The Audition

Remember that corporate-sponsored short film Martin Scorsese made with Leonardo DiCaprio, Robert De Niro and Brad Pitt that reportedly cost $70 million (most of which the actors collected)? It’s finally leaked online for you to watch from behind your fingers.

The Audition was made to promote Melco Crown Entertainment’s new $3.2 billion Hollywood-themed casino resort Studio City, and got its premiere this week when it opened its doors.

Someone managed to capture the 15-minute short on their smartphone, and it’s now on YouTube (below, at least for the time being).

Hollywood stars can’t mask turmoil behind Macau casino opening

In fairness, it could be a lot worse. There are some classic Scorsesian shots in there, the all-vying-for-the-same-part plot isn’t a terrible idea and there’s been more egregious examples of corporate shilling in the past, though there is some wince-inducing dialogue in the film, particularly when DiCaprio and De Niro do some awkward banter about the spa services on offer at the resort.

Scorsese, DiCaprio and De Niro all turned up for the red carpet premiere of the film in Macau, though Pitt was nowhere to be seen, said to have ‘prior commitments’.

Read more. Thank you Mark.