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Christian (Ewan McGregor) is captivated by the courtesan Satine. Toulouse-Lautrec (John Leguizamo) promises Christian he will meet Satine alone. The same promise is made by Moulin Rouge impresario Zidler (Jim Broadbent) to his wealthy financial backer, the Duke (Richard Roxburgh).
Curator’s notes
Moulin Rouge! is a pastiche of stage and movie musical styles from the late 19th century to the present day. This clip mixes the sophisticated 'top hat and tails’ look of a 1930s RKO musical with the splashy colour of a 1950s MGM extravaganza. Beating out an erotic tattoo on the sweaty libidos of her admirers with 'Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend’, Satine makes an entrance worthy of her reputation as the 'sparkling diamond’ of the Moulin Rouge. The song was performed by Carol Channing on Broadway in the stage musical Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1949 and, most famously, by Marilyn Monroe in the 20th Century Fox film version of Gentlemen Prefer Blondes in 1953.
