After the loveable underdog that was Strictly Ballroom (1992) and Shakespeare sensation Romeo + Juliet (see above), next came Baz Luhrmann’s Marmite film: a jukebox musical that brings Nirvana and Elton John to 19th-century Paris.
The MTV cutting, ADHD soundtrack and in-your-face campness sends some running for the hills – but they’re fools to do so.
Sure, Luhrmann could only deploy subtlety if it came festooned with sequins and belting out show tunes, but that’s not the point – excess is the goal here, and it’s used, paradoxically, to fuel an honest, heartfelt paean to good old-fashioned love that’s audacious in its wide-eyed passion, innocent love of fun and sheer showmanship.
