This review was first published in The Methodist Recorder (www.methodistrecorder.co.uk).
The Great Gatsby (12A)
Director Baz Luhrmann’s first film since his 2008 epic Australia, is an adaption of the classic novel The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Tobey Maguire plays Gatsby’s neighbour and story narrator, Nick Carraway. Intrigued by the mysterious multimillionaire next door, he leaps at the opportunity to attend one of Gatsby’s famous parties, and a friendship is formed as Gatsby needs Carraway to do him a favour - reunite him with his lost love, Carraway’s cousin Daisy.
The Great Gatsby has been filmed four times before, and apart from the 1926 silent version which is now lost to history (reviews at the time were favourable and described it as faithful to the novel), no version has entirely pleased devotees of Fitzgerald’s text, and this one is no exception. Luhrmann has remained about as faithful to the book as can be expected of a film adaptation, with corners being cut to suit the medium; stylistically though he has taken liberties with the art direction and soundtrack, updating every aspect of the 1920’s set story to be palatable to a generation brought up with MTV and iPhones.
The first half hour is plastered with 21st Century Pop and Rap music, giving the impossibly opulent partying that Gatsby facilitates for his many celebrated acquaintances a jarring but undeniably fresh edge. The camerawork is bold and dizzying, with a mostly superfluous use of 3D only occasionally making the blinding production design even more striking.
Nevertheless the power of the story shines through, and once the plot takes precedence the film becomes engrossing, due in no small part to Leonardo DiCaprio’s fascinating performance as Jay Gatsby. DiCaprio rivetingly embodies the character’s elusive ambiguity, and is the strongest link in an impressive cast. As Daisy, Carey Mulligan continues to accelerate her ascent to stardom, delivering lines taken verbatim from the 1925 text as if fresh from her own lips.
While the novel is largely open to interpretation, the 2013 film is more on the nose with it’s warning about the dark side of the American dream, with Luhrmann highlighting themes of hope and love, contrasting them with the corrupting power of ambition and fame. “For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil” arguably doesn’t apply to Gatsby himself, but the truth of that verse is something that had he understood, might have helped him avoid his most tragic mistakes.
2 comments:
Great Review. Found the music in the film most interesting (some may find it somewhat inappropriate for the film); however it is not unlike the use of music in Django Unchained by Tarantino.
Thanks, yes it's pretty bold use of music... perhaps on second viewing I'd find it less jarring (same for Django, although you can always expect soundtrack curveballs from Tarantino!)
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