Review of The Great Gatsby (2013) by Joo_Lene — 26 Oct 2013

The Great Gatsby Baz Luhrmann (May 2013).

Lavish and Extravagant! Director Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby captured the over the top love story perfectly. Without wasting any time on intros or credits, Luhrmann jumps into the story line, which does not stick to the traditional sappy love story of happily ever after.

The film was set during the Prohibition-era of the 1920’s, a time where the rich became rich from corruption and greed. The film took place in Long Island between the East Egg and West Egg, through the Valley of Ashes to New York. The narrator, Nick Carraway finds himself caught in the life of money and secrets. Nick is lured into this wasteful life by his mysterious neighbor Gatsby. Jay Gatsby played by Leonardo DiCaprio, recreated himself to be a part of the new money. A man of many Gatsby lived in West egg, where he threw lavish excessive bashes at his extravagant mansion, in order to catch the eye of his lost love Daisy. Daisy who lived right across the bay in East Egg was played Carey Mulligan. I must say Mulligan embodied Daisy to the tee. Her flawless beauty and carelessness provokes faux innocence and yet she was still able to maintain control of her charter.

I cannot say I enjoyed every charter in this film. Nick Carraway who was played by Tobey Maguire, narrated the film from his asylum. I felt Nick was portrayed as to weak and naive for his new surroundings then he should have been. He became Gatsby’s lapdog and fell into the fabulously wealthy and corrupted lifestyle without any hesitation. Another issue I had throughout the film was we find Gatsby to change as he becomes closer to Daisy. He begins showing weakness and becomes pathetic in is attempt to win her love back. His inability to hold on to control of the situation and his fading façade, ultimately lead to Gatsby’s demise.

The visuals and soundtrack were charismatic and entrancing. Luhrmann was able to combine a modern feel with the old world style. The sets throughout the film where grand, the homes were lavish and in all had an impressively unreal feel. The West Egg of new money was shiny and glamorous, while across the bay in East Egg the old money was classic and traditional. In between Long Island and New York sat the Valley of Ashes where Lurhmann did a good job at depicting the dirty and grimy side of life. I enjoyed watching the party scenes that took place at the Gatsby mansion. The high energy, bold colors and lively music made you jealous that you were not at that party. Yes, there were a few awkward camera angels which if removed would make the film easier to watch. For example during the party scenes the camera moved from one scene to the next rapidly and at a different angle, making it tough to follow and concentrate on. But overall Luhrmann wanted to capture the dazzle and epic events that took place, which I feel he portrayed nicely.

The sound track for the film included Jay-Z along with a star studded list of musicians. The music incorporated modern hip-hop with the jazz age trumpet and piano. Many will disagree, but I feel the soundtrack matched the film perfectly. I think the addition of the new aged jazz and hip-hop music added a fresh feeling and keyed in on a modern roaring 20’s. Also it would have left the audience feeling confused if Luhrmann combined this fast paced and glamorous film with old time blues and ragtime music.

To say the least, the film is horribly underrated because many compare Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby to the 1949 and 1974 versions of the film. Others also crisis Luhrmann’s for straying away from the original plot in the book by F. Scott Fitzgerald. However I feel Luhrmann’s modern twist on the old tale created a film incomparable to the previous versions. Its grandness and over dramatic scene with the combination of outlandish parties, burst violence, and tragic romance made the film thoroughly enjoyable to watch.