Moulin Rouge (1952)

John Huston's biography about the painter Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec, famous for his posters advertising the Moulin Rouge saloon as well as his paintings of dancers and circus performers.   Nominated for Best Picture in 1952, it dramatizes the story of a deeply tortured soul who uses alcohol and a biting wit to avoid companionship and love.  I didn't know much about Toulouse-Lautrec before last night, having only seen prints of his paintings and recognizing his name.  I didn't know for example that he had a genetic deformity causing his legs to stop growing when he was a kid.  Huston expertly keeps the story moving and Jose Ferrer is excellent as the title character.  I especially love how they colored the film so it had the same hues as Toulouse-Lautrec's work and thought everyone involved with the art production did great work.  There were a few times where Huston blocked the actors, when they are seated or standing next to each other, to avoid looking at each other.  They'd stare ahead giving the audience a stagy profile famous for daytime soap operas .  I didn't care for these moments although I suspect it's to demonstrate how detached the characters are; to me it looked stylized and unnatural.  Regardless it's a solid film that hasn't aged at all.  Grade: A-