An Operatic Spectacular on Screen

Rating: 9/10 (13 September 2001)

Having seen this film last night, I still cant get over how good this was.
It quite clearly owes more to stage Opera than stage musical, and that is possibly why people feel that it is a disorganised mess with limited plot.
Opera plots are very similar to this, with twists and turns complicating simple love stories.
The handling of the songs is also much more Operatic, with two people singing different songs at each other, musical refrains occurring and re-occurring throughout.
The Roxanne song and dance number was awesome, Ewan McGregor and Jacek Koman singing the same song in very differing styles, whilst Nicole Kidman sings the recurring love theme song.
A great film, the style of which will be lost on those who are expecting a musical, when what they get is closer to Opera. A style in which this day and age is ignored by the average movie-goer.
Baz Luhrmann has truly opened up a new genre in film with this excellent masterpiece, you would be a fool to miss it, whether you feel it will be your cup of tea or not.