Review of The Great Gatsby (1974) by Anna K — 21 Jan 2018

Old Gastby, New Gastby.

Great adaptation, remained true to the book unlike the Buz Lurhman adaptation which in my opinion had missing pieces. In the new version I found that crucial parts of the story such as the all-seeing eyes of TJ Eckleberg were not given the significance they hold to fully understand the story for example. Lurhman glossed over intricate bits of the storyline, relying more on the visual than the narrative. Which is just sad, considering you are telling a story written by one of the greatest American authors of all time, why would you want to water his words down? As a result, it made it difficult to understand and follow the storyline in the new adaptation.

Whereas the Jack Clayton version remained true to Fitzgerald's vison of the story. I think the 1974 movie was better cast, Mia Farrow who played Daisy was so ditsy and believable, not giving off a hint of evil until the end of the movie. The actress who played Myrtle, Karen Black, (what a babe) was described as being "fairly heavy" by Fitzgerald which the actress was clearly not! She was however, in my opinion the embodiment of who and what Myrtle was. Robert Redford is Gatsby, period! I can't think of a better suited actor to play Jay Gatsby. I was not necessarily a Robert Redford fan until I watched The Great Gatsby. Ironically Leonardo DiCaprio is my favourite actor but I do think he was wrong for the role. Redford's Gatsby is a tough act to follow.

In the new movie Carey Mulligan's Daisy wasn't worth mentioning, so I won't. Hat's off to the actor who played Nick Carraway, Sam Waterson in the original movie. He carried the naivety of Nick's character really well, the naivety of this almost omnipresent onlooker who is experiencing the novelty of this new world along with the views/readers for the first time. The same naivety that made him such a loyal friend to Gatsby.

In closing Lurhman butchered a beautiful story and turned it into a senseless, grotesque, visual menagerie, removing all substance from a masterpiece. Leaving viewers with an overkill of colour, the only good thing about the movie was the soundtrack. Clayton's account was more honest and the cast understood the vision. So if you want to see Fitzgerald's word come to life, watch the original movie.