Baz Luhrmann's Chanel No. 5 commercial (or 'film', as Luhrmann prefers it being called), reunited Luhrmann and his Moulin Rouge! star, Nicole Kidman, in one of the most expensive and elaborate advertisements of all time. The film was screened all over the world from 2004 to 2006.

Shooting of Baz Luhrmann's Chanel No. 5 film took place on the Fox Studios backlot in Sydney, Australia, from 19 to 23 December 2003. Despite intense security on set, many details were leaked to the press and this information helped to further increase the general anticipation of this pioneering advertisement. Rumoured to be one of the most expensive commercials ever made, the exact figure spent appears to be unknown, with various media publications speculating anywhere from around AU$10 million in total, to over AU$10 million a minute! The costumes and set pieces are exquisite, with the Chanel No. 5 pendant Kidman wears in the final scene of the film containing an amazing 687 diamonds. The film took five days to shoot, but many months to prepare. The Chanel No. 5 film runs for exactly two minutes, with a further minute of credits, although these credits were only shown with selected screenings of the film. The film was also cut down to around a 30 second version for television screenings in many countries.

While shooting the Chanel No. 5 film at Fox Studios, a half-hour "making of" special was also produced. This short film gives an insightful look into the creation of this stunning advertisement, and features interviews with Luhrmann, Martin, and others involved with the production.

The score for the Chanel No. 5 film was Debussy's Clair De Lune, performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra and conducted by Craig Armstrong, who also worked with Luhrmann on Romeo + Juliet and Moulin Rouge!

As far as I know, the Chanel No. 5 film has not been released in DVD format to date. However, the film is currently being shown on the 'You Tube' website. Also available to view are the five parts of the 'Making Of' documentary.

Chanel No 5 Film
Chanel Making Of Film #1
Chanel Making Of Film #2
Chanel Making Of Film #3
Chanel Making Of Film #4
Chanel Making Of Film #5

Film Review
Click here to read my review of Chanel No. 5 - The Film.

News Archives
Click on the links below to view my news archives, which were referenced in Pam Cook's Baz Luhrmann book, and feature a variety of old news articles regarding the anticipation and the reaction of the film.

Anticipation (Articles re: the anticipation of the film's release)

Reaction (Articles re: the reaction to the film's release)