A Classic With A Modern Twist
Source: scriptshadow.net
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, Joel EdgertonYear: 2013
Running Time: 143 minutes
Creating a modern interpretation of a literary classic that retains its fundamental message is a daunting project but Luhrmann got it right with his excellent, extravagant adaptation of the classic by F. Scott Fitzgerald. Although the story is one that I have read (and taught) many times, the film felt "fresh" after being retold with Luhrmann’s artistic eye. The updated interpretation still clearly underscores the corruption of the American dream during the Roaring Twenties, which parallels the corruption and eventual disintegration of Gatsby’s enormous dream of winning Daisy, the love of his life, back.
Initially I was sceptical of Leonardo DiCaprio being cast as the mysterious and charming Jay Gatsby; I wondered if he wasn’t simply too old for the role. But I think he pulled it off and captured Gatsby’s self-confidence and simultaneous vulnerability very well (I am a big fan of the "Cheers to my haters" memes that his champagne toast scene produced). Carey Mulligan was the perfect choice for the fragile and feminine Daisy Buchanan while Tobey Maguire did a great job as the biggest third wheel in literary history, Nick Carraway. I did find it puzzling that Nick ends up in an asylum in the film where he tells the doctor (and thus the audience) about what happened to him when he moved East. In the novel Nick may have been disillusioned with the East and its moral decay but he did not need to be institutionalised because of this disillusionment.
The best part of the film was the over-the-top assault-on-your-senses party scene at the Gatsby mansion, one of dozens of parties that Gatsby threw in the hope that Daisy would find her way to one of them one evening. The thumping music, the dazzling outfits, the flowing alcohol, the debaucherous behaviour and the abundance of glitter make this a thrilling scene to watch, especially on the big screen.
The emotional climax of the film is undoubtedly the three senseless deaths that occur in quick succession – those of Myrtle Wilson (Tom’s mistress), Gatsby and George Wilson, who takes his own life after getting revenge on the man he thinks killed his wife. The deaths of innocent characters highlight the careless behaviour of the wealthy (specifically Tom and Daisy) who retreat to their wealthy lives and let others pay the price for their recklessness. One can’t help but feel sorry for Gatsby, poor idealistic Gatsby, who was determined to attain his dream of being united with Daisy.
The soundtrack to this film is brilliant, despite being anachronistic, and features some of this decade’s biggest artists. The songs range from dance songs celebrating parties, money and excess to songs about love found and love lost to dark ballads that fit perfectly with the sombre undertones of the film. Highlights include the beautifully haunting Young and Beautiful by Lana Del Rey in which she asks a question that many of us secretly have on our minds: "Will you still love me when we’re no longer young and beautiful?"; A Little Party Never Killed Nobody by Fergie, a party anthem that provides the soundtrack the aforementioned lavish party at Gatsby’s mansion; and Crazy In Love by Emeli Sandé featuring The Bryan Ferry Orchestra, a jazzy take on the Beyoncé classic which points to Gatsby’s emotional and mental state.
Favourite lines (also the final lines of the novel): "Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter – tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms further…And one fine morning -
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past."
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