What
more could any woman want than a man who would look at her in the eyes as if
she were the only thing in the world that mattered? It was a love that neither distance nor time
could wither. It was a love that neither person nor memory break, and a love that was so powerful, it made one
man climb the high society and become one of Long Island’s wealthiest men. Five
years is worth the wait for a man like Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) who would
selflessly offer his everything to Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), his
ladylove, in The Great Gatsby.
The Great Gatsby is by far one of
the best movies that ever grazed theatres. It is a movie portraying a society of the
educated rich. Elite bureaucrats, power-thirsty moguls, high buildings, bigger
parties, more crowded streets, and feistier people are only a taste of the more
multifaceted personalities and picturesque views the movie has to offer. It’s
the kind of movie that leaves your brows furrowing in frustration while
pressing the rewind button as you try to understand the complexity of the movie.
It’s an eye-and-ear-catching movie that perfectly depicts the kind of society
the booming 1920s was. Even the cast of the movie screamed ‘young and ambitious’.
A box-office hit that earning a
total of $351,040,419 worldwide as of 2014, The Great Gatsby is an Academy
Award winning movie adaptation of the same book by American author F. Scott
Fitzgerald. It was directed, produced, and screen played by Baz Luhrmann, the
man behind Moulin Rouge (2001) and Romeo + Juliet (1996). The Great Gatsby
is a film of a million layers of intricately thought out portrayals. Starting
from the scene, costumes, music, characterization, and actors, the movie evoked
a bittersweet mood. At present, the movie had garnered 33 wins and 41
nominations. It’s a movie that bookworms who have read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s
The Great Gatsby must watch.
The movie pilots to the present,
with Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire) narrating the past events that had led to
his current predicament, as is the same with the book version. The transition
from present to past being narrated in first person was somewhat a common
development seen in some movies such as Tangled (2010), Sunset Boulevard
(1950), Fight Club (1999), and The Wolverine (2013), although the special
effects did make up for that. The music was pretty catchy, with just the right
tune and bit of lyrics to spice up the party scenes. Also, despite the fact
that the movie was not shot in the exact place the story took place, instead of
New York, the movie was shot in Australia, the difference was not noticeable at
all. It definitely looked New Yorkan and not Australian.
Movie characters were in sync with
the roles they played. The suave Jay Gatsby was a well-played role by DiCaprio.
The two-faced Daisy Buchanan played by Mulligan fooled me. Nick Carraway’s
simplicity and innocence echoed through Maguire’s acting. Jordan Baker’s sassy,
yet polished elegance was given justice by Elizabeth Debicki’s acting. Both Tom
Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson’s capriciousness and tenacity were roles I bet no
other person except Joel Edgerton and Isla Fisher, respectively, could play.
What added more the sparkle of the well-delivered lines by the movie’s actors
and actresses were the props and costumes. Every setting found in the movie was
obviously put up with a lot of manpower involved. The costumes, though
modernized and not exactly what people from 1920s wore, had a large impact on
giving off a 1920s feeling to the movie.
The plot was constructed well; it only
partly deviated from the original plotline of the book. Parts from the book
that were not emphasized included the relationship shared by Carraway and Baker
and the part where Gatsby’s father attended his funeral. Still, the movie was
wholesome and captured the true message of the book: the American Dream of
prosperity and success.
Comparing
the book and movie, I’d give the movie 4.5 out of 5. Overall, it was a movie
the great Mr. Fitzgerald would gladly give his applause to; a kind of movie one
wishfully hopes would have a sequel.
Movie trailer:
