Baz Luhrmann's Film Analysis

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Baz Luhrmann uses his films to recreate classic texts and places to transform them into theatrical masterpieces. Throughout his career he has evolved and progressed in his cinematic language and techniques to achieve this, this is very evident in three of his films; Strictly Ballroom (1992), Romeo and Juliet(1996) and The Great Gatsby(2013). All three of these films re-reveal either a place (Australia in Strictly Ballroom) or a classic text (such as in Romeo and Juliet and Great Gatsby). He uses the casting, costume, soundtrack and settings to construct and reinvent stories in order to take audiences from the real world to a reel world of theatrical film.
Luhrmann always manages to create other worlds within his films. In Strictly Ballroom
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In the opening sequence Luhrmann uses a series of fast jump cuts between a documentary style interview with characters and a chaotic fast pace dance competition. His unique editing style in this scene includes rapid cuts and zooms from close ups to long shots. The scene starts in very muted tones and then suddenly the screen explodes with vibrant colours of the make up and flashy costumes designed by Catherine Martin. His use of stylized frames (especially by the Coca Cola sign) aids in the theatrics of the …show more content…
Again taking a timeless text, this time written by F. Scott. Fitzgerald and made it a flamboyant spectacle, taking the intricate book and turning it into a loud theatrical experience. He uses modern day famous actors such as Leonardo De Caprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mullagin to recreate the story. Although Luhrmann kept the text close to the film(similarly to Romeo and Juliet) by using techniques such as superimposition. He stays true to the 1920’s timeline, using antique cars, furniture ect. to recreate the 1920’s feeling of booming Wall Street. What he does do to re-imagine the text when creating his film is by using modern day songs on the soundtrack as well as creating theatrical, over the top scenes especially during the party scenes at Gatsby’s house. The set uses amazing mansions and the costumes include countless Prada dresses and a daring pink suit. I believe he was the most successful in re-inventing The Great Gatsby as he was able to make the story relatable to the audience, even though it was set in times almost 100 years

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