Movie as theater; an innovative and spectacular production.

Rating: 10/10 (28 April 2014)

This is an amazing movie. This is the case because it is a musical that is shot in film noir style. The movie is shot entirely in a studio, the cinematography employs all kinds of camera angles to set the mood, the story itself is highly theatrical and melodramatic and set in an underworld characterized by vice and corruption, and features a femme fatale who changes a man's life forever. Nicole Kidman's performance is remarkable. Not known as a singer and dancer, in this movie she sings, dances and plays the ultimate femme fatale. Kidman is proof that when provided the opportunity, Hollywood actors can excel. But what makes this movie unique is the way it was made. The director, Baz Luhrmann, decided to forego the conventional approach in favor of something innovative. This involved the superimposition of contemporary music onto a story set one hundred years earlier. To successfully pull off that kind of juggling act requires a huge amount of skill and Luhrmann succeeds. Not only does the mix work, it results in a story that is engaging, dynamic, and above all, honest. The movie is theater and presents itself as such, thus the audience is not misled. The movie succeeds in achieving a level of emotional intensity that is almost uncanny, considering the nature of the plot. This story is set entirely in a theater. The characters are actors being played by actors and the whole production risks becoming just another silly contrived piece of noise. But that does not happen here. Instead what Luhrmann produces is a masterpiece of drama shrouded in music and dealing with themes that can resonate with any audience.