NOVEMBER 2004
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30th November 2004
"Making of" Chanel on DVD
- I have recently been informed by a French fan that people can see the "making of" the Chanel No. 5 film in a DVD that has been released with the the December issue of Studio Magazine, a French magazine dedicated to cinema. Hopefully, this means that other countries will also release the "making of", and indeed the film itself, on DVD. We will have to keep an eye out! If anyone has any further information, please feel free to e-mail me.
Also, it has been reported by Rediff.com, among others, that Nicole Kidman will be featured in the 50th anniversary edition of the Guinness Book Of Records. Apparently, she is now officially the highest paid actress in a commercial after netting US$3.71 million for starring in the Chanel No. 5 film.
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27th November 2004
'Alexander' the not-so-great
- The reviews for Oliver Stone's
Alexander are in and, to put it bluntly, they're not pretty. Indeed, as Stone himself somehow predicted, there seems to have been an overwhelming backlash against this film. To be fair, there have been some reviewers who have been favourable, but the majority are very negative, with so many bad reviews I find it hard to decide which ones to point out here.
Let me first link to a positive review by William Arnold from the Seattle Post Intelligencer called
'Stone puts his stamp of greatness on bold
Alexander'. An excerpt reads, "Like all of Stone's films, this one has some strange elements and unexpected structural twists that defy easy explanation. And, despite its big stars and gigantic budget, it's not an instant audience-pleaser in the way of "Gladiator" or "Troy." But it's boldly acted, absorbing and satisfying as a history lesson and chock-full of extravagantly brutal battle sequences. With one eye on "Lawrence of Arabia" and the other on "Satyricon," it comes off as a unique "trip" to an alien time and place."
Michael Wilmington of The Chicago Tribune lavishes more praise on the epic in his
movie review, ending with,
"...Stone's "Alexander" is worth the battle. Like "JFK" and "Fourth of July," it hot-wires history and politics into a wild, memorable, breathtaking ride."
However, Roger Moore states in a movie review
for the Orlando Sentinel that he agrees with Farrell's casting as Alexander, but deduces,
"He may be inspiring to his men, giving Henry V-style speeches, leading his Companion Cavalry, wearing his wounds with pride. But Stone and his team of screenwriters paint an incomplete picture of the man and those he led."
Desson Thomson writes in 'Alexander, The Not So
Great' for The Washington Post, "'Alexander,' which takes us from the legend's earliest childhood to his final undoing in India at age 32, is enjoyable in some places, but dreadful in others. It's boring here and exciting there. And it's almost always goofy."
The review that captivated me most of all was by Manohla Dargis of The New York
Times. The author is not afraid to cut right to the chase and I couldn't help but be entertained! The article is called
'With No More Parents to Conquer, He
Wept'. While the author gives Stone some credit, it is a largely scathing article with one excerpt reading,
"This is the costliest, most logistically complex feature of the filmmaker's career, and it appears that the effort to wrangle so many beasts, from elephants to movie stars and money men, along with the headaches that come with sweeping period films, got the better of him. Certainly it's brought out the worst in terms of the puerile writing, confused plotting, shockingly off-note performances and storytelling that lacks either of the two necessary ingredients for films of this type, pop or gravitas."
Perhaps the most intriguing part of this article, and indeed a theme that has been mentioned in most movie reviews, is the relationship between Alexander and his mother, Olympias. Many reviewers refer to this as an Oedipal plot, with this
New York Times Reviewer stating, "Mad of eye and teased of hair, Olympias, played with nose-flaring gusto by Angelina Jolie, was the mother of all monstrous mothers, a literal snake charmer whose love for her only son had the stench of incestuous passion and the tedium of the perpetual nag."
Ever since casting was first announced, I have wondered how on earth Angelina Jolie would realistically play Colin Farrell's mother, given that they are practically the same age. I thought she would be aged with make-up and prosthetics, but she was not. And so I have wondered ever since how they would pull it off. And, according to this reviewer at least, they do not,
"As the young marauder kills and enslaves peoples from Egypt to India, Mr. Stone repeatedly returns us to Olympias, snakes coiling around her body and chastising her absent son in a bewildering accent, part Yiddishe Mama, part Natasha of "Rocky and Bullwinkle" fame: "You don't write, you don't call, why don't you settle down with a nice Macedonian girl?" or words to that effect. Rarely since Joan Crawford rampaged through the B-movie sunset of her career has a female performer achieved such camp distinction."
Ouch.
As for box office takings, The New York Post reports, "Dubbed a work of artistic suicide by most critics, the $155-million flick appeared to be headed for the box-office abyss after a limp Wednesday/Thursday take of just over $8 million."
And finally, the ever reliable Sydney Morning Herald, which has been a supported of Luhrmann's production from day one, provides a general summary of the reaction to Stone's Alexander in the article 'Alexander not so great'.
I can only wonder what Luhrmann and co. are thinking right now... What reaction was Luhrmann hoping for? How will all this effect his decision regarding his own ATG project? We will have to wait and see.
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24th November 2004
'Alexander' released in US
- It's a day many of us have been waiting
for - Oliver Stone's Alexander is finally released in US cinemas today! It has already been receiving a lot of press,
much of it not very favourable. I plan to report a variety of movie reviews
before the end of the week and through these we will soon see what the critics think of Stone's
epic. Most importantly, how will their reaction influence Luhrmann's decision regarding his own ATG project?
Meanwhile, regarding the speculation surrounding Stone's film, I have decided to post an excerpt from an
article called 'Director Oliver Stone acts on a case of hero
worship', distributed by Detroit Free Press. The following text gives a basic explanation of some of the story behind Stone's film:
"Even before production began, Stone had to engage in what amounted to a who-blinks-first cinematic Cold War with director Baz Luhrmann, who attempted to get on the ground before Stone with an Alexander epic that would have starred Leonardo DiCaprio. Last week, Luhrmann's first film since "Moulin Rouge" made its debut: a Chanel perfume commercial starring Nicole Kidman. Stone's $160-million, 175-minute gamble will open in approximately 3,000 theaters.
Stone's Alexander may finally bear the greatest resemblance to the one depicted by Robin Lane Fox, a historian whose 1973 biography "Alexander the Great," recently republished in paperback ($16, Penguin), is not only academically admired but eminently readable.
Stone asked Fox to help him formulate his early ideas for the film and eventually asked him to be a consultant on the project: Fox agreed only if he would be cast as one of Alexander's cavalry soldiers in the battle sequences, which he was.
"There are places where Robin and the film depart, and other sources are used, but this was never designed as documentary," Stone says. "Still, I'll put this up against a lot of the documentaries, which use dramatic re-creations anyway, in terms of historical accuracy. But if this movie is attacked, and I know it will be, it won't be over a fact or two. It'll be on the terms of the vision that I had, about who Alexander finally was to me and how I got that on-screen.
"By next Thursday, I could be a laughing stock. Who knows? I tend to go long, you know. 'Any Given Sunday' was supposed to be this little movie about football and how much I love the game, and it ended up being something a lot larger than I had imagined. 'Natural Born Killers,' the same thing. But the way I'm looking at it, Quentin Tarantino took about 4 1/2 hours to 'Kill Bill.' I spend less than three with a guy reshaping the world. I figure the subject deserves the indulgence."
There you have it - Stone has admitted it himself. He expects his movie to be "attacked" and admits he may be branded a "laughing stock". But you have to hand it to him - Stone has taken a great risk with this movie and, despite his film effectively being competition for Luhrmann's project, I can't help but admire Stone in some ways. He's gone ahead with this project despite many
hindrances and various difficulties, and now his project has been made and is ready to be judged.
A further excerpt from an article called 'All life is
here' from The Guardian adds,
"But there's a lot at stake. Stone's 30-year career is riding on the success of the $150m Alexander and he's not the only one bewitched by the bisexual, blond emperor. Baz Luhrmann and Italian producer Dino De Laurentiis have their own Alexander movie in the works with DiCaprio in the title role (Stone claims De Laurentiis has blocked sales of his own film in lucrative foreign territories like Japan). 'If Alexander flops, which it probably will because it's so expensive, someone is going to have to help the ones out there who are trying to do something,' Stone observes of the indie film sector. 'The guys who are taking the biggest chances in the world.' "
This is the first I've heard of De Laurentiis blocking sales of Stone's film in foreign countries like Japan, and I would really like to know if this is true. However, it seems clear to me that Stone does have insecurities about
Alexander, and he seems prepared for an inevitable backlash.
Indeed, the backlash was intensified a few days ago when when it was reported by Reuters that, 'Greek Lawyers Upset Over Stone View of Alexander '. An excerpt from this article read, "A group of Greek lawyers are threatening to sue Warner Bros. film studios and Oliver Stone, director of the widely anticipated film "Alexander," for suggesting Alexander the Great was bisexual. The lawyers have already sent an extrajudicial note to the studio and director demanding they include a reference in the title credits saying his movie is a fictional tale and not based on official documents of the life of the Macedonian ruler. "
Early reports are looking rather dim, but only time will tell what will be the general reaction to Stone's Alexander.
Chanel No. 5 updates
UK television premiere
- The Chanel No. 5 film premiered on UK television on Saturday, 20th November 2004. It was shown during the entire first commercial break on Channel 4 during a 9pm screening of Moulin Rouge. The Chanel No. 5 premiere occurred around 9:20pm and included the one minute credit sequence. This was the first time I'd ever seen this third minute of the film. During the credit sequence, they kept the 'mythical city' background and this was accompanied by soft background music. Elegant white scrolled text appeared onscreen, firstly displaying single credits, ie. "Directed by Baz Luhrmann", "Production Design by Catherine Martin". Then after about four or five of these single accreditations it switched to mass credits with lots of production team names in smaller text. At the very end of the credits, a very
Moulin Rouge-like sequence occurred where we saw the phrases, "Her kiss, her smile, her perfume", appear separately onscreen, before fading to black.
I have since seen the Chanel No. 5 film shown on various UK television networks on a regular basis. However, for the purposes of scheduling, the film's running time has been cut considerably. I first read about this shortening of the film in an article by the
Telegraph (which has I have posted here), where it was reported that it had been "ruthlessly cut to 30 seconds." I would say it goes a little longer than this, perhaps around 40 seconds. I did at first wonder how they would manage to transform the two minute story into a much shorter sequence. I am pleased to say the transition works well, and the essence of the story and indeed the whole
feeling of the film still remains. I assume Luhrmann and co. were responsible
for releasing this edited version as well as the full film, and I expect this shortened version will be shown on television screens worldwide.
Here in the UK, I am pleased to say the film has generally been heralded a great success. Mark Wnek, a reported for
The Independent Online, wrote, "Wnek's Best In Show: Chanel No.
5":
"With the art of advertising increasingly under pressure, enter Chanel No. 5's £18m campaign based around a three-minute commercial by Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann starring Nicole Kidman in frocks (including one with a 20ft train) by Karl Lagerfeld. In the commercial absolutely everyone's talking about, Ms Kidman plays the world's most beautiful woman, pursued by paparazzi as she tries to find love. Proof positive that big-time advertising, creativity and market leadership still go hand in hand."
Netherlands television premiere
- I have been informed that the Dutch premiere of the Chanel No. 5 film took place on 23rd November 2004. The "making of" was shown on a Dutch commercial television network during the morning. And, in the evening, during the second last episode of Sex and the City, the film itself premiered in full. Thanks to Otto and Anne for the heads up! :-)
If you have any further information regarding the Chanel No. 5 film, please feel free to contact me.
Luhrmann and Martin in Adelaide
- I was delighted to read that Baz
Luhrmann and Catherine Martin recently visited my home town of Adelaide to support a friend's production. Noel Staunton is executive producer of an
opera production called The Ring Cycle, which was staged in Adelaide after unsuccessful attempts to show it in Sydney and Melbourne. Luhrmann and Martin flew in from Darwin to see the final performance on 22nd November.
Click here to read the scanned article published in
The Advertiser.
It turns out that Noel Staunton is a long-time employee of Luhrmann's and he was actually given a cameo role in the Chanel No. 5 film! He was cast as the cab driver, but unfortunately his scenes ended up on the cutting room floor.
Click here to read the scanned article, again published by
The Advertiser. Special thanks to Kate and the Spectacular Spectacular
message board for allowing me to use these two scanned articles. :-)
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19th November 2004
Chanel No. 5 film online!
- Quite a few visitors to this site have e-mailed me asking where they can find
a copy of the Chanel No. 5 film online. I can confirm that the film has indeed
been made available on the web by various fansites. I would still urge people to keep an eye out for it on television and at cinemas,
and I would prefer it if Chanel or Bazmark were to release an official online
version. However, due to popular demand, I can now direct visitors wanting to download the film to a relevant
fansite link. :-)
Three differently formatted versions of the film can be downloaded from the excellent Nicole Kidman fansite,
Nicole Kidman United. The direct link can be found
here. I have found the .avi version to be the best, although
this is a very large file and probably more suited for broadband connections. However,
other people have reported the .m2p and .mpeg versions work just fine. The film
was recorded and uploaded to the internet from its world premiere screening at
the end of Australia's A Current Affair on 5th October 2004.
In my opinion, the Chanel No. 5 film just keeps getting better and better with repeated viewings. Indeed, I am hoping that Luhrmann and co. might somehow eventually release the film on DVD, along with the "making of" special. I think there would be a lot of fans who would like to add his latest work to their DVD
collections!
Meanwhile, an excellent article has been released by The Star Online called
'Making
'Chanel No. 5 the Film'. The article is well worth the read and can now be found in full on my
Chanel page under a link in my 'making of" section.
'Becoming Alexander' on Discovery Channel
- As reported in my last update, Stone's
Alexander premiered in the US on 16th November. The film will be released nationwide next week on 24th November, and I am waiting until then to report any movie reviews.
There is currently a lot of online negativity surrounding the movie. There have even been allegations of an internet smear campaign directed at the movie because of the suggested homosexual content!
But I prefer to wait for the nationwide US release and report reviews from reputable movie sites that will soon follow.
In the meantime, I have discovered what looks to be an insightful Discovery Channel documentary called
Becoming Alexander, which is due to air in the US and Asia next week. For this documentary, Oliver Stone granted
exclusive access to the Discovery Channel during preparation for the making of his movie. It could be very interesting to see how Stone prepared for his film, what results he intended and, of course, if there is any mention of Luhrmann's project.
According to the Discovery Channel website, Becoming Alexander will air in the US on 21st November at 10pm (ET) and 22nd November at 1am (ET). It will
reportedly premiere in Asia on 24th November at 9pm (SIN/HK), with repeated airing through until 4th December. I would recommend checking local guides for confirmation. Unfortunately, I could not find any dates for the UK or any other countries. If anyone has any further information about
Becoming Alexander, please contact me.
In the meantime, The Star Online has reported a detailed article entitled
'Rise of Alexander the
Great', which promotes Becoming Alexander. The article features some interesting
information about Stone's film, including that he originally wanted Tom Cruise to portray Alexander, before settling with Colin Farrell. And for all those living Kuala Lumpar, there are 100 passes to a screening of
Alexander to be given away! Details can be found at the end of the article.
The Star Online article also mentions Luhrmann's project in the following paragraph, which is quite favorable:
"Apart from Stone's version, another movie about Alexander is also in the pipeline. Leonardo Di Caprio has been touted as the hot favourite to play the role of Alexander in this version helmed by Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann. But rather than trying to beat Oliver Stone in a race, Luhrmann has decided to push his production start date back another six months, aiming for a late 2005 release date, a full year after
Stone's film is released. The general consensus is that there is room enough for two movies about Alexander the Great as long as they are not released around the same time. This move also gives Luhrmann the interesting advantage of starting to film after Stone has finished."
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17th November 2004
'Alexander' premiere
- This month, the Chanel No. 5 film is being released across the globe and has been stunning audiences worldwide. However, yesterday marked the US premiere of Oliver Stone's Alexander, the reaction to which will help determine Luhrmann's decision regarding the fate of his own Alexander the Great project. I have been waiting all year for Stone's movie to be released and will now keep an eager eye out for reviews and reactions across the web. Early reports have been mixed, and I will keep a look out at movie review sites for people's opinions about this much anticipated project. I am also hoping that we will hear from Luhrmann as to his decision regarding ATG before the end of the year.
In the meantime, BBC News reported the following article today regarding the US premiere of Stone's Alexander:
Farrell leads out Alexander cast
"The cast of the epic Alexander gathered for the movie's premiere in Los Angeles on Tuesday.
Colin Farrell, Angelina Jolie and Val Kilmer turned out to support the film directed by Oliver Stone.
The film tells the tale of Alexander the Great, who conquered almost all of the known world by the age of 25 and was dead by 33.
Farrell plays the military leader while Jolie plays his mother, despite being just a year older than the Irish actor.
Talking about his character, Farrell said: "He was everything. He was a contradiction in terms. You know, he was soft, he was strong, he was gentle, he was ferocious, he was a complete contradiction as a man."
Val Kilmer reunited with The Doors director Stone for the film, in which he plays Alexander's father Philip.
"We had a great time working together 10 years ago --it's 10 years already - in The Doors," said Kilmer.
"And this was actually more fun to make for me because I didn't have the pressure of playing the lead and all those responsibilities, which are awesome.
Hard shoot
"I'm so proud of Colin Farrell, this is his best role so far and the whole cast is amazing."
Preparation for the film was rigorous, with many of the actors undergoing intense physical training to get into shape to play members of the invading armies.
Farrell said: "It was tough. It was a hard shoot physically and emotionally. All the boys involved put themselves on the line, and it was a blast."
Alexander cost a reported $150m (£80m) to produce and follows on the heels of Troy, the epic movie starring Brad Pitt as the Greek warrior based on Homer's The Iliad.
Director Baz Luhrmann also plans to make a film about Alexander the Great, with Leonardo diCaprio in the title role, but production has been put on hold to see how audiences react to Oliver Stone's version."
As we can see from the last paragraph of the above article, the media finally
seems to be getting a grasp on the idea that Luhrmann is waiting to see how
Stone's film performs before making his final decision regarding ATG. All year
there have been various reports that Stone had 'won' the race to make a movie
about the life of Alexander, and these have been misleading. The fact is,
Luhrmann has yet to make a final decision regarding his ATG project, and all we
can do is wait and see what his eventual decision will be.
However, until Luhrmann speaks out, the speculation is bound to continue... On Monday, the following article was released by The Age, an Australian publication. It compares both Stone's Alexander and Luhrmann's ATG and features some interesting statements, the most notable of which are Stone's comments about Luhrmann's project. In summary, Stone is quoted as stating the following:
"In the end, I guess it's a bit trite to say it turned out to be very helpful to have an impressive team like Baz and (producer) Dino DeLaurentis breathing down our necks. We wanted to be first out and we achieved that and I needed a scare like that to get the thing locked in."
"Well, Baz arrived on the scene and there were no more excuses."
"We never lost sight of the
script. You can't give a good actor a bad script. He can't save the writing. And Baz knows that because he's struggling with the script."
"If he does make the movie, I hope he makes a good one, a different one, an interesting one. He can make a musical, I don't care. As long as it doesn't repeat."
So, Stone is saying to Luhrmann go ahead, but don't repeat? Was there a slight bit of sarcasm in his comments, or was he being sincere? It's hard to tell, and I don't want to speculate too much - the media already does enough of that! But it would be interesting to hear what Luhrmann and co. think of these comments. Furthermore, it would also be interesting to hear what Luhrmann and co. think of Professor Robin Fox's comments, which can be found at the end of the following article, and pretty much speak for themselves...
Two Greats, but which is better?
Oliver Stone has beaten Baz Luhrmann to the box office with his version of Alexander the Great, writes Phillip McCarthy.
"The advertising tagline for Alexander, Oliver Stone's entry in Hollywood's current run of swords and sandals movies, is "fortune favours the bold". Expect to see it on buses and billboards - below Colin Farrell now as blond as the great conqueror on antiquities - before the epic's scheduled release in early January.
The slogan could also apply to Stone's determination to get his $US150 million ($A196 million) movie out before Baz Luhrmann's rival project in which Leonardo DiCaprio is cast in the lead.
Luhrmann's project is at least two years away. Recently, he denied reports that the whole thing had been shelved - but the prospect of "Alexander fatigue", or confusion, makes a closer date a risk, even if Stone's 2 hour 53 minute marathon is judged underwhelming.
On the eve of the release of his film in the United States, Stone admitted that the prospect of being beaten into multiplexes on a film he had started work on years ago had been the incentive to go into overdrive. But he said that he hoped Luhrmann still went ahead.
"In the end, I guess it's a bit trite to say it turned out to be very helpful to have an impressive team like Baz and (producer) Dino DeLaurentis breathing down our necks," he told The Age. "We wanted to be first out and we achieved that and I needed a scare like that to get the thing locked in."
The Hollywood maverick - famous for standing firm whether it's over a young J-Lo going topless in U-Turn or facing down studio honchos wanting cuts - has a fear you might not expect. He's the man who makes big biographies on people as varied as Jim Morrison, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon, but he gets cold feet, dithers even, over the sheer grief and anxiety that comes with films like those.
"I was scared of Alexander," he said. "I had backed off Evita a year or two back, after doing a lot of work on that project, because those sort of movies are hard to make and I just didn't feel confident.
"I was gun shy about Alexander, but I sure didn't want to lose something else I had sweated over. It came up in 1989 and then in 1995 and I couldn't get it right.
"Well, Baz arrived on the scene and there were no more excuses."
Stone said his edge in a race once judged neck-and-neck was that his script had been evolving over many years, while Luhrmann and his team, including playwright David Hare, were starting from scratch. Stone also said that reported difficulties with the script on the Luhrmann version were the main reason the film had fallen behind.
"We never lost sight of the script," he said. "You can't give a good actor a bad script. He can't save the writing. And Baz knows that because he's struggling with the script."
"If he does make the movie, I hope he makes a good one, a different one, an interesting one. He can make a musical, I don't care. As long as it doesn't repeat."
Actually the most combative words from the Stone camp about the Luhrmann script, or at least one version of it, came not from the director or his producers, but from the Oxford academic and author of several Alexander tomes, Professor Robin Lane Fox, whom Stone brought in as the project's full-time, historical arbiter.
Asked whether he had been required to sign a non-compete agreement, to keep him from defecting with secrets if both projects had gone head to head, Fox confirmed that his contract imposed such restrictions.
But he said there was never any chance of him deserting because he had seen an early script of the rival film and he thought it was an empty, plastic spectacle.
"I think Oliver is an amazing dramatist and filmmaker," he said. "I think the whole thing with that project was a bid to destabilise Oliver. It will never be made."
His loyalty is to be expected. Sweetening his deal to advice on accuracy, Stone had also granted Fox a fervent wish: to ride with the Greek cavalry in a couple of big battle scenes.
Alexander opens in Australia on January 13."
La Bohème Ovation Awards
- In the meantime, let's put Alexander the Great aside for a minute and think back to the beginning of the year when Luhrmann's production of La Bohème premiered in Los Angeles. The annual Los Angeles Ovation Awards ceremony took place at Orpheum Theature on 15th November honouring artistic excellence in LA theatres. La Bohème was staged at Center Theatre Group's Ahmanson Theatre from January 2004 to March 2004. On Monday night, the production won the following four Ovation Awards:
ENSEMBLE PERFORMANCE
Baz Luhrmann's production of La Bohème - CTG: Ahmanson Theatre
SET DESIGN (LARGER THEATRE)
Catherine Martin, La Bohème - CTG: Ahmanson Theatre
LIGHTING DESIGN (LARGER THEATRE)
Nigel Levings, La Bohème - CTG: Ahmanson Theatre
SOUND DESIGN (LARGER THEATRE)
Acme Sound Partners, La Bohème - CTG: Ahmanson Theatre
To read more about the awards, click here to read a Playbill article. And to learn more about the production in general, feel free to visit my La Bohème section.
Congratulations to Luhrmann, Martin, Levings, Acme and everyone involved with this remarkable production! :-)
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14th November 2004
Chanel: my verdict
- Today, I saw the Chanel No. 5 commercial for the very first time and, I have to say, it was absolutely stunning.
The Chanel commercial (or 'film', as
Luhrmann prefers it being referred to), was released here in the UK on Friday, 12th November with the newly released
movie,
Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. After waiting two frantic days to be able to make it to the cinema, I finally attended a screening this morning and,
I have to say, I was extremely impressed and just can't get over how beautiful this production really is. It is absolutely stunning, and I am so thrilled that
Luhrmann has created yet another gorgeous masterpiece.
As I sat in the cinema, I waited in anticipation through the usual adverts that are screened before a movie. However, I kind of knew that they would probably wait until the end of the product ads, and just before the movie previews of
upcoming films, before the Chanel film appeared. After all, in essence, it is very much like a movie preview, although not for a movie, but for a fragrance.
The Chanel No. 5 film runs for exactly two minutes. The film has a much longer running time than a normal advertisement, and it has therefore been widely referred to, by both Luhrmann and the media, as a as a "mini movie" or "film". I had heard through various reviews that there is actually a third minute comprising entirely of credits that was attached to media screenings of the film. I wondered if these would be shown to the public but, here in the UK at least, they are not.
The story of the Chanel No. 5 film
centres around Kidman portraying the most famous woman in the world. She is
being hounded by the media and we can see that she longs for an escape from it
all. And so, one night, while wearing a stunning pink feathered gown, she runs
into a taxi and breathes desperately, "Drive". Beside her is Santoro's
bohemian character who, as he says himself, "must have been the only person
in the world who didn't know who she was." They spend time together at his
apartment building, atop of which is a giant illuminated Chanel sign. Kidman's
character lets herself get swept up in the beauty of it all - being free and
peaceful and in love - but is then brought back to reality by the realisation
that she must return to her life in the public eye. She leaves her lover, and we
see her return in triumphant form to the red carpet wearing an elegant black
gown. As she climbs the stairs, with her hair swept back and a gorgeous diamond
studded No. 5 pendant hanging down her back, she turns and gazes up at the
Chanel sign and her lover. She stares up at him with knowing smile, as he
declares how he will never forget "her kiss, her smile, her perfume."
First and foremost, I have to say the Chanel No. 5 film very much resembles Moulin
Rouge. The props, sets, costumes, even the acting itself resemble the film, and with every
passing scene I couldn't help but make comparisons in my mind. Santoro is most definitely
Christian, with Kidman reprising her role as Satine. The world they are in is a modernised version of the
Parisian landscape that Luhrmann created in Moulin Rouge. The Chanel sign on top of the
apartment building is very much like the L'amour sign outside Christian's room in
Moulin Rouge. And the way Kidman's character leans against its lettering pondering her future is very familiar
indeed. Luhrmann uses the same sweeping camera angles and lingering close-ups to convey the characters' emotions and desires to wonderful effect.
Perhaps the most striking similarity for me is the scene in which we see
Kidman's character longingly peering out a window of Santoro's characters' room, with her lover sitting on the bed behind her, his gaze lowered towards the floor in despair. In the doorway is a Harry Zidler type figure who instructs sternly, "You must
be there tomorrow," to which Kidman's character wistfully replies, "I don't care about tomorrow." This powerful scene
is similar to that in Moulin Rouge where Zidler confronts Satine and she attempts to defy him by declaring that she wants to stay with her lover. However, Zidler keeps his hold on her and she
fulfils her duty to perform on stage. Kidman's character does the same in this role, returning to
her place in the public eye and leaving her lover to look on and wonder what could have been. However, as
Kidman's character turns in her stunning black gown to stare up at her lover, the way she looks at him, the way the camera lingers on her smile, we can see that he will always have a place in her heart.
Release dates update:
The following dates have been listed in my Chanel section. If you have any further release date information, please free free to contact me.
Australia - The film is currently being shown in Australian cinemas (as of Friday, 12th November 2004). It will premiere on Australian television from Sunday, 14th November 2004. "Chanel No. 5 The Film" - the half-hour "making of" documentary - will air on Australian television at 10:30pm on Monday, 15th November 2004.
France - The film will premiere on French television on Sunday, 21st November 2004 at around 8:40pm on TF1.
UK - The film is currently being shown in UK cinemas with the movie, Bridget Jones: Edge of Reason (as of Friday, 12th November 2004). It will be screened in full on UK television for the first time on Saturday, 20th November 2004. It will be shown in one of the ad breaks during Channel 4's screening of Moulin Rouge. It should appear regularly on UK television from Thursday, 25th November 2004 and will be accompanied by an extensive UK press campaign.
USA - The film is currently being shown in US cinemas (as of the week beginning 1st November 2004) and on US television (as of Thursday, 11th November 2004). Print ads will run until December 2004.
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11th November 2004
Chanel and Bridget!
- Attention fellow fans living in the UK! It has today been announced that the complete Chanel commercial will be screened at cinemas from tomorrow with the new movie, Bridget Jones: The Edge of Reason. 12th November was indeed the proposed cinematic release date for the Chanel advertisement in the UK. Today, The Guardian confirmed this news in an article called '£18m buys two minutes of Nicole Kidman' with the following statement: "The ad, which reunites Nicole Kidman and director Baz Luhrmann following their Moulin Rouge escapade, debuts in the UK tomorrow with Bridget Jones: the Edge of Reason." The full article has been posted in my Chanel section.
Furthermore, the proposed release date of 11th November for US television has been confirmed by the New York Times in an article called 'Coming Soon, Nicole Kidman to Chanel No. 5'. The article states: "it debuts on American TV screens on Thursday and the rest of the world over the next month." This article has now been added to my Chanel section. I have also read elsewhere today that the commercial was set to premiere on US television on the evening of 11th November at 10:30pm during ER on KNBC.
For all those living in France, I have also been informed that the commercial will premiere on French television on the evening of 28th November 2004. Indeed, it seems the advertisement will premiere in most countries by the end of the month. :-)
Luhrmann not making Chanel biopic
- It has today been confirmed
to me by a source who attended last month's Paris screening of the commercial and "making of"
short film that the rumours revolving around Luhrmann directing a Coco Chanel
biopic are quite definitely nothing more than speculation.
She informed me that Luhrmann's exact quote in the "making of" film was, "Chanel, if I was not doing this right now (the commercial), she is a good person to make a movie about."
She said the "making of" film was screened in English to the French press and the rhythm was quite quick. So it is likely that that some journalists didn't get it right, and somehow twisted this to mean he
would be making a movie.
My source also said that in the French issue of Elle magazine that
appeared soon afterwards, there was an interview with Kidman, and a journalist (one who didn't really have a good grasp of English) asked
her, "Do you know that Baz is thinking about a biopic based upon Chanel's life? Would you play Coco?" and
Kidman answered, "I think I'd be too tall, but hey, why not. After all, Chanel No 5 was the first perfume I used and I've been faithful to it since I was 14."
This is how the speculation originated, and it seems it has all evolved from a series of misunderstandings. The rumours that Luhrmann is considering directing a Chanel biopic are therefore not true. So it seems Luhrmann's next project still remains a mystery! We will have to continue to wait for his final decision regarding ATG and what Luhrmann's plans will be for 2005.
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10th November 2004
Chanel updates
- "Chanel No. 5 The Film" - the 30 minute 'making of' special - is due to premiere on Australian television at 10:30pm on 15th November. I assume other countries will soon follow but, for now, most of us are yet to see this short film. However, the media has already picked up some quotes from Luhrmann which are featured in this film, the most notable of which regards him referring to Kidman as an "icon". An article was printed in Australian newspapers recently which states Luhrmann "likens [Kidman] to Marilyn Monroe and French star Catherine Deneuve." He is then directly quoted as saying, "She's the most appropriate next icon ... she's the ultimate modern woman, both sophisticated and yet free." The following transcript is from news.com.au:
Kidman 'next Monroe'
"IF Baz Luhrmann has anything to do with it Nicole Kidman is the most famous woman in the world.
Luhrmann, who directed Kidman in the Oscar-nominated Moulin Rouge, likens her to Marilyn Monroe and French star Catherine Deneuve.
"She's the most appropriate next icon ... she's the ultimate modern woman, both sophisticated and yet free," he says in TV documentary Chanel No5 The Film, a 30-minute short about the making of reportedly the world's most expensive commercial.
Directed by Luhrmann, the commercial was shot at Fox Studios last December and involved 250 extras, stunts and $42 million worth of jewels, with Kidman wearing one-off couture outfits designed by Karl Lagerfeld exclusively for the campaign.
In the reportedly $14 million commercial, which resembles the tragic love story Moulin Rouge, Kidman is a famous star who escapes the paparazzi by jumping into a taxi.
Seated in the taxi is a humble artist (Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro) who has no idea who she is.
The two go back to his rooftop apartment where they spend "four or five perfect romantic days together".
But soon she must choose between selfish love and responsibility - confidently facing the paparazzi in a black Chanel couture dress with a diamond pendant dangling across her exposed back bearing the logo of the world famous perfume, gazing wistfully back at her lover.
The commercial will premiere on Sunday."
The article states the ad will premiere in Australia on Sunday. This refers to its television premiere, with the "making of" special premiering the following day . The commercial is set to premiere in the UK on 20th November, and it should be released in many other countries by the end of the month. Feel free to check out my Chanel section for more details.
Luhrmann making Chanel biopic?
- I'm not sure whether or not this is mere speculation to help promote the commercial, however it has begun circulating on the internet that Luhrmann is considering making a movie of the life of Coco Chanel. The news was printed in the below article by Ireland Online, and was also reportedly posted on the IMDb:
Kidman wants to be Coco
"10/11/2004 - 18:15:46 Australian star Nicole Kidman believes she would be a good choice to play Coco Chanel in a biopic of the legendary designer's life, because she's always loved Chanel No 5 perfume.
Australian star Nicole Kidman believes she would be a good choice to play Coco Chanel in a biopic of the legendary designer's life, because she's always loved Chanel No 5 perfume.
The Oscar-winner's multi-million dollar advertisement for the fragrance, which was filmed by her Moulin Rouge! Director friend Baz Luhrmann, debuted on TV last month.
Luhrmann is now considering making a movie of the French fashion guru's life.
Kidman says: "I think I'd be too tall, but hey, why not. After all, Chanel No 5 was the first perfume I used and I've been faithful to it since I was 14."
While it is understandable that Kidman would perhaps like to play the role, I find it rather surprising for the article to suggest Luhrmann is considering making the film. His plans were to embark on the creation of a trilogy of historical epics, with ATG being the first. However, if ATG doesn't go ahead, maybe he will want to change direction? I'm not sure, and there's not much point speculating further until we hear more news about this supposed project.
McGregor to star in Guys and Dolls
- It has been widely announced across the web that McGregor, who played the delightful Christian in Luhrmann's Moulin Rouge, is to make his West End musical debut in a production of Guys and Dolls. The production is set to begin in London during spring 2005. An article by The Independent states, "Michael Grandage, who will direct the production next spring, said McGregor's performance singing opposite Nicole Kidman in the Baz Luhrmann film Moulin Rouge showed he was "perfect casting".
I've always wondered if McGregor would do another musical role after Moulin Rouge and now it appears he will be. I am sure that he will do an excellent job and I anticipate sold out performances next year! Who knows, I will probably buy a ticket myself... :-)
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7th November 2004
ATG television special airs today!
Spin the Slot Machine! Take the Quiz! Get your Conqueror Name Generator!
- Last month, I was contacted by The History Channel to help promote their upcoming Alexander the Great television special. The three hour programme is due to air in the US today - 8pm/7C. A new interactive website was also launched at the end of October which can be accessed by clicking the banner above. I have also been provided with promotional material for the programme and have created a separate webpage here. The show was shot in a variety of locations, many of which were the sites of Alexander's actual conquests, and looks set to be a most enlightening programme. If you are fortunate enough to view this programme, please feel free to contact me with your comments.
ATG general update
- As I reported last week, Luhrmann has yet to make up his mind regarding whether or not he will go ahead with his ATG project. Stone's Alexander is set to be released in the US on 24th November - just over two weeks from now - and Warner Brothers has set up an impressive official website to promote the movie. I am currently waiting with much anxiety for this film to be released and to find out the general reaction by the public and media alike. Unfortunately, the film is not scheduled to be released here in the UK until Christmas, and so I will have to wait a while yet to watch it myself. However, I will probably report news regarding the film's US release here on this site in order to anticipate what Luhrmann's reaction may be. Hopefully, he will speak out before the end of the year about the fate of his own ATG and what his plans are for 2005.
Meanwhile, further confirmation that Luhrmann and co. are still considering the project was reported in Variety around 3rd November in an article detailing another project that producers Dino and Martha De Laurentiis are working on. The following quote from was posted on the Coming Soon website:
"The De Laurentiises are still developing but will not be pushing at AFM their Alexander the Great biopic Alx, which David Hare and Baz Luhrmann scripted. They are still determined to make the film, but are content to wait for the dust to clear on the Oliver Stone-directed Alexander, which is released this month."
Furthermore, ABC Online reported in an article of 5th November the following:
"Meanwhile, Australian director Baz Luhrmann is reported to still be working on the script for Alexander the Great and has been to Broken Hill to inspect locations."
However, this probably merely relates to the fact that Luhrmann and co. were scouting possible locations for ATG around Broken Hill last year rather than any further progress regarding the project. Still, it is good to see there is still some media coverage circulating that shows this film is still a possibility.
London production of R+J?
- Regarding Luhrmann's plans for 2005, I have come across a tidbit of information in the UK Guardian that implies he could be working in the UK next year. An article was posted on 3rd November detailing some of the 2005 programmes in development for the UK television channel, Channel 4. The article states:
"The broadcaster will also be recruiting Oscar-winning film director Baz Luhrmann to help 20 young people from Harlesden in north London put on their own production of Romeo and Juliet."
This statement implies that Channel 4 is going to hire Luhrmann to help young people put together a London production of Romeo and Juliet. This is the first I've heard of it, and I can't find any other news about this at present. I have e-mailed The Guardian for more details and hope to get a response. If I do, I will be sure to post the information here.
"Making of" Chanel documentary
- On 3rd November, the Australian Daily Telegraph reported the following:
"The Sex And The City finale will go to air on November 15 and will be followed by Chanel No. 5 The Film, a half hour special on the making of the stunning Chanel perfume commercial directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Nicole Kldman."
Yes, the much anticipated "making of" documentary looks set to premiere in Australia on 15th November! :-)
Hopefully, the documentary will also be screened in other countries before the end of the year. As always, I will post any new information I find right here. In the meantime, details of the "making of" documentary premiering in Oz, as well as a new Chanel article detailing a special screening last week in Chicago, have now been posted in my Chanel section.
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3rd November 2004
Alexander the Great is go!
- At the end of October, an article printed in the Toronto Sun claimed Luhrmann's ATG was "officially dead". It quoted Nicole Kidman as exclaiming "No!" when asked if Luhrmann was going to go ahead with the project. Rumours quickly spread across the internet that Luhrmann would no longer be making ATG. I attempted to put a stop to these rumours here in my "News Updates" section. I reiterated that Luhrmann said he would make a decision regarding ATG at the end of this year, presumably after Stone's film is released. I also said Kidman's comments are very brief, and could have been taken out of context. I then wondered if perhaps this speculation would lead to an official statement sometime soon...
Well, I was right! :-) Rumours about Alexander the Great being "dead" have produced official word from Luhrmann's spokesperson. Today, the Sydney Morning Herald reported the following article:
Luhrmann's Alexander is go
By Garry Maddox
November 3, 2004
"The latest word is that Baz Luhrmann is proceeding with his Alexander the Great film, despite a Canadian newspaper quoting Nicole Kidman as saying it had been scrapped.
A spokeswoman for the director of Strictly Ballroom and Moulin Rouge said yesterday Luhrmann was still finalising the script. When it was right, he would decide whether it would be his next film. Due to star Leonardo DiCaprio as the ruler of the ancient world and Kidman as his mother, the $US100 million ($133 million) film has been set for a possible shoot in outback Australia.
Director Oliver Stone's version of the story, Alexander, is about to reach American cinemas with Colin Farrell in the title
role."
While this article does not contain a direct quote from the spokeswoman, the Sydney
Morning Herald is definitely the best Australian newspaper when it comes to
reporting anything about Luhrmann and it is my most trusted news source. Plus, the article states a spokeswoman spoke out
yesterday, presumably as a result of the building speculation surrounding
the project.
This, of course, does not necessarily mean that Luhrmann will actually go ahead with the project, but it does reiterate that he still hasn't made up his mind.
Hopefully, we will hear more by the end of the year! :-)
Chanel fever!
- Anticipation of the upcoming Chanel commercial has been spreading fast these past few weeks. I have recently launched a new Chanel section that will be continually updated with all the latest news regarding the advertisement. I have come across two new articles in the past couple of days. The first was on Monday in my local (free) newspaper, Metro! I was on my way to work when I came across an image from the commercial of Kidman and Santoro kissing accompanied by the following text:
Nicole clinches £6.5 million for 2-minute ad
"It is Nicole Kidman as we've often seen her - canoodling in the arms of a lover. Only, this is not a movie, but a steamy scene from
the latest Chenel advert. The 37-year-old actress has been paid £6.5 million to star in the two-minute flick advertising Chanel's No. 5 perfume. The advert is produced by Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann and has the Australian acress escaping from the paparazzi and into the arms of lover Rodrigo Santoro. The advert premieres in US cinemas this week."
This article implies that the ad will premiere in US cinemas as of this week, and not as from 29th October as was previously reported.
The second article is Australian and was printed in the Herald Sun and confirms that the ad will be shown in Australian cinemas from 12th November, not 29th October as previously thought.
Kidman earns a scent
November 02, 2004
"NICOLE Kidman's latest performance won't win her any Oscars, but it did her bank balance a power of good.
She was paid $5 million for four days' work shooting a perfume commercial for Chanel No. 5.
The two-minute advertisement is based on her performance in Baz Luhrmann's film Moulin Rouge.
With Luhrmann again in charge, it features Kidman wearing $41 million worth of diamonds.
And with a budget of $60 million, it cost more than many Hollywood movies to make.
Karl Lagerfeld made Kidman's costumes, including a pink gown with a billowing train, ostrich feathers and a diamond necklace almost 1m long.
She is seen running from screaming fans and photographers into a taxi, where she finds a young writer – played by Love Actually actor Rodrigo Santoro – on the back seat.
They embrace on the roof of his apartment where the enormous double "C" of the Chanel logo is lit up.
But she decides not to quit her glamorous life and the man is left with the memory, according to the commercial, of "her kiss, her smile, her perfume".
The ad will debut in cinemas on November 12."
Note: I am on holiday in Amsterdam for the rest of the week, and so there will be no further updates until at least 7th November. Hopefully, there will be lots more to report by then! :-)
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