Back in 2004 Baz Luhrmann, writer and director of Moulin Rogue!, got it in his head to create a modern day epic. A film to rival other classic dramas, such as “Casablanca” or “Gone with the Wind”, and if there was ever a person to take on such a task, Luhrmann was more than qualified.
After selling studios and investors, mainly due to his success with Moulin Rouge!, Luhrmann was ready to start production but casting changes, script rewrites, and funding issues pushed most of the principal photography back until 2007. Think about that for a second - 2 to 3 years passed while the film pre-production was taking place. That would explain the roughly $90 million cost attached to the actual film production.
So, would the time and money spent provide a modern day epic, as well as a nice financial return? I don’t know.
The film, starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman, is story about “The Stolen Generation” – aboriginal children of mixed couples – as much as it is about love, personal discovery and an understanding of humanity…What Luhrmann is attempting to convey is admirable but the production of the film get in the way.
Here are a number of things you need to realize about this movie:
- It runs roughly 2 hours and 45 minutes
- It can be viewed almost as two separate movies, both of which have bloated plots
- It is partially narrated by a young child, one you struggle to understand
- The viewer can easily think the movie is coming to an end two or three times
- Some shots in the file provide beautiful cinematography yet others are clearly GCI and poorly edited
- Kidman and Jackman provide good performances but the rest of the cast is shaky at times, if not just plain bad
- A number of shots and lines, seemingly frame for frame, are right out of Moulin Rogue!
I loved Moulin Rogue! for two reasons: The “Behind the Red Carpet” production style Baz Luhrmann became known for and the story was simple and straightforward. I went into Australia knowing he moved away from what afforded him success in the past, I was open to something new, but new wasn’t the problem – it was the lack of direction.
I get it; Luhrmann was attempting to revive a film genre. Unfortunately he ended up creating a film that provides viewers with a disjointed adventure. While the movie is energetic and fast paced, at times, it also seems to wander aimlessly as it trying to figure out what it wants to be when it grows up.
Maybe that is what Luhrmann is trying to figure out as well.
Update:
It looks as if the movie is not doing well at the box office either. It is currently coming in 5th, which means the movie will not have any “legs” nor will it really put itself in the running for any major Oscars. I guess it will be hard to make back that money at this point unless the world wide box office totals are large.
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