Revealing mistake: There is a shot where the point of view of the camera is looking down at Christian and Toulouse from the opening in his ceiling. You can see John Leguizamo's legs behind him and that he is kneeling down. (00:06:00)
Continuity mistake: The scar on the Duke's bodyguard's face switches from one cheek to the other throughout the movie, due to flipped shots. (00:17:30)
Continuity mistake: When Christian and Satine finish singing the Elephant Love Medley, Satine leans in to kiss Christian. When she does this, she tilts her head to the left, but when they go to a wide shot, it shows her tilting to the right. (00:50:35)
Continuity mistake: When Satine is dancing with Christian in the first Moulin Rouge scene, her pink feather dress's straps are very thin. But when Chocolat sets her down backstage after she has fainted, her straps are much thicker and are more intricate. This is mentioned on the DVD - the later scene was filmed first, and changes had to be made to the dress in order for Nicole Kidman to dance around in it. (00:19:40 - 00:21:30)
Continuity mistake: While Christian and Satine are singing the Come What May finale, you see Christian walking towards the stage to join Satine. Christian passes the conductor, yet when the camera angle changes, the conductor is nowhere to be seen. (01:45:50)
Deliberate mistake: During the finale, the backround looks like a sunset and there is a big door in the back. Watch closely and all of a sudden from one camera angle to the next (it's right after the big puff of smoke), the background changes to an elaborate background of layers of hearts, the door is gone, and there are about 60 more extras onstage. During the DVD Baz explains that they filmed the scene with both backgrounds and it just so happened that the beginning was better with one and the end was better with the other, so they put the puff of smoke in there to distract the audience so that they wouldn't see the change.
Continuity mistake: In the 'Come What May' sequence in the theater, in some shots, after Nini tells the Duke about Satine and Christian, the other dancers are sitting in chairs and there is a giant pile of chairs that the stage crew is setting up. But when the Duke says he doesn't like the ending, there are no chairs, no dancers, and no stage crew.
Visible crew/equipment: During the The Pitch, a crew member is visible after they sing "elephant, Bohemians, Indians, and courtesans...". He can be seen wearing a green/gray baseball cap, pushing the bald man who is hanging on the chandelier.
Trivia: In the scene at the beginning where the camera pans through Montmarte, there is a close up of a prostitute. This is Tara Morice, who Baz Luhrmann fans will recognize as Fran from Strictly Ballroom.
Continuity mistake: During the scene where Satine and Zidler are together on the stand singing 'Diamonds Are A Girl's Best Friend', Satine takes off her right glove and shakes it in her right hand. In the next shot, it is her left glove and she has her right glove back on. (00:16:30)
Continuity mistake: When Satine says, "It's lady's choice.", from a front view, the Argentinian is very close to the bearded man, but from a back shot they are farther away. (00:18:45)
Answer: If Satine runs, the Duke takes control of the Moulin Rouge and shuts the place down, putting everyone she works with onto the streets. If she stays with the Duke, she'll still die, but the Duke won't have any real reason to shut things down. She could run away with Christian and have a few days of freedom and love with him, but she'd be condemning everyone at the Moulin Rouge to destitution, plus the Duke would probably have Christian hunted down and killed. By staying for her final few days, she saves everyone that she loves, at the price of her own happiness (and that of Christian, but at least she'll save his life).
Tailkinker ★