The film begins with the following written foreword: "His palette is caked, his brushes are dry, yet the genius of Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec is as fresh and alive as the day he laid them down. Here, for a brief moment, they shall be restored to his hands, and he and his beloved city and his time shall live again."
       Toulouse-Lautrec (1864--1901) was born in Albi, France, the only heir to Comte Alphonse de Toulouse-Lautrec. As depicted in the film, because his parents were first cousins, he was born with a genetic bone condition that made him vulnerable to fractures. Sources vary on his height, with accounts ranging from four feet, six inches to four feet, eleven inches. He moved to Paris in 1872, where he perfected his Impressionist painting style. He concentrated on the then-scandalous subjects of dancing girls, prostitutes and other characters from Parisian nightlife. In addition to painting, he also made several innovations in the fields of printmaking and advertising, and designed posters, journals and domestic furnishings, among other things. He died of complications related to alcoholism at his parents' estate on 9 Sep 1901.
       In his autobiography, John Huston stated that he originally became interested in Toulouse-Lautrec's life when Romulus Films co-owner James Woolf gave him a copy of Pierre La Mure's biography. As he read, he imagined the picture's closing scene almost exactly as it was eventually filmed. He then negotiated with José Ferrer, who had purchased the stage rights to the book in 1951, and with distributor United Artists. DV reported in Jan 1952 that the film was financed by both American company Moulin Productions, started by Harold Mirisch and Ralph Branton, and by Great Britain's Romulus Films, which was co-owned by brothers James and John Woolf. Although Moulin Productions is not mentioned in the credits, HR stated in 1952 that Mirisch had begun Moulin Rouge Corporation, and in 1953 that Mirisch, Branton and Eliot Hyman had co-financed the film. Moulin Productions made one additional film from the profits from Moulin Rouge. For information on that film, Duel in the Jungle, See Entry.
       In order to recreate the same flattened color that Toulouse-Lautrec used in his paintings, Huston hired Life magazine photographer Eliot Elisofon to experiment with new Technicolor techniques. Huston reported in his autobiography that Elisofon, along with the Technicolor consultants and director of photography Oswald Morris, used a fog-simulating filter to create a monochromatic quality. In addition, a 1971 Focus on Film article revealed that individualized colored lights were chosen for each main character to illustrate his mood, Ferrer was shot in a blue-green filter, Colette Marchand in purple and Suzanne Flon in a pink fill light.
       Ferrer plays both Toulouse-Lautrec and his father, the count. According to a studio press release, to approximate the artist's height, Ferrer was strapped into fake legs with his own legs bound behind him. He declared in his autobiography that the harness was so painful that he could only wear it for a half hour before his circulation was cut off. Marcel Vertès'>Vertès was hired to create sketches and paintings emulating Toulouse-Lautrec's style for the film.
       According to information found in the file on the film in the MPAA/PCA Collection at the AMPAS Library, Huston wrote a letter to Production Code administrator Geoffrey Shurlock in May 1952 assuring him that the can-can girls would wear long stockings and not have flesh exposed. In Dec 1952, however, the film was almost denied a Production Code seal when the advertising campaign image featured a can-can dancer with a partially exposed leg. Within weeks, the poster was edited to cover most of the dancer's thigh. The film premiered in Los Angeles on 23 Dec 1952 in order to qualify for the Academy Awards. The DV review opined that "the apparent rush to open the film here in time for Academy Award qualification has left it without the polish and finish it should have to make the most of its undeniable quality." Before its release, the film was banned by the American Legion. According to a Dec 1952 Var article, however, after Huston and Ferrer met with Legion leaders and denounced Communism, the ban was lifted. HCN recorded in Dec 1952 that in spite of the filmmakers' efforts, some protestors still picketed the premiere with placards reading, "John Huston aided the Un-American Ten" and "The American Legion bans José Ferre."
       Some cast and crew names are misspelled in contemporary reviews. Moulin Rouge received Academy Award nominations in the following categories: Best Picture, Best Director, Best Actor (Ferrer), Best Supporting Actress (Marchand), Best Costume Design (Color), Best Editing and Best Art Direction-Set Decoration (Color). Paul Sheriff and Marcel Vertès'>Vertès won for Art Direction-Set Decoration, and Vertès'>Vertès also won for Costume Design. Despite a huge promotional campaign, the film lost $1.5 million, according to a Jan 1953 DV news item.
       In Feb 1953, Var reported that the Paris bistro Moulin Rouge sued United Artists and exhibitor Fox West Coast for $5 million, stating that it was injured by the "vile, lewd, degraded" picture. The judge dismissed the claim in Nov 1953, calling it insufficient. HR also stated in Jan 1955 that songwriter Leo Martin sued Broadcast Music, Inc., United Artists, CBS, NBC and ABC for $750,000 for the use of the song "Where Is Your Heart," which is credited onscreen as "It's April Again" and is also often referred to as "The Theme from Moulin Rouge." Martin alleged that he wrote the song but never received credit for it. The disposition of the suit is not known. Although the onscreen credits list Paul Dehn as the writer of the song's English lyrics, current sources credit William Engvick with the current, revised lyrics for which the song is better known.
       An Oct 1964 DV article states that Ferrer planned to adapt, direct and produce a Broadway play based on Toulouse-Lautrec's life and HR reported in Dec 1968 that John Woolf would soon remake Moulin Rouge as a stage musical, but neither production was ever staged.