a visual feast

Rating: 9/10 (31 May 2013)

Leonardo DiCaprio is "The Great Gatsby" in this 2013 version of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, where the rich are different from you and me. The film also stars Toby Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Elizabeth DiBicki, and Isla Fisher.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann, with costume design by his wife, Catherine Martin, the production is an absolute feast for the eyes, brilliantly beautiful, exaggerated, over the top, and spectacular. The big screen is the only place to see it. The lavishness represents the '20s atmosphere, and I noticed that some of the female party performers were cast according to the look back then - bigger legs, curvier, which is correct for the time period. There was the flat flapper look back then as well which was also represented. Luhrmann again uses the conceit of anachronistic music. It didn't bother me in Moulin Rouge, and it didn't bother me here.
I'm an old timer, so I saw the 1974 version on the screen not once, but twice, because a friend of mine returned from Europe and hadn't seen it. Since it was extremely heavily publicized, he wanted to, so I went again.
I'm unclear as far as what people's memories of it are -- some people on IMDb seem to think it was a great classic. That isn't how I remember it, either seeing it or in the reviews. Robert Redford was terrible, too cerebral, and Mia Farrow was worse. It was a beautiful looking film, and it had Sam Waterston as Nick, who got the only good reviews. His performance completely stomps on the miscast Toby Maguire's here. Luhrmann's instinct, to cast both Daisy and Jay as very youthful and fresh, flopped when it came to casting Nick. As the narrator, he needs to be more mature and less homespun.
Both Mulligan and DiCaprio had an innocence in their performances, with DiCaprio giving a real powerhouse performance, embodying the idea of hopefulness, passion, illusion, and desperation. And he looks spectacular.
I haven't yet seen my perfect Daisy. It's not Mulligan, though she's a good actress and gave Daisy a naiveté and a frailty. Mia Farrow captured the airhead part, which was emphasized in that film, and she had the beauty. I guess I never felt that either one was portraying a southern girl during that period. I thought Joel Edgerton made an effective Tom.
Baz Luhrmann is a visual genius, and I love his films, going back to Strictly Ballroom. I felt here he was fairly reverent when it came to the material and if it was a touch over the top, it certainly makes for a theater-going experience. The emphasis here is on the mystery of who Gatsby is, but he doesn't neglect the poignancy and the message of the piece. The rich are different from you and me.