spectacular responsible adaptation of classic

Rating: 9/10 (13 May 2013)

After all the reviews to the contrary, I was surprised to find Baz Luhrmann's The Great Gatsby to be (i) an inventive yet faithful adaptation of the narrative, themes and values of the original novel; and (ii) a responsible, meaningful use of 3-D.
The heightened depth becomes a perfect means to expose the partying horde's shallowness. With so many people and so much luxury crammed into a frame the self-absorbed hedonists shrink into anthills. It also quietly confirms the uncrossable gap between Gatsby's new mansion and his dream Daisy's, her emblematic green light seeming to flash Go but really saying Stop. In the early party scenes the camera swooping down and across from on high shrinks the humans but also implicitly suggests a god's eye view, a higher judgement. That connects to the old optician's billboard of the eyeglasses staring out on the coal-hell and the maddened mechanic's murderous confidence that God sees all, which itself recalls Gatsby's childhood sense of himself as an omnipotent son of God. For more see www.yacowar.blogspot.com.