Happy Valentine’s Day! It’s time for another love-themed sync (click here for last year’s) with a film that talks about love quite a bit: Moulin Rouge! It’s a reverse sync with a difference of a few months.
Take the 2001 version of Moulin Rouge! and Cake’s “Comfort Eagle” and start both at 0:00. Play the album once. Discovered by me in March 2014.
Opera Singer
- The orchestra tunes up as the song begins.
- “I call my co-stars name.” The opening credits play.
- “Some people, they call me saint.” Christian’s face appears.
- “I sing in foreign lands.” Here, it’s France.
- The ending music fits with the montage of the Moulin Rouge.
Meanwhile, Rick James…
- “…all full of desire.” A brief clip of the dancers plays.
- “Meanwhile, Rick James takes anew.” Christian starts his new life in Paris.
- “…and there’s nothing I can do.” We learn about the narcoleptic Argentinian.
Shadow Stabbing
- “Adjectives on a typewriter, he moves his words like a prizefighter.” This is Christian’s character.
- “The frenzied pace…” The editing style in the first third of the film.
- “I know this can’t last.” The bliss and ecstasy of the Bohemian revolution is brief.
Short Skirt/Long Jacket
- The entire song fits the formal introduction to all of the dancers, describing different aspects of taste. This song is the highlight of the sync.
- “I want a girl with a mind like a diamond.” Zidler’s girls are briefly referred to as “Diamond Dogs”.
- Everyone dances to the beat.
Commissioning a Symphony in C
- “So you’ll be an Austrian nobleman, commissioning a symphony in C.” Christian has to pose as the Duke when he talks to Satine.
- “…you can give it as a present.” Satine sings about giving diamond gifts during “Diamonds are a Girl’s Best Friend.”
- “They are transfixed, they are forgetting just to breathe.” The gentlemen throw money at Satine, admiring her beauty.
- “…seldom breathing life, but mostly death.” Foreshadowing about Satine’s fate.
Arco Arena
- The brief instrumental occurs during Satine’s undressing.
Comfort Eagle
- The crowd dances to the beat of the song.
- “To resist is useless.” Satine drags Christian to the dance floor.
- “But you better come with cash.” How else do you expect to pay for the girls at the Moulin Rouge?
- “You can dress up like a sultan…” A reference to the third act of the film.
- The music changes mood as Satine falls off.
Long Line of Cars
- “We’ve got to keep this traffic flowing and accept a little sin.” This is how life at the Moulin Rouge works.
Love You Madly
- “Love” is said 143 times throughout the film.
- Satine tries to make Christian love her but has difficulty.
- “…when the elephants arrive.” The two of them are in the Elephant room.
- “The ornaments look pretty but they are pulling down the branches of the tree.” A one-sentence viewpoint of what the film is for some people.
Pretty Pink Ribbon
- Some previous packaging for the film featured the pink ribbon for breast cancer awareness. This can be revealed if you access the disc in Windows Media Player.
- This plays during the Elephant Love Medley.
- “Your cancer would eat through the bone.” While Satine may not have cancer, she does have a devastating illness.
World of Two
- The Duke’s “world of two” would be him and Satine.
- “I don’t like to hang around you.” Christian begins to leave as Satine tries to seduce the Duke.
I tried it before with having the album play through the entire movie but it gets exhausting. It’s better to just leave it at one play. It’s pretty decent as far as reverse syncs go but it’s more about the mood.
Sync grade: B