Surprisingly Good Adaptation of the Fitzgerald Classic

Rating: 8/10 (25 June 2013)

Having heard conflicting reports in reviews and through word-of-mouth, I approached Baz Luhrmann's version of THE GREAT GATSBY with mixed feelings. In the first half-hour I have to admit that I thought it was rather over-blown and operatic; the screen was filled with color and light; many scenes, although brilliantly staged and expertly filmed, seemed rather irrelevant to the purpose of the story; while the music - an anachronistic combination of Twenties standards and contemporary rock - jarred on my ears. As the action unfolds, however, so the film radically improves as Luhrmann becomes far more interested in his characters. As Nick Carraway, Tobey Maguire assumes a pivotal role in the action; he is the first person we see on screen as he recalls what happened to his psychiatrist. At once appalled yet attracted to Jay Gatsby's way of life, Nick comes to understand what lies behind it: Gatsby's perpetual desire for recognition in New York high society. Carey Mulligan comes across as rather colorless as Daisy Buchanan; however, in terms of Lurhmann's interpretation, this seems entirely coherent. Gatsby is prepared to go to any lengths to recreate his love- affair with Daisy; Lurhmann shows that Daisy is not really worth it. As Fitzgerald says in the source-text, she is "careless" as well as indifferent. Joel Edgerton's Tom Buchanan is quite simply brilliant; someone accustomed to a privileged way of life, who possesses little or no understanding of anyone around him. He believes he can pick up and throw away people at will, just like material things. Leonardo DiCaprio's Gatsby bears a striking facial resemblance to the young Orson Welles. At once confident yet suspicious, his eyes dart around from person to person, as if unable to trust anyone. His final confrontation with Tom in the hotel room is quite stunning - especially when Gatsby loses his civilized veneer and reveals his true nature. At the film's end we are left feeling terribly sad: Gatsby might have been a fraud, but as Nick says, he embodies the kind of perpetual hope that seems quite at odds with the material world around him.