The Great Gatsby

Rating: 6/10 (25 May 2013)

From director Baz Luhrmann (Strictly Ballroom, Romeo + Juliet, Moulin Rouge), based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald this was advertised and promoted as one of the big films of the year in 3D, I had to see if it deserved all the attention it was getting. I should start by saying that all I knew about this film was the cast, that there was an original version with Robert Redford, and it started with the words "In my younger and more vulnerable years my father gave me some advice that I've been turning over in my mind ever since" and ended with the words "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past". Basically, set in 1922, Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) has returned home having graduated from Yale University and fought in the First World War, he is ready to begin a career, so moves to New York City to get into the bond business. In West Egg, Long Island rents a house next to the large mansion of the mysterious Gatsby, also living there are Nick's cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Zero Dark Thirty's Joel Edgerton) who he knew in Yale from the same senior society, they have invited him to dinner. At the dinner Daisy hopes Nick will be interested in young female golfer Jordan Baker (Elizabeth Debicki), during their time there the phone rings, Jordan informs Nick that is Tom's mistress Myrtle Wilson (Isla Fisher) in New York, living in the place called the Valley of Ashes, a section of Long Island. Myrtle herself is married to garage owner George (Jason Clarke), and nearby to the garage is a large billboard with a painted fading advertisement for an optician with the eyes of a Doctor wearing glasses watching over them, with Tom taking him Nick gets to meet the Wilsons, but the party ends when Myrtle's nose getting broken. Several weeks pass and Nick is invited to an elaborate party hosted by the elusive Gatsby, he and many of the other guests are curious to meet the rich man, and eventually Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) reveals himself, not drinking or joining in any revelry, and he invites Nick a luncheon in New York. There Gatsby tells him all about his graduation from Oxford, and he is introduced to his business associate Meyer Wolfsheim (Amitabh Bachchan) who fixed the 1919 World Series, but later at an afternoon tea Gatsby reveals he really wants Nick to arrange a date for him and Daisy. Five years ago Gatsby and Daisy were in love, but they were split when he was sent overseas in the Army, and she had given up waiting for him which explains why she married Tom, so when he returned from the war he decided to buy a house in West Egg as a first step to win her back. The house he bought is across the bay from her house, and at the end of the dock outside her house is a green light, and with Nick's help they are reunited, she is obviously shocked to see him after five years, but he hopes to impress with his mansion and wealth. Next at Daisy's house she, Tom, Gatsby, Nick and Jordan get together and are introduced to Daisy's baby, and then they go to the city and stop at Wilson's garage for a fill up, and George is convinced his wife has been having an affair, but he does not know who with, and Tom knows Myrtle from the window is watching them. The group next go to a hotel suite, and the truth about Gatsby and Daisy comes out, she refuses to go away with him and any love they had before is gone, but they get into his yellow Rolls Royce together followed by the others in Tom's car, and on the way they pass Wilson's garage and Myrtle runs out into the street, Gatsby's car hits and kills her and continues driving. Daisy was the one driving the car in a drunken state, but Gatsby says he will take the blame for her, Tom wrongly tells George that Gatsby was driving the car that hit his wife, Wilson goes to the mansion, shoots and kills Gatsby in his swimming pool, and then turns the gun on himself. Hardly any people attend the funeral of Gatsby, probably because of his elusiveness, apart from Nick, some servants and his Gatsby's father Mr. Gatz, the true nature of Gatsby is revealed, and in the end Nick returns to the West, breaking up with Jordan, and he loses his respect for the Buchanan's after Tom told Wilson the yellow car was Gatsby's, but he shakes Tom's hand for the last time before leaving. Also starring Jack Thompson as Dr. Walter Perkins, Callan McAuliffe as Teen Jay Gatsby, Steve Bisley as Dan Cody and Max Cullen as Owl Eyes. DiCaprio gives a great performance as a man you are never sure whether to trust or not with his suspicious nature and not fully explained wealthy, Maguire is good as the man forced into all the significant situations, Mulligan is terrific as the beautiful young woman almost engulfed in the world Gatsby controls, and the supporting cast members get their moments too. The story told from the point of view of the simple man trying to make it in business is interesting, the love story going on between the mysterious millionaire and the innocent young woman is intriguing enough, the scenes with big lavish parties and things in the air work great in 3D, and the colour for costumes and backgrounds clashing with some gloominess works fabulously, it is a most watchable period romantic drama. It won the Oscars for Best Costume Design and Best Production Design, it won the BAFTAs for Best Production Design and Best Costume Design, and it was nominated for Best Make Up/Hair. Leonardo DiCaprio was number 94 on The 100 Greatest Movie Stars. Good!