Moulin rouge (1952)

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Nineteenth-century Paris comes colourfully to life in this lavish, high-kicking, gorgeously shot portrait of tormented artist Henri Toulouse-Lautrec, directed by screen legend John Huston.

Friend and chronicler of the eccentric characters who populate fiery Paris nightspot the Moulin Rouge, Toulouse-Lautrec (José Ferrer, Cyrano de Bergerac) sips cognac and wears his disability lightly as he sketches the dancers who feature in his vivid works. But when he becomes embroiled in a turbulent relationship with a vivacious prostitute, he turns to the bottle and frustrated passion, love, heartbreak and painful self-discovery beckon in bawdy, bohemian Paris. Beautifully framed by the camerawork of award-winning cinematographer Oswald Morris (Fiddler on the Roof), this heartrending drama is played out against the lush strains of Georges Auric's evocative score.