Characters from the musical film Moulin Rouge! and its theatrical adaptation.
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Christian
Christian
Portrayed by: Ewan McGregor (film), Aaron Tveit (OBC)
Dubbed by: Bruno Choël (European French)
The protagonist, an idealistic young poet who has recently moved to Paris.
- Adaptational Nationality: English in the film, American in the stage musical.
- Beard of Sorrow: The film opens with a grieving, bearded Christian. His happier and more idealistic past self is clean-shaven.
- Foil: To the Duke, who sees Satine as a possession to be controlled while he sees her as a person.
- Inelegant Blubbering: After Satine dies, he's devastated and sobs uncontrollably.
- In Love with Love: Christian is devoted to the idea of True Love but has no real-world experience. When he meets the beautiful and worldly Satine, he is enchanted with her looks and doesn't listen to her practical objections to their affair. The only reason she doesn't hustle him for all that he's worth is that she longs for a little love of her own.
- Most Writers Are Writers: He is the protagonist and he is a writer. He writes the show Spectacular Spectacular. He also writes his own story.
- Sensitive Artist: Christian is a writer who is characterized as a hopeless romantic and Wide-Eyed Idealist, who believes that so long as there is love, people can find a way even through the most trying of situations. When Satine confuses him for The Duke (whom she needs to seduce to secure more funding for The Moulin Rouge) and throws herself at him, he turns her away, instead reciting his poetry to her and charming her in the process. Christian's work is also just as romantic and idealistic as he is, being a thinly veiled telling of his and Satine's budding relationship. After the story told within the film approaches its tragic end, Christian becomes the angsty and brooding version of this trope.
- Starving Artist: Despite coming from a well-off family, he chooses to become a penniless writer who falls in with the Bohemians.
- Tenor Boy: Christian is a tenor, befitting his position as the idealistic romantic lead. His highest note is in the Finale ("My gift is my song") and it is a truly ludicrous full-voice top C.
- Upper-Class Twit: A downplayed and more sympathetic version. He reveals at the beginning that he's from a wealthy family, but he rejected his father's suggestion that he take up a profession and instead moved to Paris to join the "children of the revolution." Throughout his flashbacks, he really comes across as a Naïve Newcomer who is in way over his head at best, not fully understanding what the real world outside his sheltered upbringing is really like.
- Wide-Eyed Idealist: Christian is a naïve and romantic poet who believes that the Bohemian ideals mean his life will work out.
- Writers Suck: Christian comes across as a naïve, hopeless romantic stumbling through a situation way over his head. Since the whole film is an extended flashback written by Christian himself after he became an emotional wreck, the audience can see him despising and pitying his younger self's innocence.
Satine
Satine
Portrayed by: Nicole Kidman (film), Karen Olivo (OBC)
An eye-catching courtesan and dancer at the renowned nightclub Moulin Rouge.
- Broken Bird: Satine starts off as a jaded, cynical Gold Digger who scoffs at Christian's assertion that "love" is more important than money since she knows what it's like not to have any money. However, she's much more vulnerable than she lets on at first, and falling in love with Christian restores her idealistic, romantic side.
- Calling the Old Man Out: Satine to Zidler. When he finally reveals she's dying of consumption, she calls him out for stringing her along to get his precious electrical theatre instead of getting her life-saving medical attention before it was too late or letting her enjoy her final days with her love.
- Dark and Troubled Past: Satine implies she was starving on the streets as a girl and had to become a prostitute just to get by. She had to work hard over the years to cultivate the image of a High-Class Call Girl (with the help of Zidler) to woo rich patrons like The Duke in order to enjoy some ease and luxury, and she is reluctant to run away with Christian because she is terrified of ending up back in poverty. In the stage musical, Toulouse reveals to Christian that her father forced her into prostitution at 13 years old.
- Died in Your Arms Tonight: Satine dies in Christian's arms due to her tuberculosis.
- Distracted by the Luxury: Due to her impoverished background, she initially prefers the luxury surrounding her status as a High-Class Call Girl.
- Everything's Sparkly with Jewelry: Satine seems to wear more jewelry than clothing in some scenes.
- Gemstone Motifs: Satine is strongly associated with diamonds for two reasons: she's the beautiful crown jewel of The Moulin Rouge's courtesans and needs financial wealth in order to have a good life (since her good looks won't pay the bills forever). She gets a musical number, fittingly titled "Sparkling Diamonds"note that mashes up songs about diamonds and money.
- The Hero Dies: Satine, the romantic heroine, dies at the end.
- High-Class Call Girl: All the girls at The Moulin Rouge are expensive courtesans, and Satine is the queen of them.
- I'm Cold... So Cold...: "I am cold... hold me Christian..."
- Incurable Cough of Death: Satine is coughing up blood thanks to her tuberculosis.
- Lady in Red: Satine's red dress, featured on the film posters and worn during the 'One Day I'll Fly Away'/'Elephant Love Medley' scene where she kisses Christian for the first time. The red is meant to draw the viewer's attention to make it clear how she is drawing the protagonist's attention (and everyone else's).
- Of Corsets Sexy: She wears many corsets to accentuate her figure, as she is a courtesan.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Most of Satine's "show" costumes, such as the 'Pink Diamonds' dress with the skirt made out of feathers, are beautiful and extravagant.
- Victorian Novel Disease: Satine is dying from TB, but this has almost no effect on her beauty or her singing voice.
Zidler
Harold Zidler
Portrayed by: Jim Broadbent (film), Danny Burstein (OBC)
The owner of The Moulin Rouge, to whom Toulouse and his troupe of performers hope to sell their show.
- Acrofatic: A large man (Jim Broadbent wore padding) who is able to dance and somersault with ease.
- Benevolent Boss: Zidler may be an aging French pimp, but he does look out for his employees and genuinely wants to help Satine become an actress.
- Big Fun: He's a loud, boisterous, and hefty man who loves to party, as befits the owner of Paris's most prestigious nightclub.
- Consummate Liar: He's a master at improvising wild stories and lies on the spot, and speaks so passionately that even the most skeptical people believe what he's saying. Zidler mostly uses this talent to keep The Duke's anger in check, especially where Satine is involved.
- Genre Savvy: He almost immediately realizes that Satine and Christian have started a secret relationship, and knows that love triangles have a tendency to end very, very badly, especially when a man as rich, spoiled, and jealous as The Duke is involved.
- Hidden Depths: It's easy to write Zidler off as a jolly showman, but it's clear that he's also witnessed a lot of sadness and trouble in his time at The Moulin Rouge and that seeing people in pain hurts him deeply.
- Large Ham: Jim Broadbent positively devours the scenery during most of his scenes. It helps to make his quieter moments stand out all the more. The hamminess is also justified: the owner and host of a club like The Moulin Rouge needs to be over the top.
- O.O.C. Is Serious Business: Zidler almost exclusively addresses Satine by various endearments such as "Cherub" or "My Little Strawberry". The first time he addresses her by her actual name, it is to say, "You're dying, Satine."
- As a general rule, when his normally loud, excitable voice drops into a serious register, things are very bad.
- Parental Substitute: He's something of a parental figure to Satine.
- Rule of Symbolism: His costume is patterned after a circus ringmaster: black pants paired with a frilly white shirt, massive red coat, and top hat; he also carries a whip. Not only does Zidler literally act like a ringmaster in announcing the acts at the Moulin Rouge, but he also goes out of his way to keep the "show" of the Duke and Satine's relationship running smoothly for the sake of all the other performers.
- Sad Clown: For as fun-loving as he is, Zidler is clearly brokenhearted over both Satine's impending death from tuberculosis and the collapse of her relationship with Christian. His big number, "The Show Must Go On," implies that he's internalized the idea of constantly smiling and making jokes to cover up the emptiness that comes from life at The Moulin Rouge. He sums it up best when he sadly remarks, "We're creatures of the underworld. We can't afford to love."
- Seen It All: He's been the owner and host of The Moulin Rouge for a long time, and as such, he's no longer fazed by any sort of depravity or romance.
- The Show Must Go On: This is Zidler's personal creed—no matter what happens, business must be done and people must be entertained. It's even his biggest number in the film, which, in a Literal Metaphor, features him marching through a half-completed set to encourage his employees to get the upcoming production ready.
- What You Are in the Dark: During the Spectacular Spectacular finale, The Duke gets his hands on a gun and is prepared to shoot Satine and Christian...and that's when Zidler, who's spent the entire film kowtowing to The Duke's requests and appeasing him, finally has enough and delivers a Megaton Punch right to the face. He knows that The Duke will ruin him financially and that The Moulin Rouge will be closed down as a result, but deep down, his Bohemian ideals—and fatherly love for Satine—push him to do the right thing, the consequences be damned.
Toulouse
Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec
Portrayed by: John Leguizamo (film), Sahr Ngaujah (OBC)
A bohemian stage director who hires Christian to write a show.
- Bystander Syndrome: All he can do is mourn the loss of Satine, making no effort to comfort Christian. The same applies to the other performers/witnesses.
- Elmuh Fudd Syndwome: Henri actually had that speech impediment.Henri: Towtawee awone!
- Historical Domain Character: Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec was a real person, albeit a painter instead of a stage director.
The Duke
The Duke of Monroth
Portrayed by: Richard Roxburgh (film), Tam Mutu (OBC)
Dubbed by: Jean-Pierre Michaël (European French)
A wealthy aristocrat, whom Zidler hopes will fund the show and subsequently his theater.
- Aristocrats Are Evil: The only aristocrat in the film (a titled duke) and the only unambiguous villain.
- Berserk Button: The Duke is rather unstable in many ways, but the one thing he absolutely can't abide—as noted below under Crazy Jealous Guy—is "other people touching his things." Unfortunately, said things also extend to people, as is the case with Satine.
- Chekhov's Gunman: The Duke seems like a Living MacGuffin at first. He uses that to his advantage when he ascends to the position of Big Bad.
- Crazy Jealous Guy: He's insanely possessive of Satine.Duke: Satine will be mine. It's not that I'm a jealous man! I JUST DON'T—LIKE—OTHER PEOPLE TOUCHING MY THINGS!!
(Beat)
Zidler: (Totally freaked out) I... understand... completely... Duke. - Dastardly Whiplash: The Duke is a rich, sniveling villain who schemes to keep Satine. Bonus points for being known only as "The Duke".
- Karma Houdini: Downplayed. He loses Satine and fails to kill Christian... but he goes through with his threat by closing down The Moulin Rouge.
- Loving a Shadow: The Duke sees Satine more as a prize to be kept than as a real person, and he is also convinced that she loves him. In early dialogue with Christian, she remarks that making "men believe what they want to believe" is a courtesan's job.
- Marital Rape License: Or the prostitution equivalent. The Duke demands exclusive access to Satine, which he apparently thinks means she is his to treat as he pleases. While initially he tries to seduce her, he tries to force the issue when she rejects him.
- Murder the Hypotenuse: The Duke blackmails Zidler and Satine by threatening to kill his romantic rival Christian.
- No Name Given: The Duke is only known as...well, The Duke. We can see for a couple of frames (when Zidler is signing the deed to the Moulin Rouge) that he is officially Duke of Monroth and should be addressed as "Your grace" or "Monseigneur". In the stage musical, he gives his name as "André Dacor Benicieux, le Duc de Monroth".
- Not-So-Harmless Villain: At first, the Duke seems like an ineffectual nitwit, but we soon learn otherwise.
- Psychopathic Manchild: The Duke is incredibly immature—in "Come What May," he eagerly chases a frog around for the sole purpose of stomping on it—spoiled, and prone to massive temper tantrums whenever he doesn't get exactly what he wants; he's also incredibly possessive and despises the idea of anyone "touching his things." The Duke views Satine as a new toy that he and he alone gets to play with, and he can't begin to understand that she might be lying to him as part of her job as a courtesan. The psychopathic part emerges when he outright tries to rape Satine during "El Tango de Roxanne" and attempts to murder her and Christian during the finale even though he's already lost.
- Sissy Villain: The Duke comes off like a rich weakling until "El Tango de Roxanne". Then we get to see his true nature.
- Upper-Class Twit: At least until he lets his mask slip. Shown off in hilarious fashion during Christian's and Satine's duet love song "Come What May", when at the picnic he's flitting around in the background chasing a frog. (Followed by him stomping on it with joyous abandon.)
- Villainous Breakdown: The Duke after Warner's assassination attempt has failed spots the gun and picks it up and charges at the stage aiming at Christian and Satine screaming "My way! My way! MY WAY!!" No doubt he would've been arrested for attempted murder if he fired at them if Zidler hadn't knocked his block off, but, at that point, he didn't care.
- Woobie, Destroyer of Worlds: As monstrous as The Duke is, the betrayal he feels is very real.You made me believe that you loved me.
Nini-Legs-in-the-Air
Nini-Legs-in-the-Air
Portrayed by: Caroline O’Connor (film), Robyn Hurder (OBC)
The leader of the Diamond Dogs who sets the climax into high gear.
- Alpha Bitch: A Victorian example. She’s pretty rude to some of her clients and her co-workers, especially Satine.
- Disney Death: Played with. The finale of “Roxanne” makes it look as though the Argentinian broke her neck. When she next appears, she is a-okay.
- Historical Domain Character: She is based on Nini Pattes-en-l'air, a memorable dancer from The Moulin Rouge’s heyday.
- Karma Houdini Warranty: Subverted. Nini receives no comeuppance for revealing Satine's and Christian’s affair, but she does redeem herself by defeating Warner and eventually loses her job when The Duke (apparently) closes down The Moulin Rouge.
- Leg Focus: Her stage name is a reference to how good her legs are. While the film doesn't focus on them as much as some examples of this trope she is the star performer during the Can-Can sequence, a dance that focuses on the legs.
- Pimped-Out Dress: Her costumes are colorful, garish, and pretty accurate for the time.
- Small Role, Big Impact: Her screentime is almost the same as her fellow dancers and the Bohemians, but it is she who reveals Christian and Satine’s affair to The Duke and sets the climax into motion.
