The
Great Gatsby (2013) Review
Sadly I’m
rather late watching this film, I mean, it was released in May 2013!
But I am so glad that I’ve now seen it! I’ve been an admirer of Baz Luhrman’s
films since I watched Moulin Rouge in
the cinema when I was thirteen and fell completely in love with his directorial
style.
The
Most Romantic Scene in a Film Ever
The Great Gatsby has
the usual Luhrman style involving sped up pacing and heightened drama to the
point of being magical, or even surreal, that makes me giddy. The note of
twisted reality, which he is famous for, is created in this adaptation with the
tweaked, newly jazzified R’n’B songs, such as 100$ Bill and Crazy In Love
which accompany the film as well as in the opulence of the set, lighting and
costume.
Beyoncé’s
Crazy In Love
I’ve
seen the original Robert Redford film from 1974, and loved it. This is the main
reason that I avoided watching the film for so long. Luhrman outshines Jack
Clayton in transforming F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel to the screen. Because
Luhrman’s style is so sensational it perfectly portrays the glittering world of
the giddy, heady heyday of the Jazz era that Gatsby was desperate to fit into
and that Nick Carraway got swept into unwittingly. The underworld and secrecy
of the Prohibition is also clearly presented as the viewer is invited, as is
Nick, into the hidden clubs thriving on sales of illegal alcohol.
In
terms of the acting, Tobey Maguire as the depressed, and grieving Nick Carrway
telling the story of Jay Gatsby’s life and death in order to get over his
friend’s death is made the frame for the film, with the viewer being reminded
that this is Nick Carraway’s story as much as it is Jay Gatsby’s. F. Scott
Fitzgerald’s words frequently appear on the screen over the action, reminding
the audience of the original novel. Rather
than breaking the fourth wall as I thought this technique might, it actually focuses
the viewer’s attention back onto Nick Carraway, who is more central in Luhrman’s
film than in Clayton’s.
Leonardo
DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby is romantic and charming, however this is a very similar
role to that of Jack Dawson in Titanic (1997)
and one which Leonardo plays well and often.
Like
Two Peas In A Pod
Jack
Clayton’s credits role on images of Gatsby’s empty house but with the sound of
a swinging party being played in the background hinting at the hollowness of
the jiving life of the elite. The film propre
then starts with Nick Carraway attempting to sail a dinghy solo with a VO
of the opening lines of the novel, whereas Luhrman uses the same technique of a
VO, however the scene pictured is the green light which Jay Gatsby would reach
out for from across the water when he was alive, made hazy from mist and with
snow falling thickly. Luhrman’s film also gets straight into the action, unlike
Clayton who has opening credits, making Luhrman’s film much more dynamic.
Carey
Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan against Mia Farrow’s Daisy Buchanan is much more
attractive due to her portrayal of the warmth of personality and her fear of
making the great leap into the unknown away from the comfort of her husband’s
wealth. Mia Farrow’s Daisy I find sickeningly sweet and silly, there is not
enough warmth in her presentation of the role to explain why Jay Gatsby was
prepared to do so much. This might be a result of something as simple as the
use of light in Luhrman’s film which is warm, to capture the wealth and glamour
of the time as well as the heat of the summer in which the film takes place.
Mia
Farrow vs Carey Mulligan
Other
supporting roles include Isla Fisher as Myrtle and Jason Clarke as George
Wilson contribute to the swirling madness and decadence of the Roaring Twenties
with their unhappy, rage-filled marriage. Finally, it is a pity that Luhrman
did not include the final scene where Nick Carraway meets Jay’s working-class
father at Jay’s funeral. It would have been really interesting to see where
Luhrman went with this tender and revealing moment given his ostentatious
style.
