F. Scott Fitzgerald would have approved

Rating: 8/10 (14 June 2013)

F. Scott Fitzgerald would have loved this film. Baz Luhrmann stays true to the spirit of the book whilst preserving his directorial integrity. In some ways it's a perfect marriage. Both are men of style and lyricism, of romance and passion.
I read the book only a few days before my screening – the first time I have ever done so. I was expecting a tawdry adaptation but Luhrmann has actually made the best film of his career. I needed his imagination to fill the blanks in mine.
I quickly realised, as I followed every single detail with childlike awe, that this adaptation is piously faithful to the book. Perhaps it's better described as a literal translation. Words and precise sensory details – not just scenes – are lifted from page and pasted to screen, as when Nick Carraway first sees Daisy in her East Egg mansion. The 'coloured' references are appropriately kept in, and the party scenes are faultless.
The players are sensational. Carey Mulligan simply IS Daisy. Waiflike, elegant, beautiful, innocent – which man wouldn't devote his life to her? Amitabh Bachchan does much to bring Bollywood closer to Hollywood with his brief but key turn as shady 'businessman', Meyer Wolfshiem (a bold but brilliant casting decision).
Joel Edgerton also perfectly embodies his role as the macho philanderer Tom Buchanan. He's never been better really. Tobey Maguire is likewise excellent as Nick Carraway, the narrator from whose perspective the story is told. To be truthful it's a thankless role because he has only to look awestruck every time he sees Gatsby. Fortunately, Maguire and DiCaprio are real life friends, so the awe does not have to be feigned.
Highest praise is reserved for DiCaprio, one of the few great actors yet to receive an Oscar. His take on Gatsby wouldn't have been out of place in the time of Bogart, Cagney and Lancaster. Indeed his entrance is as memorable as the quick pan upwards to Bogie's face in Casablanca, or Welles's chair spin in Citizen Kane. When reading the book I struggled to see who could play Gatsby. Two seconds of DiCaprio's movements made it obvious.
Some question if the book is indeed a classic. Whatever the merits of the book (I think there are many) I believe the story of a boy who dreams of greatness, then pursues it to validate the love of a woman, only to die vainly, pitifully, should resonate with anyone with a heart.
Lana Del Ray's angelic vocals help to evoke pathos, particularly her moving track whose lyrics 'Will you still love me when I'm no longer yours' encapsulate the story beautifully. On the other hand, Jay Z's music, presumably only used because he's oddly an Executive Producer, is an awkward juxtaposition, but luckily it is too brief to be a major distraction.
In some places there is a bluntness to the storytelling which undermines the power of the book. The beginning feels very rushed as the camera darts from one shot to the next. But these are mere peccadilloes in what is otherwise a glorious film, which masterfully captures the wild hedonism of that enviable era.