'All the bright precious things fade so fast... and they don't come back.'

Rating: 7/10 (29 August 2013)

From the encyclopedia the facts are here: 'The Great Gatsby is a 1925 novel written by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald that follows a cast of characters living in the fictional town of West Egg on prosperous Long Island in the summer of 1922. The story primarily concerns the young and mysterious millionaire Jay Gatsby and his quixotic passion for the beautiful Daisy Buchanan. Considered to be Fitzgerald's magnum opus, The Great Gatsby explores themes of decadence, idealism, resistance to change, social upheaval, and excess, creating a portrait of the Jazz Age that has been described as a cautionary tale regarding the American Dream.' Pretty well said and for those many of us who have read the novel that straightforward description serves Fitzgerald's story well.
Enter Baz Luhrmann who adapted Fitzgerald's novel with his constant co-writer Craig Pearce (Moulin Rouge, Romeo + Juliet, Strictly Ballroom) and director this Rose Parade Float version of Gatsby and the emphasis is different from the book - and that really is OK; it is a visualization of the raucous flamboyance of the Roarin' 20s pushed to extremes and decorated with Luhrmann's fetish for across time music themes and songs. The story remains intact for the most part as narrated by faux writer Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) and the epitome of the American Dream Jay Gatsby is pasted on Leonardo DiCaprio while the vapid Daisy is well underplayed by Carey Mulligan. The spectacle settles down for moments offering some fine cameos by Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan, spectacularly beautiful and talented Elizabeth Debicki in the small but significant role as Jordan Baker, Isla Fisher as the doomed Myrtle Wilson, Jason Clarke as Myrtle's husband George Wilson, and Callan McAuliffe as the teenage Jay Gatsby plus a 'cast of thousands'. It places rich man poor man and the opportunities for role reversal at a new level and Luhrmann and company make that happen. Yes, it is overdone and over the top as is Luhrmann's style, and no, I wouldn't watch it again, but as entertainment on the grand scale it is not bad!
Grady Harp