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Article: FRANCE & BEYOND: What Nicole Kidman saw at the Moulin Rouge In Paris, high kicks mean high prices these days. Fiona Sturges goes in search of decadent glamour left over from the belle epoque
- Article from:
- The Independent (London, England)
- Article date:
- July 21, 2001
- Author:
CopyrightCopyright 2001 The Independent - London. Provided by ProQuest LLC. (Hide copyright information)
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IT'S ALMOST exactly as I imagined it, all gaudy chandeliers,
mirrors and thick-pile carpets. The lamp-lit tables are crammed so
close together that the waiters are forced to climb over them as they
go about their business. Thick-set men in lounge suits shepherd us
gently but forcefully towards cash registers where we're politely
relieved of pounds 52.
No, it's not Stringfellow's. This is the Moulin Rouge in Paris,
the scene of unimaginable iniquity at the end of the 19th century,
and where the artist Toulouse-Lautrec drew inspiration. These days,
it's coach parties that fill the half-moon concert hall, all hoping
for a brief reconstruction of belle epoque Paris.
More than 100 years on, ...