Moulin Rouge / Romeo + Juliet

MOULIN ROUGE, 2001, 20th Century Fox, 127 min. Director Baz Luhrmann’s phantasmagorical musical is mixture of turn-of-the-century Parisian nightlife, late 20th century pop music (beautifully performed by star-crossed lovers Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor) and ornate production and costume design, courtesy of Catherine Martin. ROMEO + JULIET 1996, 20th Century Fox, 120 min.

Writer/director/producer Baz Luhrmann re-envisions the bard’s star-crossed lovers as Gen X gangsters, played by Leonardo DiCaprio and Claire Danes. The film’s retro-futuristic look with guns standing in for swords and Veracruz for the mythical Verona Beach, earned an Oscar nomination for production designers Catherine Martin and Brigitte Boch.