THE GREAT GATSBY

 

 

I saw The Great Gatsby last week and I really enjoyed it...which would be a different response from most reviews of it. But then I have never had most people's taste! Nor really bothered about most reviews.

 

I did not love it, that is not unusual for me and Baz. I adore his first film, Strictly Ballroom, a masterpiece in my opinion. Fun and flashy, great music, fabulous story, and very Australian. The dance scene on top of the shop roof at dusk with the twinkling Coca-Cola sign in the background is one of the most beautiful and romantic scenes in Australian film.

 

Then there was Romeo and Juliet and Moulin Rouge, and with each of these films he went bigger and better and more flashier, so you expected something more each time, I loved both of them, but walked out wanting more, thinking there was something missing, something I have never been able to put my finger on. 

 

Was it my expectations, or the fact Strictly Ballroom was hard to follow? 

 

I think for both of these films there were so many outstanding scenes, usually towards the beginning of the film, so when there were quieter, less flashier scenes you felt let down. But as I say, it is an intangible thing that stops them from being as good as Strictly Ballroom.

 

And then there was Australia...the less said about that appalling piece of crap the better.

 

So, onto Gatsby, it's a favourite book of mine, I love Fitzgerald's prose. It is part satire, part tragedy, an odd choice in a way, but you can see why Baz choose it. Those party scenes, over the top, frivolous and vacuous, expensive and gauche, perfect for that trademark Baz razzle dazzle. But how would he handle a book with so much inner dialogue and observations that may be hard to translate from words.? This was my concern, and you know, I need not have been concerned at all.

To me, and this is the most important thing, he *got* the book, the satire, the excess, the tragedy, and above all the doomed romance between Daisy and Gatsby. For a smallish book, there is a lot packed into it, and whilst not every single moment is captured - that can never happen in film, too difficult - he does a great adaptation of it. There was the addition of Nick being placed in some sort of sanitarium and being told to write his experience, definitely a dumbing down for the American (??) audience. This worried me when I heard about it, and whilst completely unnecessary it actually worked.

The casting was always going to be interesting. I thought Tobey Maguire did well as Nick Carroway, the outsider included into the inner sanctum of Gatsby and those around him. Elizabeth Debicki and Joel Edgerton were perfect as Jordan Baker and Tom Buchanan. Carey Mulligan, who I always love on screen, was solid as Daisy Buchanan, but somewhat not exactly right...though who would I cast otherwise, I have no idea. She was fragile and beguiling, a little ditsy, but maybe because you knew it was Carey Mulligan, she brought with it a certain otherworldliness that Daisy should not have. Also I was very distracted by her fake fingernails, they were the 'right' sort of nails for that period, but so obviously fake I was annoyed by it. I generally have issues with fake nails, I can't stop looking at them and wondering why anyone would do something to ridiculously stupid to themselves...but, you know, that's me.

Jay Gatsby, enigmatic, heroic, childish, aloof, naive, idealistic, flash, false, true, passionate. What a character, what a difficult part to cast. Redford never pulled it off and Leonard Dicaprio comes very close, but not quite. But again, I can't imagine who could pull this character off. I do adore Dicaprio, a great actor who is becoming a stunning leading man. It took a while for me to buy him as Gatsby, as he was, you know, Leo! But there was a scene, where he is at Nick's cottage about to meet Daisy for the first time in years, he disappears and reappears soaking wet - his Colin Firth/Darcy moment if you will - and he was Gatsby, standing there is a pale blush suit, looking ridiculous, earnest and wet. From then on he pretty much pulled it off, which is saying something. Not 100% but close!

The supporting cast was a who's who of Australian character actors including Baz himself!

There was much fuss about the music, a lot of hip hop and very modern music. This had me really really concerned. I love the 20s/30s above all periods, and therefore adore that music. Why on earth would you do a period piece without the period music. However it was a lovely mix of both, the modern worked quite well. And the masterpiece scene where they are partying unlike anything you have ever seen before and subtly introduces Gatsby at the same time was accompanied by Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue. This is my favourite piece of music of all time...bar none!!! You have to do it justice otherwise incur my wrath...it brought tears to my eyes, in the right kind of way...splendiferous! 

Which brings me to the set, perfection! Rambling houses, stunning rooms, deco sets, chandeliers, fountains, swimming pools, and Moet! Nothing was left to chance, it was utterly amazing, bright and sparkly, a rapid movement of flash and glitz, yet I wanted more. What, how, who can know? I think maybe that's where his quick, quick cutting fails, you actually don't get to see the detail in as much detail as you like because the camera never lingers long enough on what you want to look at. It's more like wow, that was, what was, oh gorgeous, huh, what...with an overall feel of spectacular, spectacular...but then a bit of longing for more. Someone later pointed out the cgi, which I sort of noticed at the time, but wasn't that bothered by. But, yes, each sweeping shot was more than likely cgi'd in, which is a shame. I think this with the severe and sharp cutting always add to my wanting more, or wishing the sweeping wasn't so sweeping and definitely not cgi, and the quick, quick, kept a fast pace but maybe not so fast!

The finer detail of costumes, jewels, room design, floral arrangements, food, cars and so forth were also spot on perfect.

Some scenes are great though, Myrtle's demise, and Gatsby's final scene with the pool were as I imagined them when reading the book. The Rhapsody in Blue scene that introduces Gatsby, perfectly reveals the excess of the period. The hot and cranky scenes at The Plaza hotel also perfectly captured. Gatsby longingly looking across the bay from jetty to jetty. His love of Daisy, so pure and so painfully unobtainable. I always thought Jay Gatsby was the most desirable character in the piece, in that his character was the purest and most realistic. The others were too flawed, or not quite fleshed out in a desirable way.

I also loved the billboard that distinguishes the various areas in the movie, It has the iconic blue cover on it, almost as if Fitzgerald was watching over the movie and guiding us through.

I didn't see it in 3D, I would be keen to see it again in 3D. I did thoroughly enjoy it, but yes, all the parts did not quite add up to love, love, love. But the film still stays with me, more than a week after seeing it too. It certainly more than makes up for the severe disappointment that was Australia.

I saw it for a fundraiser at The Tower Cinemas in Newcastle, L and I dressed up for it, as did everyone else in attendance...what a thrill.

Don't listen to the critics, go and see The Great Gatsby, and then go and find the book and read it too.