The Red Curtain Trilogy
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The Red Curtain Trilogy is the formal and official marketing title for the first three films directed by Baz Luhrmann:
- Strictly Ballroom (1992) starring Paul Mercurio and Tara Morice
- William Shakespeare's Romeo + Juliet (1996), starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes
- Moulin Rouge! (2001), starring Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor
Each film contains a theatre motif which reappears throughout the film.
[edit] Characteristics and hallmarks
- Each film features luxurious design work. The costumes, music, sets and script are all rich, sumptuous and intricate.
- Catherine Martin, Craig Pearce and Marius DeVries have all worked on each film. Additionally, John Leguizamo appeared in the latter two films as a supporting actor.
- Each film's plot is based on a myth or widely-known story, the ending of which it can be assumed the audience is familiar. Strictly Ballroom is based on the David and Goliath Bible story; Romeo + Juliet is based on the Shakespeare play of the same name; and Moulin Rouge! is based on the operas La Traviata and La Boheme.
- Each film has a thematic device through which the story is told. In Strictly Ballroom, this is the dancing, in Romeo and Juliet it is the poetry, and in Moulin Rouge! it is the music.
- All use techniques seen within the Western, Musical and Romantic-Comedy movie genres. The style is meant to be heightened, and non-realistic, so that at all times the audience are aware that they are being entertained in a theatrical way.
- The films each represent the end (curtain falling) of older methods of entertainment blended with the contemporary styles that have overshadowed them: classical dance, verse drama, and musical theater.
