Why Baz Luhrmann Revisited and Enriched ‘Australia’ With ‘Faraway Downs’ | Digital Cover

Baz Luhrmann is not the type of filmmaker to repeat himself.

From “Romeo + Juliet” to “Moulin Rouge!” to “Elvis,” his films are each uniquely specific, traversing fresh genre territory in the way that only Baz Luhrmann can. Which is why it’s no surprise that “Faraway Downs,” a newly edited version of Luhrmann’s 2008 film “Australia” that includes nearly an hour of new footage, is anything but a retread.

In fact, Luhrmann was thinking about expanding his melodramatic epic starring Nicole Kidman and Hugh Jackman back when the film was being made.