Moulin Rouge)

Starring:Paul Mercurio, Tara Morice, Bill Hunter, Pat Thomson, Gia Carides, Peter Whitford, Barry Otto, John Hannan, Sonia Kruger, Kris McQuade, Pip Mushin, Leonie Page, Antonio Vargas, Armonia Benedito, Jack Webster, Lauren Hewett, Steve Grace, Paul Bertram, Di Emery, Lara Mulcahy
Director: Baz Luhrmann
Studio: 20th Century Fox
Product Type: DVD

Editorial Review:
Amazon.com
Baz Luhrmann has coined the term red curtain cinema for his technique of using theatrical conventions to invigorate films to dazzling and dizzying heights, as shown in the three contained in this set: Strictly Ballroom (1993), William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (1996), and Moulin Rouge (2001). Luhrmann notes the important characteristics of this style: take a well-known myth or fable and set it in a heightened creative world that the audience can participate in. In Strictly Ballroom, it's both David and Goliath and the Ugly Duckling set in the supercharged world of ballroom-dancing competition. For Romeo & Juliet, it's the star-crossed lovers transplanted to modern-day Verona Beach yet still peppered with Shakespeare's iambic pentameter. Moulin Rouge takes the story of Orpheus descending into the underworld in search of love then sets it in 19th-century Paris and adds modern pop songs.

Amazon.com

Baz Luhrmann has coined the term red curtain cinema for his technique of using theatrical conventions to invigorate films to dazzling and dizzying heights, as shown in the three contained in this set: Strictly Ballroom (1993), William Shakespeare's Romeo & Juliet (1996), and Moulin Rouge (2001). Luhrmann notes the important characteristics of this style: take a well-known myth or fable and set it in a heightened creative world that the audience can participate in. In Strictly Ballroom, it's both David and Goliath and the Ugly Duckling set in the supercharged world of ballroom-dancing competition. For Romeo & Juliet, it's the star-crossed lovers transplanted to modern-day Verona Beach yet still peppered with Shakespeare's iambic pentameter. Moulin Rouge takes the story of Orpheus descending into the underworld in search of love then sets it in 19th-century Paris and adds modern pop songs.

The Red Curtain Trilogy includes these three films in loaded special-edition DVDs (all available separately), with featurettes and commentary tracks by Luhrmann and production designer (and Luhrmann's wife) Catherine Martin among others, and, in the case of Moulin Rouge, a second disc of features. Fans may opt for this trilogy rather than the separate discs because of its exclusive bonus DVD, "Behind the Red Curtain," the centerpiece of which is the documentary "Red Curtain Cinema," in which Luhrmann explains his theory behind this system of storytelling. It's 20 minutes if you watch it straight through, but numerous onscreen links offer two hours of older interviews, clips from other Luhrmann works, scripts, and an example of the Bollywood style. Other items include a 6-minute tour of the "House of Iona" (the home of the Bazmark creative team), and a grab bag of other materials such as all three scripts, DVD-ROM features, and an early example of the "red curtain" style, a pop interpretation of a Benjamin Britten opera excerpt called "Now Until the Light of Day." No doubt Luhrmann fans will consider the Red Curtain Trilogy "spectacular spectacular." --David Horiuchi

Description

Contains: *Moulin Rouge *Moulin Rouge Bonus Disc *Romeo and Juliet Special Edition *Stricly Ballroom *Behind the Red Curtain

Customer Reviews:

Perfect Combo.......2007-02-17

It is awesome. Such good movies. Perhaps Strictly Ballroom is a little less known, but it is hilarious. This trilogy is great. How can you go wrong with Strictly Ballroom, The Moulin Rouge, and the modern Romeo and Juliet? I highly highly recommend it. And not a bad price at all!

Purchase - Bax Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy.......2007-01-18

Easy transaction, fast shipping, received in great condition. Thanks!

Cinematic Masterpieces .......2006-11-12

I love all 3 films and Baz Lurhman for making them.

The 1st film Strictly Ballroom is about a wallflower in love with an energetic young male dancer from a ballroom dancing obsessed family. Scott Hastings is set to become ballroom dancing's next star, but his partner Liz, leaves him for a hilariously drunk idiot puppet dancer. Enter Fran, the wallflower student in his mother's studio and the daughter of immigrants. The immigrants are fabulous Latin dancers seeing as Fran's father is a legendary flamenco dancer, her Grandmother is too and the Paso Doble is never the same when you see it in this movie. The lesson of the movie is never let fear keep you from your dreams even against tremendous odds. The subject of the movie is also dance and you see it at its visual best with cinematic glitz

The 2nd film is a modern homage to Shakespeare with the tale of Romeo and Juliet portrayed in a modern setting, but with the immortal words of Shakespeare. Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Daines are the perfect actors to play the doomed lovers; I also loved John Leguizamo as the smart Mercutio. The visual power of the film combined with the words is indeed appealing to the current generation's preference for visual media.

The 3rd film combines dance, words, and music to culminate in a cinematic masterpiece to the senses that seduces the viewer into the story. The doomed romance of Christian and Satine is made more poignant by the sharp use of color and the witty use of modern musical pop tunes. I will never forget the rendition of Like A Virgin.

I recommend everyone to have these 3 films in their movie collection.

Great stuff except the DVD-ROM.......2005-01-07

Moulin Rouge is my boyfriend and my most favorite movie ever. We never expected to like, not one bit. But after we rented it, then bought it -- well, we've watched it dozens and dozens of times and even gone to a Sing-a-Long night here in DC, which was great fun. Romance, conflict, pop songs and a whole lot of foretelling lead up to the most fulfilling climax and an ever-so-sad ending. "Quick, play it again!"

Romeo & Juliet is cool enough. The best part of the whole thing is when they die at the end. (I don't think I'm giving anything away with that famous plot twist.) Honestly, I wasn't familiar with the plot or dialogue so I was lost the first time I watched it. Then I rewatched it with the English subtitles -- big help! Thank gawd for DVDs.

Strictly Ballroom is the weakest of the three and the only one I originally saw in the theatre. It's a modest cinderella-type story mostly told from the prince-like dancer who plays the lead. The side characters are rather cartoonish and other than the lead, no one is as beautiful as this storyline needs them to be. It's okay.

I was most excited to finally buy this triple pack for my boyfriend's birthday a few months ago -- I really wanted to see what the 4th Disc had. I liked the workshop documentary and loved the remix of "Someday I'll Fly Away." There's some nice stuff here... but A LOT is missing, too: NONE of the DVD-ROM links work anymore! I have no idea what tidbits I'm missing, but I feel a bit ripped off [sigh]. What's left is some bits of the background music from the movie. The best song is under the "Toulouse Tonight" section, "Meet you in the Red Room" I think is what it's called. But the screenplay and web vignettes are all gone. Come on FOX, get it back online or give me a partial refund! It hasn't been that long since this set came out.

The "Curtain" rises.......2004-07-31

The colorful, whirling world of Baz Luhrmann is brought to life in the Red Curtain Trilogy, comprising "Strictly Ballroom," "Romeo + Juliet," and "Moulin Rouge." While there are sticky patches -- particularly the pairing of Danes and DiCaprio in "Romeo + Juliet" --the overall effect is beautiful and poignant.

"Strictly Ballroom" is the problem in Scott's (Paul Mercurio) life. He's an outstanding dancer, but he refuses to conform to the Australian ballroom rules -- he wants to dance his own steps. When he loses his partner, awkward Fran (Tara Morice) enters the scene and asks to dance with him. These two outcasts of the ballroom start to fall in love as they try to win a major competition.

"Romeo + Juliet" gives a modern Californian twist to the classic tale of feuding families and starcrossed young lovers. Romeo (Leonardo DiCaprio) and Juliet (Claire Danes) come from a pair of families locked in a deadly feud, but they fall in love anyway. Their desperate efforts to be together lead to tragedy...

"Moulin Rouge" gives us another kind of bittersweet love story -- a musical rather than a revamped classic. Bohemian poet Christian (Ewan McGregor) dips into the sensuous, flashy world of Moulin Rouge. There he falls in love with the beautiful, sickly Satine (Nicole Kidman), a star at the club, and a well-known courtesan. Unfortunately, their growing love is threatened by a duke, who wants Satine all for himself.

As a boy, Baz Luhrmann grew up around ballroom competitions, which give the heart to these movies. But the soul is in the presentation. It's theatrical, colorful, dazzling to the eyes and centered on classic tales of doomed love and succeeding against the odds.

Luhrmann's sense of the theatrical is included in his direction -- it can be very sharp and fast, and sometimes downright crazy. With another director, it might seem flashy and gaudy, but Luhrmann's unique style works. A particular risk is making a musical, something which spelled death for movies for a long time... until Luhrmann revived it with Moulin Rouge. Or the postmodern tale of Romeo and Juliet, which is imperfect, but still quite pleasant.

The acting tends to be excellent, although the acting in "Romeo + Juliet" is spotty, and DiCaprio and Danes have zero chemistry. But McGregor and Kidman in particular are outstanding, and Tara Morice and Paul Mercurio of "Strictly Ballroom" have electricity and sweetness to spare. The supporting actors are quite good as well.

And the three-DVD set is graced with plenty of extras -- documentaries, commentary on each film, behind-the-scenes peeks, featurettes, and some gorgeous music videos. And there's even an extra disc included with a "Red Curtain" documentary about Luhrmann's style, scripts, screensavers, more music videos, and more.

Baz Luhrmann reinvented the musical and gave his movies a lush, strange look that entices viewers even now. Sensuous, fun and funky, this is a trilogy to definitely check out.

DVD:

DVD

DVD

DVD

Tom Cruise Action Pack (Top Gun -Widescreen Special Edition/Days of Thunder/Mission Impossible)

Watch Me When I Kill

Return From The River Kwai [1988]

DVD: Wisegirls

Screamers - Live in San Francisco