The History of the Real Moulin Rouge
The world's most infamous night club opened its doors for business on Sunday, 6 October 1889. It was managed by Joseph Oller and Charles Zidler, who envisioned a cabaret that transcended class and boundaries to become what they hoped would be the most famous club in Montmartre.
The place itself was strangely at odds with the distinguished buildings of Paris; the facade was done up in glittering electric lights, something of a novelty then. A huge red windmill dominated the front of the building, paying homage to the history of Montmartre, a village that was once dominated by windmills.
A faux Gothic castle was to the left of the exterior, and walking through plush red halls, one would come out into a garden where a mock-elephant stood-- an opium den where gentlemen could indulge their excesses. Press on further, through to the club, and a shining dance hall greeted the Parisian of this time. The club was amazing to look at; and then there was the very nature of the place itself.
Tales of this place still abound today; the opium dens, the sex for sale, the poisoning of mind and body with absinthe. Most famous of all, though, were Zidler's Can-Can girls. There was Mome Fromage (the cheese kid), Nini-Pattes-en-l'air (Nini Legs in the Air), Toulouse Lautrec's favourite dancer, Jane Avril, Georgette Macarona, La Gouloue... these people became outright celebrities, and made Zidler's club the most infamous and successful of all the cabarets of that time.
Though Satine and Christian are fictional characters, as is their story, the real Moulin Rouge has a history as compelling, as full of drama, life and death as the film itself. Some of the people who we see depicted on screen suffered untold hardship and came to grisly ends, some became celebrated and famous, others were simply forgotten as history marched on.
Click on the links below to find out more about Zidler, the "Diamond Dogs" and Le Pétomane - just some of the characters featured in the movie who were real historical figures:
- Who were the "Diamond Dogs"?
