Great cinematography, quaint drama

Rating: 7/10 (15 June 2013)

The Great Gatsby is a feast for the eyes in its vivid and loving recreation of the 1920s New York bubble society. Unfortunately, the retelling of the Gatsby story did not work nearly as well as the cinematography if for no other reason than the central theme which drove the novel seems curiously out of date in contemporary America. Surely no present day Gatsby would've responded with violence to Tom Buchanan's suggestion that a self-made man like Gatsby could never be the equal of men who inherit their wealth. To the contrary, today, it goes without saying that a person who earned his billions is more admirable than one who inherits. Further, it is hard to picture a person as stiff as DiCaprio's Gatsby as a great confidence artist. Finally, the shrinking violet delicacy of Daisy Miller compares unfavorably by today's standards with the uninhibited sexuality of Tom Buchanan's whores. In short, this is a fabulous work of cinematography and reimagination of 1920s New York party culture. But as a drama it seems stiff and quaint.