencies of this album are addressed for the most partin Volume 2, & thus this album cannot be judged as harshly as it was upon its initial release for the songs & numbers that are not included. The earliest reviews of this soundtrack are justifiably critical, for many of the tracks featured here are not the actual versions from the film. In essence, this CD is music that inspired & was inspired by the movie rather than an actual soundtrack. This becomes obvious from the very start, when one hears David Bowie delivering the melancholy masterpiece Nature Boy. David Bowie does a great job but it's not the movie version, & that is important because fans obsessed with this movie (including yours truly) are absolutely captivated if notin love with the actual movie versions. If Bowie singing Nature Boy feels strange, just wait until you hear Beck singing Bowie's Diamond Dogs later on.
Thus, one has to put aside one's concerns about this album's vast differences from the actual movie's music, knowing that some (but, sadly, not all) of those original film versions can be found on the Moulin Rouge Volume 2 soundtrack. Since I love the movie & music, so much, I'll say a word about every track on this CD. After Nature Boy, one gets the familiar pop hit version of Lady Marmalade performed by Christina Aguilera, Lil' Kim, Mya, & Pink. The one great weakness of both soundtracks is the fact that this is basically the only piece of music you get from the unforgettable sequencein which Ewan McGregor first enters the Moulin Rouge. Fatboy Slim gives us his driving version of Because We Can, a furiously upbeat track. The version of Sparkling Diamonds included here is good, but it differs significantly from the film version; still, it features Nicole Kidman, Jim Broadbent, & their cohorts from the film & is quite enjoyablein this form. Next is Valeria's version of Rhythm of the Night, a relatively minor songin terms of the movie, featuring special Moulin Rouge-specific lines. While I prefer the movie version, something can be said about the version of Your Song included here; alongside Ewan McGregor's impassioned singing, the added vocal stylings of Alessandro Safina are emphasized, adding almost as much as it takes away from the film version. Bono, Gavin Friday, & Maurice Seezer perform Children of the Revolution, a minor song which I would much rather hear the Violent Femmes perform any day.
Nicole Kidman blew me awayin this movie, especially with her hauntingly beautiful rendition of One Day I'll Fly Away. Once again, this version is not the original film version, & thus, although it is beyond beautiful, it cries out for the overlayering of Ewan McGregor's lyrical strains of Your Song, for this truly makes the song a force capable of fully subsuming one's heart. As I've mentioned, the version of Diamond Dogs included here is sung by Beck, & while he's good, he's no David Bowie. The next three songs are absolutely amazing. First up is Elephant Love Melody, a daringly unique medley that worked its way straight to the bottom of my heart; I am happy to say that this version is basically the same as the original movie version, minus the exhortations of Satine for Christian to get down before falling off the Giant Elephant. This medley never fails to give me chills, & the same can most certainly be said of the passionate Come What May. This is the most achingly beautiful love song I've ever heard, but this version is one intended for pop music radio consumption, featuring a rich musical background tinged with strange little electronic noises; if you've watched the video of this song included on the Moulin Rouge DVD, you will already be familiar with this version. At this point, one must stop & pausein homage to one of the most unexpected yet perfect & fervent performances of all time; I speak of course of El Tango de Roxanne. This unique interpretation of The Police's Roxanne is amazing enough as it is, but when Ewan McGregor's piercingly heartfelt vocals enter the equation, all one can do is sit back enraptured at such passionate, moving music. Complainte de la Butte is nothing special, & I still don't remember it beingin the movie. Then one comes upon Hindi Sad Diamonds featuring Nicole Kidman, John Leguizamo, & Alka Yagnik, an exotic track that somehow feels a little different from the film version. Finally, the album closes with a second rendition of Nature Boy by David Bowie & Massive Attack; I'm really not sure why this track is included here, but the unremarkable version of the song ends quite memorably with Nicole Kidman whispering the words "I love you."
This soundtrack cannot be said to feature the actual music from the soundtrack, yet I love it nonetheless. In my opinion, you really have to buy both volumes of the Moulin Rouge soundtrack, & while the second volume features the original film versions of many songs, only this first volume contains two numbers this Moulin Rouge fan could not possibly live without - Elephant Love Medley & El Tango de Roxanne. This CD cannot possibly take the place of the movie, but I believe any Moulin Rouge fan will overlook its faults & love it dearly.
Moulin Rouge [SOUNDTRACK] - By: , 09 Aug 2003 If you've seen the film, you'll know how wonderfully wacky & off-beat it is. This album follows the same direction....from mainstream pop songs like Rhythm Of The Night to the excellent version of Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend, this album is a great way to re-live the magic of the movie. Of course, the biggest drawcard is the chance to hear Ewan McGregor & Nicole Kidman sing, & they measure up very nicely. Their vocal talents are showcased on several tracks, but the highlight would have to be Elephant Love Medley - a collage of many love songs, where Nicole & Ewan really shinein their vocal abilities. Another standout track is Diamonds Are A girls Best Friend, with Nicolein lead vocals. This would have be the best version of this song - a throughly modern version of a wonderful classic. A slight disappointment is the exclusion of 'Like A virgin' - if you've seen the movie, you would know how hilarious this version is. Do yourself a favour - go & see the movie & buy this CD!
The soundtrack for the extravaganza that is Baz Luhrmann's "Moulin Rouge" is every bit as sparkling as the film. David Bowie's "Nature Boy", which forms the beginning & end of the cd (and the film) begins with Christian (Ewan Mc Gregor) telling us that the story of "Moulin Rouge" is one of love. Quickly followed by the films energetic "Lady Marmalade" the pace is kept up right through to one of the film's original songs "Hindi Sad Diamonds", which incorporates parts of "Diamonds Are A Girls Best Friend". The most surprising track on the CD is probably the "Elephant Love Medley", performed by Nicole Kidman & Ewan Mc Gregor. This song shows the vocal talents of the unlikely duo off to a tee, as well as capturing the fun, infused with tragedy of the Moulin Rouge. The soundtrack is one of Truth (David Bowie's "Nature Boy") Beauty (Nicole kidman's "One Day I'll Fly Away") Freedom (Bono, Gavin Friday & Maurice Seezer's "Children of the Revolution") & above all LOVE (Nicole Kidman & Ewan Mc Gregor's "Come What May"). If you enjoyed the film, you will love the soundtrack!
Moulin Rouge [SOUNDTRACK] - By: , 09 Aug 2003 The moulin rouge soundtrack is very good anyone who has watched the film you must get this to
