What do you think?
Rate this book
Le Moulin-Rouge
The Golden Age of the Moulin Rouge; On a Theme: The French Cancan; The New Show for the year 2000; On a Theme: The Life of a Dancer.
Paperback
First published October 1, 1989
2 people are currently reading
10 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
December 29, 2016
Je ne peux pas dire que j'ai lu chaque tous les mots de ce livre parce'que c'est en français ... mais it just goes to show that a book in a foreign language can still be enjoyed, particularly Pessis and Crépineau's 'Le Moulin Rouge' because it contains well over 250 superb coloured and black and white illustrations.
The Moulin Rouge, close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, was co-founded in 1889 by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller and it is most noticeable by the red windmill on its roof.
Moulin Rouge opened on 6 October 1889 and the extravagant setting of the place - the garden was adorned with a gigantic elephant - attracted hundreds of visitors right from the start. The first review, 'Circassiens et Circassiennes' was on 19 April 1890 and in 1893: The 'Bal des Quat'z'Art' created a scandal with its procession of a nude Cleopatra surrounded by young naked women.
Early stars of the can-can, in which the Moulin Rouge specialised with titillatingly clad dancers, were La Goulue (Louise Weber) known as the 'Ambassador of Fun', Jane Avril, who demonstrated 'the fury of dance' and, for the ladies, Valentin le désossé (Jacques Renaudin) who was known as 'the boneless man of the quadrille'. Of course, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec helped to promote Moulin Rouge along the way with his superb posters and artwork, the first of which, promoting La Goulue, was produced in 1891.
One of the later acts was Mistinquett (Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois), whose risqué routines captivated Paris, and she went on to become the most popular French entertainer of her time and the highest paid female entertainer in the world - and some of the exotic photographs in the book certainly show how that would have come about. Others, such as the Doriss Girls (created by Doriss Haug), who began as a troupe of four and ended as a troupe of 60, followed in her footsteps and, together with spectacular shows and inventive productions and stage designs - plus, perhaps, scantily clad attractive ladies - maintained the Moulin Rouge's success.
Some distinguished visitors were, among many others, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (not surprisingly) in 1890 and in later times Princess Diana, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck and Princess Anne who all attended Moulin Rouge performances.
The book is an absolute delight to the eye - pity I could not read it completely - and was well worth the purchase price for the glorious illustrations. C'est splendide!
The Moulin Rouge, close to Montmartre in the Paris district of Pigalle on Boulevard de Clichy in the 18th arrondissement, was co-founded in 1889 by Charles Zidler and Joseph Oller and it is most noticeable by the red windmill on its roof.
Moulin Rouge opened on 6 October 1889 and the extravagant setting of the place - the garden was adorned with a gigantic elephant - attracted hundreds of visitors right from the start. The first review, 'Circassiens et Circassiennes' was on 19 April 1890 and in 1893: The 'Bal des Quat'z'Art' created a scandal with its procession of a nude Cleopatra surrounded by young naked women.
Early stars of the can-can, in which the Moulin Rouge specialised with titillatingly clad dancers, were La Goulue (Louise Weber) known as the 'Ambassador of Fun', Jane Avril, who demonstrated 'the fury of dance' and, for the ladies, Valentin le désossé (Jacques Renaudin) who was known as 'the boneless man of the quadrille'. Of course, Henri Toulouse-Lautrec helped to promote Moulin Rouge along the way with his superb posters and artwork, the first of which, promoting La Goulue, was produced in 1891.
One of the later acts was Mistinquett (Jeanne Florentine Bourgeois), whose risqué routines captivated Paris, and she went on to become the most popular French entertainer of her time and the highest paid female entertainer in the world - and some of the exotic photographs in the book certainly show how that would have come about. Others, such as the Doriss Girls (created by Doriss Haug), who began as a troupe of four and ended as a troupe of 60, followed in her footsteps and, together with spectacular shows and inventive productions and stage designs - plus, perhaps, scantily clad attractive ladies - maintained the Moulin Rouge's success.
Some distinguished visitors were, among many others, His Royal Highness the Prince of Wales (not surprisingly) in 1890 and in later times Princess Diana, Frank Sinatra, Gregory Peck and Princess Anne who all attended Moulin Rouge performances.
The book is an absolute delight to the eye - pity I could not read it completely - and was well worth the purchase price for the glorious illustrations. C'est splendide!
December 26, 2015
Wonderful book with numerous and great pictures (photos, posters...) retracing the history of the famous cabaret from its creation in 1889 to today, with a strong focus on the period going from its start to the 60s.
The text provides plenty of info and details. Some pages are biographies of various artists like Toulouse Lautrec or Jane Avril, or some less known ones like the designer Gesmar, or of important people like the Moulin Rouge creator, Joseph Oller. The whole history of the cabaret, with its closing periods and reopenings, its biggest flops and successes, its directors etc. is told chronologically. The whole list of shows presented there is given, with a few words on each of them.
A must have for anyone interested in cabarets or even Parisian artistic life in the first half of the 20th century!
The text provides plenty of info and details. Some pages are biographies of various artists like Toulouse Lautrec or Jane Avril, or some less known ones like the designer Gesmar, or of important people like the Moulin Rouge creator, Joseph Oller. The whole history of the cabaret, with its closing periods and reopenings, its biggest flops and successes, its directors etc. is told chronologically. The whole list of shows presented there is given, with a few words on each of them.
A must have for anyone interested in cabarets or even Parisian artistic life in the first half of the 20th century!
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews