Baz Luhrmann Sneaks Into a Test Screening of 'The Great Gatsby'

This story first appeared in the Dec. 14 issue of The Hollywood Reporter magazine.

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Baz Luhrmann went incognito at an early test screening of The Great Gatsby at the Sherman Oaks ArcLight on Nov. 29.

A maroon baseball cap pulled low over his silvery hair, the director arrived just before the lights went down, hunching into his taped-off central seat in a middle row, according to an onlooker.

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The roughly two-hour and 10-minute print revealed that some placeholder music remains and quite a bit of CG work has yet to be completed. This despite the fact that the film -- which stars Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan -- originally was set for release this month. (It's now scheduled for May 10.)

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The audience applauded when it was over and got to work on their assessment cards, answering questions concerned with pacing and character preference. For his part, Luhrmann was out the door within seconds.