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In the world of filmmaking, being Baz Luhrmann is like poking someone’s eye out with a feathered boa. Luhrmann always had an interesting vision for his feature films, especially his first three, which are today known as The Red Curtain Trilogy. With these successes, the sky was the limit for Luhrmann as a feature film director, and he went on to make several high-grossing films – Australia, The Great Gatsby, and Elvis. Born and raised in Australia, Luhrmann was a prominent presence in the Australian theater scene before starting in film directing. His first work was as a stage and screen actor, though he was more prominent as a stage actor, from 1982 until 1989. He also funded his own theater project, The Bond Theatre Company, which performed in Sydney.
Luhrmann’s theater history has undoubtedly inspired his directing style once he ventured into storytelling; the style of the Red Curtain Trilogy can only be explained as surreal and maximalist, using heightened reality to emphasize the emotions and motives of each of the movies’ characters. They’re also inspired by different types of art, with Strictly Ballroom being an homage to dance, Romeo + Juliet to poetry, and Moulin Rouge! to music. The arts are intertwined and can’t work without each other, which Luhrmann understands and sets up each movie as a story that can be described as a musical, tragedy, romance, drama, and even a comedy. Finding a director like Luhrmann is difficult; he created his personal stamp and style with the Red Curtain Trilogy, and has made himself inimitable. But how do the movies in the trilogy rank?
3
‘Romeo + Juliet’ (1996)
Starring Claire Danes and Leonardo DiCaprio
Romeo + Juliet may not be everyone’s cup of tea, but it’s an essential ’90s movie because of its star-studded cast, relevant for the time, its original soundtrack, containing incredible ’90s bangers, and its enjoyment in excess and lavishness while depicting a tragedy. Adapting William Shakespeare‘s work is a pretty typical move for a theater kid like Luhrmann, but nothing about this adaption is typical or expected. The movie is set in modern times – a rebranded Verona called Verona Beach – but the characters use Shakespearean dialogue; this is the thing most people either love or hate with Romeo + Juliet, though the dialogue is, as dramatically spoken as it is, easy to follow. The movie doesn’t just rely on the speech being authentic and a callback to the story’s origin; it also translates specific things into modern times, such as everybody carrying guns branded with names like “Sword” or “Dagger,” or the two warring families, Montagues and Capulets, being corporate beasts with their own skyscrapers in Verona Beach. Everything is done to feel familiar yet new – this is why Romeo + Juliet received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, with Roger Ebert even feeling disappointed, saying: “The desperation with which it tries to “update” the play and make it “relevant” is greatly depressing.”
To summarize, Romeo + Juliet follows the two star-crossed lovers, Romeo Montague (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet Capulet (Claire Danes). They are the youngest members of two warring families, but when they meet at a party one evening and fall in love, their romance becomes a point of resentment for many of their family members. Romeo and Juliet both have several cousins ready to die in the family war, with the most prominent and violent being Benvolio Montague (Dash Mihok) and Tybalt Capulet (John Leguizamo). Romeo also has a best friend, Mercutio (Harold Perrineau), and he’s often the voice of reason in the entire conflict. The editing of Romeo + Juliet makes it feel flashy and intense with fast-paced cuts; the direction itself is creative, often using whip pans, smash zooms, and sudden closeups to create a larger sense of drama and urgency. With flashy costumes and art direction to boot, Romeo + Juliet may not be the best adaptation of Shakespeare’s most famous tragedy, but it’s certainly visually inspiring enough to feel innovative and exciting. You might not feel like Ebert on this one, and that’s OK, and if you do, that’s also OK.
2
‘Strictly Ballroom’ (1992)
Starring Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice
Strictly Ballroom is Baz Luhrmann’s directorial debut, adapted from the play he performed at NIDA – the National Institute of Dramatic Arts in Sydney. He was also the author of the play, written in a short format and set up as a comedy drama. Luhrmann has personal experience with ballroom dancing, which drove him to write Strictly Ballroom; he was also inspired by one of Australia’s most famous ballroom dancers, Keith Bain, who performed with Joyce Lofts, winning over audiences (but not judges) with their unorthodox ballroom dancing style. This story, plus personal ballroom experience, made Luhrmann the perfect director for Strictly Ballroom, which is a vibrant and dazzling dedication to the art of dance and freedom of expression. The movie stars Australian actors Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice as fictional counterparts of Bain and Lofts, though the movie’s story wasn’t completely based on their success and story.
Strictly Ballroom follows the son of ballroom dancing parents, Scott (Mercurio). Scott is frustrated with the restraints of the ballroom dancing rules, as he’s been training since he was six and feels like innovation is necessary. He tries to get his innovative dance routine into competitions, but since it’s not ‘strictly ballroom,’ he continuously gets pushed to the side. That’s when Scott meets Fran (Morice), a beginner dancer who is often overlooked in her dance company. Scott and Fran practice dancing his new routine, with Fran being more open to his “alternative” style. This movie is a beautiful romantic comedy that also tackles themes of acceptance and novelty (not to say diversity); the world of dancing – and art in general – tends to be strict and asks for the honoring of certain rules. To Luhrmann, it was important to introduce novelty in a ballroom setting through a movie that is as visually beautiful as it is in storytelling. This is the least commercially successful movie in the Red Curtain Trilogy, but it’s the highest rated on Rotten Tomatoes, with an 88% approval.
1
‘Moulin Rouge!’ (2001)
Starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
One of the most spectacular musicals ever made wouldn’t exist without Baz Luhrmann’s vision. Moulin Rouge! left a lasting influence on modern musicals, even being adapted into a Broadway musical in 2018; it has been on stage ever since. Since the movie uses a jukebox musical principle, the Broadway version also takes some liberties in adapting new songs for the purpose of the musical’s narrative. A jukebox musical, for those who don’t know, is a musical that uses pre-existing popular songs in their original or adapted forms to serve the story’s plot. Other examples of jukebox musicals include Mamma Mia!, The Blues Brothers, and the animated movies Happy Feet and Sing. Now, Moulin Rouge! didn’t make this form popular, but it revitalized the genre at the beginning of the 21st century, ushering in a maximalist, bold, new vision for the future of filmmaking. It’s either that, or Luhrmann just decided to turn it up a notch after Strictly Ballroom and Romeo + Juliet; a sneaky feeling claims both are true. Moulin Rouge! has obvious influences from all over the world, from cabaret and vaudeville to Bollywood, which Luhrmann had experience with after spending time in India. This is also Luhrmann’s first Oscar-winning movie, winning for art direction and costume (his movie The Great Gatsby also won two Oscars in 2014, and Luhrmann’s wife and costume designer Catherine Martin was part of all four wins).
Moulin Rouge! follows English writer Christian (Ewan McGregor) moving to Paris in 1899 to find inspiration for his new play and join the Bohemian movement. Christian soon meets artist Henri de Toulouse-Lautrec (Leguizamo) and his troupe, who are trying to adapt their new play to the stage. Christian helps them finish the play, and they visit the cabaret club Moulin Rouge to pitch the play to the head courtesan, Satine (Nicole Kidman), and the club owner, the greedy Harold Zidler (Jim Broadbent). Christian falls in love with Satine at first sight, but Zidler promises her to a potential club buyer, Duke of Monroth (Richard Roxburgh). Christian, a poor playwright, fights his way into Satine’s heart, who feels genuinely loved for maybe the first time ever. Although Strictly Ballroom is the only movie in the trilogy with a happy ending, Moulin Rouge! is especially worth the watch, nevertheless. McGregor and Kidman have beautifully intense chemistry, the movie’s costumes and art direction are a masterclass in maximalism, and the choice of music is, according to Luhrmann himself, a symbol of the main character’s talent, art, and personality being ahead of their time. This romantic musical adds some comedy, too, which is common for all three movies in the Red Curtain Trilogy. Watch them in order of release to see how Luhrmann’s art and expression developed over time, and choose your own perfect ranking.
