Films
After theatrical successes, including the original stage version of Strictly Ballroom, Luhrmann moved into film, and has directed five so far:
- Strictly Ballroom (1992), starring Tara Morice and Paul Mercurio
- William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
- Moulin Rouge! (2001), starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
- Australia (2008), starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman
- The Great Gatsby (2013), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan
Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge! (2001) was named one of AFI's top ten films of 2001 and was recently chosen as the top film of the 2000s decade in a poll of 150,000 respondents in the UK. The film also gave birth to a hugely successful soundtrack album, selling more than 7 million copies led by the Grammy-winning number one hit single "Lady Marmalade".
Before this, it was the modern film interpretation of William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes which beat out Titanic at the BAFTAs for best direction, music and screenplay. The film was celebrated at the Berlin Film Festival where it was recognized with the prized Gold Bear for direction and Silver Bear for DiCaprio's performance. Luhrmann also produced the successful soundtrack albums for the film that collectively went on to sell more than 8 million copies worldwide.
Most recently, Luhrmann's sweeping romantic epic Australia starred Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. While achieving modest box office in the United States, the film was hugely successful in Europe, maintaining the number one slot at the box office for many weeks in France, Germany, Spain, Italy and Scandinavia. The film is the second-highest grossing Australian film of all time, next to Crocodile Dundee and ahead of Happy Feet.
His first three films are marketed as The Red Curtain Trilogy. Luhrmann's next project is an adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, to be shot in 3D, starring Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfsheim, Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan, Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway, Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan and Australian newcomer Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker.
Read more about this topic: Baz Luhrmann
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