John Huston's Moulin Rouge (1952) showed up in a handsome-looking laserdisc in the early '90s, but MGM's June 2004 DVD release easily overshadows the earlier release, with a picture that is so sharp, crisp, and carefully shaded so as to match the best theatrical presentation the movie has received since its opening. The first 20 minutes of the movie, set in 19th century Montmartre, are among the most exhilarating set pieces in Huston's entire output, and the disc is so carefully mastered -- including Georges Auric's densely melodic scoring -- leaving one breathless, even on a small screen. Oswald Morris's photography has been painstakingly restored for this transfer in terms of the brightness, sharpness, and rich color tones in every shot; even the darkest shots have usable picture information. Paul Sheriff's Oscar-winning art direction and the extraordinary costuming by Marcel Vertes can be appreciated properly as well. The full-screen (1.33:1) image is of demonstration quality, even if the film itself does lag in pacing later on. Even the three-minute-long trailer looks better than the movie itself looked in television showings from the '60s. The audio has been set at a high volume level as well, which comes out very nicely on speakers. The movie has been given 24 chapters that are well chosen; the disc opens automatically to a simple menu with the "play" command in the default position.