Worth a second watch...

Rating: 8/10 (9 May 2014)

I teach 11th grade literature. My students read "The Great Gatsby" earlier this semester and their verdict was a very unenthusiastic "it's okay." Now this absolutely horrified me, as I am a huge Fitzgerald fan and completely in love with the novel. So I thought that maybe if the students saw a visual representation of the novel, they would come to appreciate this beautiful tale.
Now, I had watched the 1974 Redford version and really liked it. However, it's a little long and a little boring to show to a group of 17 year olds. So I decided to give this film a try.
I bought the film and watched it at home with my husband (I wanted to make sure it was appropriate to show my kids). I have to admit, the first time I watched it, I wasn't blown away. I found it intriguing....but not great. I decided, however, that I might as well let them see it since I had paid 10 bucks for it.
It would be an understatement to say that my students LOVED it! They loved the sets, the music and, of course, the girls went crazy for Leonardo DiCaprio Moreover, for the first time ALL YEAR they were able to intelligently discuss character motivations, tone, mood, theme, symbols and literary devices...and not just from the film... they actually insisted that we go back and re-read sections in the book! And they were so thrilled to see much of the same language in both the book and this film. Because of this film, my students were able to appreciate a classic piece of American literature! As for me, this movie definitely got better the more I watched it. It is visually stunning, and surprisingly loyal to the book. DiCaprio gives a beautiful portrayal of Gatsby-- I'd say even better than Redford (and I love him)!
Give this film a second chance, or maybe even a third. It's worth it!