Baz Luhrmann's 'abused child'

You have to feel for Baz Luhrmann.
His latest film offering that has taken ten years of hard work is still receiving lukewarm reviews and some that are very scathing.

Peter Bradshaw writing in the UK's Guardian newspaper has some harsh  words for The Great Gatsby director describing him as : "“a man who can’t see a nuance without calling security for it to be thrown off his set”. Ouch.

Bill Mullen and the Socialist Worker weighs in with all manner of criticisms accusing the flick of racism and glorifying the excesses of capitalism. Well they would, wouldn't they!
In an interview in Encore magazine Baz compares negative reviews of his films as being" like hitting a child over the head with a lump of wood.". Poor baby.
But Luhrmann is having the last laugh. Gatsby is a runaway box office success and looks like being the most successful Australian made film ever which will soon eclipse Paul Hogan's 1986 Crocodile Dundee which snared around $328M.

As of last night world-wide box office takings for Gatsby total over $250M and in Australia alone it has raked in a record $7m since it opened 3 days ago..
And Baz should add another feather to his cap : since talk of the film began over a year ago, F.Scott Fitzgerald's book has flown off the shelf in bookstores, selling more copies in the last month than sold during Fitzgerald's lifetime. Which has to be a good thing.
Luhrmann is well on the way to earning his (according to our source) $35M director and producer's payment and the choice of Leo DiCaprio, now the most bankable actor in the history of Hollywood at a $22M fee has paid off.                                        

picture by Patrick McMullan