Synopsis
This is all special features. So see below.
Audio
It’s a Baz Luhrmann production, so the sound is as spectacular as those on the discs, withspecial emphasis on the music. The narration of the various documentaries is clear though, andnot overwhelmed by the music.
Video
A million different formats (video, film, etc.), and a million different looks, but the transferserves them all well, at least as far as spectacular colour is…concerned. One serious mistake isconverting the shots from the films from 2.35:1 to a compressed 1.78:1 — the squashing of thepicture is obvious and ridiculous. The picture generally is fullscreen.
Special Features
The menu is full scored and animated, and is very much in the spirit of Moulin Rouge. Thereare three principal sections to the offerings. “The House of Iona” is a short featurette thatintroduces Luhrmann’s headquarters and the goings on there. The principle feature is “RedCurtain Cinema” — a two-hour interactive documentary. Luhrmann explains the philosophybehind his filmmaking, and at various points you can branch off to see further elaborations ofwhatever point he was just making. The third section is “Showbag,” and it’s pretty packed in itsown right: two DVD-ROM features (“Dubsy’s Dirt” and “Toulouse Tonight”); screen savers;two short films (“Now Until the Break of Day” and a remix of “One Day I’ll Fly Away”); aStrictly Ballroom comic book; the final scripts for Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet; threedrafts of the script for Strictly Ballroom; and two versions of Strictly Ballroom as a play.
Closing Thoughts
Everything you could possibly want to know and more about Baz Luhrmann and his films.I’m not sure that the philosophy is so deep and radical that it merits so in-depth a look, but theflash and dazzle is great and it is all interesting.
Special Features List
- “Red Curtain Cinema” Interactive Documentary
- “House of Iona” Featurette
- “Now Until the Break of Day” Short Film
- DVD-ROM Features
- “One Day I
- Strictly Ballroom Comic
- Moulin Rouge Script
- Romeo + Juliet Script
- Strictly Ballroom Scripts
