Friday, May 31, 2013
My venture to the cinema on Thursday night was different to most other weeks. I had unexpected but lovely company, and I finally saw the trailer for The Hunger Games: Catching Fire which was awesome. I can't wait. Great excuse to read the books again if I have the time.
Now to the review, a film long awaited and carrying mixed views from reviewers elsewhere. I rather liked it. And yes, I have read the book.
The Great Gatsby (M)
A MAN who feels the need to put himself under continuous pressure to please others by increasing his overall extravagance - and succeed - is most thought in black and white terms to be a genius or a madman. The hero of the 20th Century’s first Great American Novel is one such character, elusive but always shielding a purpose.
It’s likely Australia’s most flamboyant director sees a bit of himself in Jay Gatsby, striving for difference in a sometimes repetitive Hollywood world. Baz Luhrmann’s interest in remaking The Great Gatsby should come as no surprise though, nor the result.
Some will baulk at the thought of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel being presented as a sensual feast for the outlandish Generation Y lot. More will hate the idea of rapper Jay-Z’s involvement as executive producer and major contributor to the soundtrack. But Luhrmann’s interpretation manages to largely remain true to the core story of Gatsby and his Daisy.
Nick Carroway (Tobey Maguire) is befriended by neighbour Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) after moving to New York, and is swept away by a beckoning Wall Street and the razzle and dazzle of the roaring 20s. He makes visits to his cousin Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom (Joel Edgerton), and develops an unconventional relationship with Jordan Baker (Elizabeth Debicki).
While Carroway doubts the integrity of his neighbour, Gatsby’s intentions are true and unyielding. His encounter with Daisy five years before was brief but enough to change him. It’s one of many ideas Mills and Boon would use to make an empire of years later – but this is not the stuff of soppy romance.
Catherine Martin has once again shown her prowess as production and costume designer, creating the lavish visuals to transport us into the lives of the rich and the naughty. It’s everything the eyes expect of a Luhrmann/Martin work, with open shots and carefree frivolity again a winning combination.
The music, a regular standout in Luhrmann’s films, is prevalent with Jay-Z’s hip-hop influence, but not overly provoking. Liberties extend only slightly to the source material if you don’t count the general lighter attitude to their lifestyle his interpretation takes; Luhrmann and long-time co-writer Craig Pearce retain the affecting prose Carroway uses to describe his recollections.
DiCaprio’s return to working with Luhrmann is a show of maturity, having developed from the fresh face of Romeo Montague into something a whole lot more serious. But in the end he still revisits the struggling love-stricken man caught in an impossible situation.
To capture the essence of Fitzgerald’s characters on screen is (arguably) one of cinema’s hardest tasks, and not all will reach fans’ expectations. For those new to the story of Gatsby though, it will provide worthy entertainment. Home is where the heart is, and Luhrmann’s thrown himself a party to give it a good go - but that extravagance can never fill every empty hole.
Rating: 3.5/5
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of Snitch.
*Published in the Daily Liberal (Dubbo), Western Advocate (Bathurst), Parkes Champion Post and Midstate Observer (Orange) from Saturday 1/6/2013
MISSED LAST WEEK'S REVIEW? See what I thought of Snitch.
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