Wherefore art thou Gatsby

Rating: 8/10 (5 July 2016)

An idiosyncratic Australian filmmaker takes on an American classic.
It's a famous story through another lens, but it is a story so rooted in a certain time and place that it has proved elusive for filmmakers.
But with that said. Baz Lurhmann's "The Great Gatsby" demands attention. What he did for "Romeo + Juliet" and "Moulin Rouge" were just warm ups for this movie.
Baz Lurhmann cuts loose with the effects as we knew he would and as he probably should; this is the fifth film version of the story (counting a silent one), and a straight retelling of the tale would have been superfluous, but despite torrents of tinsel, stylised sets and spraying champagne, the story of the enigmatic Jay Gatsby and his love for Daisy Buchanan still has to hit us on a personal level.
I think Jay Gatsby does emerge thanks in large part to Leo DiCaprio, but it takes until about the halfway mark before we can see through all the distractions to get a handle on him.
As in the book itself, there is a long build up to Jay Gatsby's first appearance - like the build up before Captain Ahab appears on the quarterdeck in "Moby Dick". Oddly, the first view of Leo in the role reminded me of Alan Ladd as Gatsby.
All the film versions use narration to varying degrees, and Lurhmann dips into the prose often, following the book more closely than one would have expected, especially the way Daisy disappears from Gatsby's life towards the end. I think Toby Maguire also hits the right note as Nick Carraway, the teller of the tale, although he gets through a lot more business than in the novel. Lurhmann's version brings out the unevenness of the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy - more so than in the 1948, 1974 or 2000 versions. Gatsby has never forgotten her and has become almost obsessive, but she has moved on.
Daisy takes the easy options and avoids confrontation, whereas Jay is impulsive and daring and doesn't mind confrontation at all. Cary Mulligan is close to the best film Daisy Buchanan - not as highly strung as in Mia Farrow's portrayal.
1922 is now far away, but the conflicted emotions surrounding Gatsby and Daisy still strike a chord. I think this is Baz Lurhmann's best film, and Leo DiCaprio hasn't hurt his reputation at all with this portrayal.