No. 5 the Film (2004) is a 180-second short film directed by Baz Luhrmann (Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge!) and starring Nicole Kidman and Rodrigo Santoro. Karl Lagerfeld designed the costumes;[1] he also briefly appears in the film. It is part of a new breed of advertising crossover films known as branded content. It had a budget of US$33 million, financed exclusively by Chanel. Visually captivating, the film is an extended television commercial for Chanel No. 5 perfume. The film was initially screened in many North American cinemas during the "Coming Attractions" section preceding the main feature. During the 2006 Christmas season, an edited 30-second TV spot was shown on primetime on many networks in Canada and the United States. Kidman was paid $3 million for her role in the advertisement.[2]
| No. 5 the Film | |
|---|---|
| Directed by | Baz Luhrmann |
| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Mandy Walker |
| Edited by | Daniel Schwarze |
| Music by | Claude Debussy (arranged by Craig Armstrong) |
Production companies | |
| Distributed by | Chanel |
Release date |
|
Running time | 180 secs |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | US$33 million |
Runtime
editThe original version after preliminary editing came to around 360 seconds, but this was later edited to a more manageable 180 seconds, including 60 seconds of credits, for television broadcasts and cinema advertisements. Further cutting has led to subsequent 90-second (as seen in the UK) and 30-second (seen mostly in the U.S. and Canada) versions of the advert, shown after the first runs of the advert.
Plot
editA famous celebrity (Nicole Kidman) runs away in a pink dress in the middle of Times Square in New York City, only to get into a cab with the one man who does not know who she is, a plot line similar to Roman Holiday.[3] After four days in his Lower East Side apartment, her secretary (Lagerfeld) commands her to return to her life as a celebrity.[4] The paparazzi take pictures of her as she walks upstairs and looks at big letters, a graphical device often used in Luhrmann's Red Curtain Trilogy, on top of a building that read "Coco Chanel" with her lover standing next to them. They smile at each other and then the credits are shown.
Music
editThe main musical theme of the film is Claude Debussy's "Clair de lune", arranged by Craig Armstrong and performed by the Sydney Symphony Orchestra.
Sequel
editIn 2014 Baz Luhrmann created a sequel film titled Chanel No. 5: The One That I Want. The film stars model Gisele Bündchen and actor Michiel Huisman.[3]
References
edit- ^ "£18m buys two minutes of Nicole Kidman" by Jane Martinson, The Guardian, 22 November 2004
- ^ "The most expensice TV adverts ever made" Archived 2017-08-12 at the Wayback Machine by Andrew Partridge, RedC Marketing, 6 February 2015
- ^ a b "A Conversation with Baz Luhrmann on Chanel No. 5's The One That I Want" by Sunhee Grinnell, Vanity Fair, 15 October 2014
- ^ "Every second counts in $42m three-minute 'film'" by Charlotte Edwards, The Sydney Morning Herald, 22 November 2004