Days before its Nov. 18 world premiere, Baz Luhrmann’s “Australia” was still an unknown quantity, a period 
romance shepherded by a director known for his visual flair, a lengthy wait between passion projects and a penchant for tweaking his films right down to the wire — while often commenting publicly on his frenzied work in progress.
In other words, this guy has a flair for the dramatic.
A pair of research screenings in June yielded some upbeat reaction, and an “Oprah” crowd who saw a rough cut was enthusiastic. But few people, outside top studio execs, have seen the final film.
Luhrmann is nothing if not ambitious. With “Australia,” the director/co-writer set out to fashion a sweeping 1939-set romantic adventure styled after “Gone With the Wind” and starring two stars from Down Under, Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman. The pic costs $120 million, less 30%-40% from Australia’s new filming rebate.
After wrangling with Fox over the pic’s budget, Luhrmann shot the pic over nine months with a crew of 300 on remote locations in Northwestern Australia and at Sydney’s Fox Studios
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