Christian: The greatest thing you'll ever learn is just to love and be loved in return.

~Christian-The Penniless Poet~ Christian is a young poet who arrives in Paris in 1899 from England, to become a writer and to join the children of the revolution, who are artists of the time who believe in truth, freedom, beauty and above all things, love. This, being against his fathers wishes. He rents a room at a hotel with very few possessions one is his type writer. He sits at his type writer to begin his story about love when an Unconscious Argentinian falls through his ceiling and rushing through the door arrives a dwarf called Toulouse. He is upstairs with a group of bohemians who are rehearsing a play.

"I had come to Paris to write about freedom, truth, beauty and above all things, love. There was only one problem. I had never been in love."

Since the Argentinian is disposed they ask Christian to stand in for him. While there Christian comes up with some wonderful words for their play such as "The Hills Are Alive with the sound of music". The Bohemians think Christian is very talented and ask him to write their new play but Christian says: I can't write the show for the Moulin Rouge. Toulouse-Lautrec: Why not? Christian: I... I don't even know if I am a true Bohemian revolutionary. Toulouse-Lautrec: Do you believe in beauty? Christian: Yes. Doctor: Freedom? Christian: Yes, of course. Satie: Truth? Christian: Yes! Doctor: Love? Christian: Love? Above all things I believe in love! Love is like oxygen. Love is a many-splendored thing, love lifts us up where we belong, all you need is love! Toulouse-Lautrec: See? You can't fool us! You are the voice of the Children of the Revolution! Bohemians: We can't be fooled!. So they borrow Audrey's suit and take Christian to the Moulin Rouge to introduce him to Satine where he will read his poetry for her.

"And then on one not so special day I sat at my typewriter and wrote her story. A story about a time, a story about a place. A story about the people but most of all, a story about love. A love that will live forever. The end."

Satine mistakes Christian for a rich Duke. Christian falls in love with Satine and sings her his poetry "My gift is my song and this one's for you". He tells Satine that he is not a Duke but Toulouse's writer. Hiding in the elephant from the Duke who has come to see Satine, Christian convinces Satine not to sleep with the duke and she steers the duke out the door. Turning to Christian she faints into his arms where he carries her to her bed and the duke discovers them but they pretend its a rehearsal and the bohemians appear from outside the window..They pitch their play "Spectacular, Spectacular" to him. Alone again in his room that night he decides he must see Satine again and see if she does love him. He climbs her elephant and on top of the elephant they sing some songs and declare their love for each other.

Christian: This story is about love. The woman I loved is dead. She was the star of the Moulin Rouge.

They hide their love from the Duke and Zidler. But because of Christian's deep love for Satine he does not want her to sleep with the duke. But Satine has to for the Moulin Rouge. Christian is torn with jealousy and writes a song "Come What May' for their love that when they hear it where ever they are they will know that their love is true.

"I wanted to shut out what Toulouse had said but he had filled me with doubt and there was only one way to find out. I had to know. So I returned to the Moulin Rouge one last time"

When Satine can't sleep with the duke Christian asks her to leave with him, believing Satine will Christian is overjoyed but soon discovers that Satine will not leave with him but has planned on staying with the Duke. Christian tries to see Satine at the Moulin Rouge but he is thrown out onto the street and beaten up. The Bohemians bring him in out of the rain and put him to bed where Toulouse tries to talk to Christian about love. But Christian wants to be alone.

"While the party raged on upstairs, I tried to write. But all I could think about was her.
Was she thinking of me?" Christian

He decides to go to the Moulin Rouge one last time. Selling his type writer Christian sneaks into the Moulin Rouge where he finds Satine and throw his money at her, paying for her services and telling her that he is pleased that she has cured him of his ridiculous obsession with love.

"How could I have known that in those last fatal days, a force darker than jealousy and
stronger than love had begun to take hold of Satine?"

Walking of the stage Christian turns when he hears Satine sing their song "Come What May" and he then realizes that Satine does love him. Walking to her on stage he also sings his love for her and taking her into his arms, Once again Christian can hold her, love her and know that she love him. But her illness takes her life and she dies in his arms. Christian promising to write their story.

"She had gone to the tower to save us all. And for our part, we could do nothing but wait."Christian

If you would like to know about Ewan McGregor who plays Christian please click here!

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