Moulin Rouge is a 1928 British sounddrama film directed by Ewald André Dupont and starring Olga Chekhova, Eve Gray and Jean Bradin. While the film has no audible dialog, it was released with a synchronized musical score with sound effects using both the sound-on-disc and sound-on-film process. The film is set in and around the Moulin Rouge cabaret in Paris.
Plot
Andre and his fiancé Margaret go to the Moulin Rouge nightclub where they see the performance of the star performer Parysia. Margaret reveals to Andre that Parysia is her mother. After the show, they go backstage to meet Parysia. While eating dinner, they discuss Andre and Margaret's relationship. Although they want to be married, Andre's father has forbidden it.
Parysia goes to Andre's father and convinces him to give his blessing. In the meantime, Andre has realized that he has fallen in love with Parysia. While Margaret and her mother start planning the wedding and getting Margaret her wedding dress, Andre is agonizing over a letter to his father to thank him. Andre becomes more depressed when he writes sentences mentioning Parysia in the letter.
Andre meets Margaret and they go out to dinner. Margaret get tipsy and asks Andre to kiss her. Andre kisses her passionately while thinking he is actually kissing Parysia. After taking Margaret home, Andre plans his suicide. As he promised he would drive to his father's in the country and ask him to the wedding, he sabotages the brakes on the car. The next morning, he goes to pick up Margaret. He attempts to convince her not to go with him but he is overwrought and passes out. Margret leaves in the car while Andre sleeps. After Andre wakes up, he tells Parysia of what he has done, saying he could not enter into a marriage that is a lie; he loves Parysia. Parysia convinces Andre to take her car and save Margaret.
Margaret arrives at the father's house to find he will be away for two weeks. Although concerned about the car's brakes, she starts driving back to Paris while Andre races from Paris to meet her. They narrowly avoid a head-on collision and Andre turns around and pulls up beside Margaret, who can't stop her car. Margaret jumps to Andre in the other car, causing both cars to crash and both Andre and Margaret are badly injured.
Parysia receives a phone call from the hospital informing her that her daughter is critically injured. At the same time, she has to go to the club to perform. While Parysia performs, the doctors at the hospital are operating on Margaret. Finally, Parysia can't take the stress and passes out. At the hospital, Margaret briefly appears to die but is revived. The three are reunited at the hospital where Margaret is recovering. After they recover, Andre and Margaret take a train to the south of France to begin their honeymoon.
The film featured a theme song entitled "My Wonderful Love" which was written by William Stone (composer) and Charles Wynn (lyricist).
Production
The film was made at Elstree Studios by British International Pictures. It was Dupont's last fully silent film, although several of his later sound films were released with silent versions. Dupont was one of a number of leading Continental technicians and actors hired by BIP in the late 1920s to try and establish the company as a leading international producer. Alfred Junge worked as Art Director.
Restoration and home media
Moulin Rouge was originally released in 1928 as a silent film with live musical accompaniment, running approximately 130 minutes. The following year, it was edited and re-released with a synchronised score composed by John Reynders, which included various sound effects. This version ran for 86 minutes and is available from several budget DVD labels.[1]
In 2017, the film was restored in HD to close to its original running time, at 127 minutes. Reynder's 1929 score was repurposed for this version, but as it was considerably shorter, over 120 music edits were made in order for it to fit.[2] The restored version has been released in the UK on Blu-ray[3] and DVD[4] by Network.
St. Pierre, Paul Matthew. E.A. Dupont and his Contribution to British Film: Varieté, Moulin Rouge, Piccadilly, Atlantic, Two Worlds, Cape Forlorn. Fairleigh Dickinson University Press, 2010. ISBN1611474337.
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