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Having studied The Great Gatsby at A Level, and honestly hating it the first time I read it, it was pretty exciting when it was announced that there would be a remake, and even more so that Baz Luhrmann would be at the helm. But it was worrying; rarely does a film live up to the book's brilliance (take the motet recent adaptation of Wuthering Heights- absolutely shocking) and after reading this book 5 times, and falling deeply in love with it by the end of the third read, this film really could have been a disappointment.
But a disappointment it was certainly not. The only disappointing thing was that I didn't go and see it with my English girls, who share an equal passion for this much loved classic American novel. The film was so worth the wait. First of all, if you haven't read the book, I would absolutely recommend you do, not only because it's a classic, but because it is truly one of the most eye opening and enjoyable books out there.
And if you are by any chance quoting a certain Daisy Buchanan at this point, "Gatsby? What Gatsby?", then you have seriously missed out.
Read the book, watch the film because both were incredible. Admittedly, I initially found that the whole Luhrmann-esque, lack-of-reality thing put me off and I was concerned that I was going to hate it. But within about 20 minutes I was completely won over. It added to the overwhelming sense of superficiality which underpins the entire novel and reflected the idealism and false hope held by Gatsby himself. The scene changes with the camera sweeps across the bay were also difficult to tolerate at first but came to fit so well with the overall feel of the film which oozed falsity, like the ethereal close ups, the fantastically ridiculous parties and special effects of Gatsby's obscene mansion. Before I go into a typical literature student detailed analysis, I'm going to move on...
I'm torn between favourite scenes. Until the ending, I would have chosen the party scenes. I think they brought all of the wildness of the '20s together with the pretence and materialism of so many within that society. I have to give a special mention to the incredible soundtrack at this point because Fergie's "A Little Party Never Hurt Nobody" fit so perfectly with these scenes and the amazing effects really makes me wish that I had seen it in 3D.
A serious commendation for the music overall actually. I adored Emeli Sandé's cover of Beyoncé's hit "Crazy in Love", but my favourite song has to be the sultry "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Ray. It goes without saying that Jay-Z's "Church in the Wild" and Jack White's "Love is Blindness" have been favourites of mine since the trailers came out, too. There have been questions about the use of such modern music in this film, and this is something I didn't rush to defend, but that doesn't mean I don't think it works, because it undoubtedly does. I guess you could put it down to Luhrmann's attempt to try and create his own style, to twist this story for his own. But it also connects the film, and it's themes, good and bad, with the modern world.
To be the pessimist briefly, how much really has changed? We are still the corrupted society we were, with materialistic values and ideals; we are still the society trying to live the dreams of others. Perhaps most interestingly Fitzgerald realised this, criticised this, and tried to bring us back to reality. And credit goes to Luhrmann for bringing these issues to the forefront again, and at the same time reviving our love for The Great Gatsby.
I also thought the scene when Daisy comes to tea was absolutely perfect. The awkwardness throughout the whole meeting, particularly with Nick's presence, was spectacularly acted. I almost jumped up and down with excitement when the falling clock was included, since it is one of the most important symbols in the entire novel (I remember multiple lessons of my A Level Literature class dedicated to this moment). It was brilliant to watch DiCaprio's performance as the all-composed and powerful Gatsby came completely undone by Daisy's proximity for which he had waited for so long. It was a beautifully awkward moment which stripped all the glamour and immorality around which these characters are focused to revert to the genuine sentimentality of human nature without the corrupting influence of the '20s materialism.
But what topped this scene by far, was the final scene with one of the best lines classic literature has to offer: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." I am so so pleased that they did this part justice. This has to be one of my favourite ever lines in literature, ever. I could genuinely spend hours and hours looking at the meanings and morals prompted by this one sentence. The way these lines were narrated at the end as the scene flew across the bay between East and West Egg allows the all-important connection between two opposing, and yet parallel, societies and encourages the idea that one can never escape the past. Absent of physical characters in the shot at this point, it is only Nick's voice we hear, having seen Daisy and Tom flee their problems, and pointedly ignore Nick's call. It is a poignant moment in realising this corruption which left Gatsby, almost, completely alone.
Obviously, a special mention has to go to the costumes which were absolutely stunning. I am so jealous of Carey Mulligan and the outfits she got to wear! The glitz and glamour was manifested in these beautiful costumes and I can only hope that I get to wear something even closely similar one day. If only I had been born in the 20s... Take a look at my The Great Gatsby board on Pinterest for pins on the style, film and book.
I've already asked for the soundtrack for my birthday and will definitely be purchasing the DVD when it comes out. This has been one of the best films I have seen in a long time and has made me go back and re-read the novel for the sixth time, and I have never, ever read a book more than twice. So if you haven't seen the film yet, or haven't read the book, do; you won't regret it.
A serious commendation for the music overall actually. I adored Emeli Sandé's cover of Beyoncé's hit "Crazy in Love", but my favourite song has to be the sultry "Young and Beautiful" by Lana Del Ray. It goes without saying that Jay-Z's "Church in the Wild" and Jack White's "Love is Blindness" have been favourites of mine since the trailers came out, too. There have been questions about the use of such modern music in this film, and this is something I didn't rush to defend, but that doesn't mean I don't think it works, because it undoubtedly does. I guess you could put it down to Luhrmann's attempt to try and create his own style, to twist this story for his own. But it also connects the film, and it's themes, good and bad, with the modern world.
To be the pessimist briefly, how much really has changed? We are still the corrupted society we were, with materialistic values and ideals; we are still the society trying to live the dreams of others. Perhaps most interestingly Fitzgerald realised this, criticised this, and tried to bring us back to reality. And credit goes to Luhrmann for bringing these issues to the forefront again, and at the same time reviving our love for The Great Gatsby.
I also thought the scene when Daisy comes to tea was absolutely perfect. The awkwardness throughout the whole meeting, particularly with Nick's presence, was spectacularly acted. I almost jumped up and down with excitement when the falling clock was included, since it is one of the most important symbols in the entire novel (I remember multiple lessons of my A Level Literature class dedicated to this moment). It was brilliant to watch DiCaprio's performance as the all-composed and powerful Gatsby came completely undone by Daisy's proximity for which he had waited for so long. It was a beautifully awkward moment which stripped all the glamour and immorality around which these characters are focused to revert to the genuine sentimentality of human nature without the corrupting influence of the '20s materialism.
But what topped this scene by far, was the final scene with one of the best lines classic literature has to offer: "So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." I am so so pleased that they did this part justice. This has to be one of my favourite ever lines in literature, ever. I could genuinely spend hours and hours looking at the meanings and morals prompted by this one sentence. The way these lines were narrated at the end as the scene flew across the bay between East and West Egg allows the all-important connection between two opposing, and yet parallel, societies and encourages the idea that one can never escape the past. Absent of physical characters in the shot at this point, it is only Nick's voice we hear, having seen Daisy and Tom flee their problems, and pointedly ignore Nick's call. It is a poignant moment in realising this corruption which left Gatsby, almost, completely alone.
Obviously, a special mention has to go to the costumes which were absolutely stunning. I am so jealous of Carey Mulligan and the outfits she got to wear! The glitz and glamour was manifested in these beautiful costumes and I can only hope that I get to wear something even closely similar one day. If only I had been born in the 20s... Take a look at my The Great Gatsby board on Pinterest for pins on the style, film and book.
I've already asked for the soundtrack for my birthday and will definitely be purchasing the DVD when it comes out. This has been one of the best films I have seen in a long time and has made me go back and re-read the novel for the sixth time, and I have never, ever read a book more than twice. So if you haven't seen the film yet, or haven't read the book, do; you won't regret it.
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