Before Elvis, Kathryn Martin won the Golden Academy Award with Moulin Rouge! – The Hollywood Reporter
Kathryn Martin, Baz Luhrmann’s wife and creative partner, is the most winning Australian in the history of the Academy Awards. It received nine nominations — including three this year for Costume Design, Production Design, and Best Picture Elvis – He won four times. She first came to Oscar attention in 1997, when she received a Luhrmann Award art direction nomination. Romeo + Juliet. their next project, Moulin Rouge!was a musical about star lovers (Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor) in 1890s Paris.
The film divided critics: THR He wrote after the film’s Cannes premiere in May 2001, “All [Luhrmann] It contains a collection of old Hollywood musicals and Technicolor melodramas. It is not enough. Although the music is clearly funky, the patter of old songs—from Rodgers and Hammerstein to disco to Elton John—will likely turn off young moviegoers.” But audiences warmed to it (the film grossed $57.4 million at the US box office). ) and so did the Academy, which nominated him for eight Academy Awards in 2002 — despite Luhrmann being overlooked for Best Director (a closure that continues to this day).
After Martin won best costume design (shared with the film’s costume designer Angus Strathe) and art direction (shared with set designer Brigitte Broche), she told the press backstage that her role was small compared to those on screen: “I’m really happy to be Here I’m holding a golden statue, but I’m a spice. I thank all the cast for their help.”
This story first appeared in the independent February issue of The Hollywood Reporter. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.