Nearly two decades ago, the worlds of fashion and film merged in a way that left its mark on history. In 2004, Chanel released " No. 5 The Film ," an iconic commercial for the legendary Chanel No. 5 perfume, starring Oscar-winning actress Nicole Kidman, directed by the extraordinary Baz Luhrmann.
Known as the most expensive television commercial of all time, it cost a whopping $33 million to produce, which would be equivalent to about $52 million today. The spot is only 3 minutes long, which means that every second of it cost an average of $275,000 to $288,000. But every penny was justified.
The aesthetic of the ad was a perfect union between the luxury that characterizes Chanel and the romantic and theatrical style of “ Moulin Rouge! ”, from director Luhrmann himself. Nicole Kidman plays a famous movie star who tries to escape the world of lights to experience a forbidden love story with a stranger, whose role is played by Brazilian actor Rodrigo Santoro.
Kidman was paid between $3 and $3.7 million for the role, while wearing a glamorous haute couture creation, styled by Karl Lagerfeld, then artistic director of Chanel and responsible for the artistic direction of the entire campaign.
The music chosen for the soundtrack was a piece by Claude Debussy, which added even more charm and elegance to this extraordinary cinematic production.
