No discussion of Baz Luhrmann’s films – and his maximalist, hyper-sensory style – is complete without mentioning their equally more-is-more approach to music. With the help of his longtime music supervisor Anton Monsted (who started out as his assistant on 1996’s “Romeo + Juliet”), the Australian director has become synonymous with era-defying, genre-compounding pop soundtracks that infuse his films’ historical settings with contemporary sensibilities.
That trademark first emerged in the 90’s-grunge soundtrack of “Romeo + Juliet” and eventually evolved into the mash-up mania of this year’s “Elvis.” Like “The Great Gatsby” and “Moulin Rouge!” before it, the box office hit blends the King’s classic tunes with reimagined and original songs by some of today’s biggest artists.