Baz Luhrmann takes a tragically beautiful novel and adds visual drama. The result is delightful.

Rating: 8/10 (27 November 2013)

Two years ago, I heard that Leonardo DiCaprio would be cast as Jay Gatsby in Fitzgerald's 'The Great Gatsby', I rushed to the nearest bookstore and obsessively pored over the book several times. As a die hard fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald, DiCaprio and Baz Luhrmann, you cannot imagine my excitement at the prospect of these three beautiful fellas coming together. However, I had my doubts. Fitzgerald's signature brooding style, which centered around the tragic hero, was in essence straightforward and without frills. This is what makes his work so special, so different from the dramatic 'Shakespearean' retelling of tragedy, which, to me, brings to mind Luhrmann's love for drama, both visual and in terms of storytelling. It was my hope that my dearest DiCaprio would be able to bring together both these sentiments. Early in 2013, when I watched the trailer, I have to say I was enormously disappointed. The Great Gatsby in 3-d!!! (I think I might have wept right after.) It just seemed to be so at odds with the original book. It seemed to have none of the ingenious subtlety of performance that I had come to expect, nor did I feel any of the authors' quiet desperation. Instead I was bombarded by kaleidoscopic, golden, flying images of revelry, their version of the roaring 20's. I immediately decided that watching this movie would only put me off, and so i didn't, until recently. I must admit that the horrible misleading trailer is my only major critique of the film. I was not disappointed, far from it. The film opens with Nick Carraway (Maguire) a young New Yorker narrating the traumatic events that have lead him to this juncture. Through his narration we are led through the wildly exciting streets of 1920's New York. The lavish lifestyles of the young and rich, the unimaginable extravagance and the futility of the prohibition. Arriving in the city to further his writing, he is swept away by the roaring lifestyle, and the booze fueled revelry, and here we are introduced to the mysterious Mr. Gatsby, an amazingly rich gentleman, who has very recently achieved notoriety in New York society as an affluent businessman, famous for his extreme extravagance. Nobody seems to know who he is or where he is from, consequently several conspiracies emerge. As the story unfolds we truly appreciate Luhrmann's cinematic skill. The lavish sets and incredible color palette compliment the silent drama of the actual storytelling, which remains appropriately understated. In this sense he deserves praise for staying true to the book, and yet managing to infuse the experience with his own signature style. DiCaprio is completely instrumental in bringing this production together and does a breathtaking job of portraying the love-stuck, desperately ambitious Jay Gatsby. He is full of silent hope and conviction, but at the same time is riddled with insecurities. Carey Mulligan plays the role of Daisy Buchanan beautifully. Her approach to the role is not what i would have expected, but is refreshingly unique. We love to hate Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan, and he delivers another great performance. Isla Fischer is unexpectedly great in a challenging role, she has it down to a tee. To me, the only weak performance was Tobey Maguire. Although he plays the role of the Daisy's meek cousin, he is not as convincing as i would have liked. Although, I will say, he wins points for playing the part of the narrator beautifully. Luhrmann has once again done a wonderful job on the cinematography, although making it a 3-d movie was completely unwanted, and was too over-the-top. Watching the movie brought back fond memories of Moulin Rouge. Although they were each very different in terms themes and story lines, they both won me over with outrageously wonderful sets, which added to the urgency in the plot, and the heart breaking, beautifully captured romance. All in all, I would highly recommend a watch.