A
s visually rich as any movie ever made, Moulin Rouge overhelms its viewers with a dazzling barrage of sumptuous imagery. The camera spins and soars; like a bird it dives into the streets of Paris, sliding past the gaping mouth of Montmarte (a haven of bohemia), magnetically drawn to the Moulin Rouge, where dancers merge with the audience in a hedonistic orgy that is simultaneously opulent, gawdy, and decadent.