intervista di Elton John a Baz Luhrmann da www.timeoutsydney.com.au
Elton John: I've been to Sydney countless times and
I love everything about it. Baz, what is it about this city that people
such as ourselves respond so passionately to?
Baz Luhrmann:
Someone reminded me that I once likened Sydney to an arrogant lover:
when it's cold and rainy it can seem distant and a million miles away
from anywhere. But when it wants to, Sydney bats its eyelids, the sun
comes out and it becomes glamorous, sexy, fun and cosmopolitan. The
amazing thing about Sydney is you can be exceptionally urban all day
but within minutes, living the beach life. Most towns in Europe have a
city centre or town square. In the US it's often the mall. In Sydney
it's the beach.
EJ: Is there a great Sydney film I haven't seen?
BL:
Such hard questions while I'm rushing to the set! Off the top of my
head, you probably haven't seen an old classic, which is very cute,
called They're a Weird Mob, about Italian immigrants coming to
Sydney in the 60s. I myself remember living as a young actor in Kings
Cross and thinking that Phil Noyce's Heatwave caught the feeling of the city at that particular moment in time. The same goes for Ray Lawrence's more contemporary Lantana. Also, I believe in the 80s there was an interesting urban drama starring Judy Davis called Winter of Our Dreams in which a young actor played her pimp. Whatever happened to him!? [Ed: It was Baz in his biggest role since appearing in six episodes of A Country Practice.]
EJ: Is this city's unique charisma too difficult to capture on film?
BL:
I hope one day to make a film that uses the canvas of our city and its
unique and particular qualities, but at the moment my hands are
somewhat full. Soon...
EJ: The first time we saw Moulin Rouge! David
[Furnish] and I came out completely shaken. What a work of genius it
is! But what was the first time you ever heard one of my songs? Do you
remember where you were and what you were doing?
BL: When
I was a young boy growing up in country northern NSW I was on a
ballroom dancing trip with my parents and was lucky enough to win the
'latest technology' - a portable cassette recorder! The first tape I
ever bought was a compilation called something like Ripper '73 on
which I found a track called 'Crocodile Rock' which I played
incessantly over and over and over again. I distinctly remember
pretending to be you - this 20th century Mozart - playing the piano up
the back of the tour bus.
EJ: It's always hugely gratifying when a director chooses
to feature one of my songs in a film. My favourites have been 'Tiny
Dancer' (Almost Famous), 'Amoreena' (Dog Day Afternoon) and, of course, 'Your Song' (Moulin Rouge!). Can you tell me why 'Your Song' was chosen, what it evoked in you and how a song can transform for the cinema?
BL:
The truth is I was working with Anton Monsted, my music supervisor, in
San Diego and we were sitting in the Four Seasons Hotel. The piano
player was playing all the classics when suddenly he launched into what
I have to say was a rather 'piano bar version' of 'Your Song'. At the
time my co-writer Craig Pearce and I were developing the key musical
idea of using contemporary music as text. In that moment hearing 'Your
Song' was definitely one of those moments where the planets aligned,
especially when I later played the original version. The whole idea of Moulin Rouge! was
to take true classic songs and for me 'classic' means art that is
relevant no matter the time, no matter the place, and this is true for
'Your Song'. Many people contributed classic songs to Moulin Rouge! but you, Elton, were the first to believe in the idea and give your support. Without it there probably would never have been a Moulin Rouge! You led the charge for the other artists to come aboard and be involved. Thank you!
EJ: Do you need any of my songs for Australia?
BL: Well there is a scene in the film involving a crocodile...
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