Williamstown, MA - The spectacle of Paris at the end of the nineteenth century is the subject of
the "Ooh La La! Montmartre on Film" series at the Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. In connection with the exhibition Toulouse-Lautrec and Paris, this series of three films on Saturday afternoons at 2 pm will explore Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec's bohemian environs including the cafés, cabarets, dancers, and denizens. Admission is free.
In Moulin Rouge (1952, 119 min., not rated) on April 4, Jose Ferrer stars as Toulouse-Lautrec in John Huston's colorful, swirling tale of the painter's life around the Montmartre dancehall. This feast for the eyes was nominated for seven Oscars and won for costumes and set design.
On April 11 catch French Cancan (1955, 93 min., in French with subtitles, not rated). Jean Renoir's great backstage musical stars Jean Gabin as the impresario of the Moulin Rouge, and the director emulates his painter father in love of color, movement, and female flesh.
Baz Luhrmann's furiously updated musical starts over the top and then keeps going in Moulin Rouge! (2001, 128 minutes, PG-13) on April 18. Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor sing and dance and try to keep up with the film's kinetic, windmill whirl.
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