French Cancan

A little history lesson on French Cancan (what's in a name). I will say, I've always had a different idea of what places like Moulin Rouge were about. Somehow I figured they were classier establishments, instead, this film shows the equivalent of a drunken wedding or cheesy apres-ski party. Not my scene.

Henri Danglard owns a bar, but he has trouble keeping his head above water. When one day he visits Montmartre, he notices that the cancan dance is still in fashion there. He meets up with a dancer and asks her to come dance in his café, hoping this may bring people back to his bar.

French Cancan is a very loud and opulent film. That is fine if you like the music and setting, it's a bit more challenging when this type of oompapa music isn't quite your thing. Renoir thoroughly focuses on the song and dance here, which I quickly grew tired of. Not my kind of film, but if you love to wave around napkins at weddings, give it a shot.