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Gatsby; the embodiment of the American Dream has finally received a film adaptation worth it's salt. I was more than ecstatic when I was informed that I would be able to see the film a day early, for free!
The Great Gatsby is one of the greatest books you can find. It's short, yet F. Scott Fitzgerald still manages to clearly and vividly portray every emotion, every detail to the reader. A book I have always loved, and won't stop any time soon.
But still, upon hearing the news of yet another film adaptation I was a bit skeptical. Sure, the book is amazing and deserves the attention it gets from these films, but can we really stand yet another word-for-word adaptation of the same damn book? It was Nick Carraway who said that "you can't repeat the past," to which both Gatsby and our filmmaker say "but of course you can." - Thankfully we get some nice changes to the story, though! Sure, the majority of the film is exactly what you know and love from the classic book, but they add a nice frame story of Nick speaking with a doctor about his depression and other disorders. Most of the great bits of dialogue from the original book are also present.
This version of Gatsby is definitely the most visually entertaining. Which is both a great strength as well as a weakness. I personally found the film a bit too flashy, however. The film editor went a little overboard with slow motion and splicing. The film would have benefited if it had only used it's flashy effects at parties, and kept it's 'real' scenes simple, straight forward shots. Different angles, obviously, but we don't need to see our couples in slow motion.
Thankfully, that is the only complaint I can give about the film.
The actors in this film are about as perfect as they come. In the 1974 version, most of the actor's seemed to just go through the motions, but not this time around. Now we have Mr. DiCaprio at the helm of the film. A truly gifted actor whose talents are brought to the table. If felt like he was Gatsby, whereas Robert Redford (our Gatsby from the '74 film) just seemed to be a man reading lines. Also taking a lead role is Tobey Maguire, who also captured the essence of his character quite nicely. His character alone made the sequences between Tom and Myrtle feel awkward even for the viewer! And Mrs.Mulligan played the role of Daisy with such grace. A great cast all-around.
I give this film a very high recommendation, even more so to the fans of the book!
Rating: 8/10
Discussion topic: If you were in Nick's position, would you have helped Gatsby in any way? (the business proposition, getting with Daisy, standing up for him, etc.) Why, or why not?
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