“I wasn’t actually in
love, but I felt a sort of tender curiosity.”
 |
So is the
beginning of “The Great Gatsby”, directed, co-written and co-produced by the
Australian Baz Luhrmann. This prestigious director has just directed four more
feature movies apart from this one, and the four of them are prominent:
“Strictly Ballroom”, a version of “Romeo and Juliet”, “Moulin Rouge!” and
“Australia”. Moreover, he has experience in theatre, advertising and
performance.
The movie
is a diegetic tale told by Nick Caraway from a sanatorium. It is the story of
how he met his neighbor Gatsby. That story starts at the prolific city of New
York in the summer of 1922. Gatsby dwells one of those mansions of the new
wealthy people, or probably the mansion for excellence, where the entire city
attends every week to celebrate parties full of luxury, ostentation and
magnificence. However, it seems like nobody knows the real Gatsby; they just
know myths about him, and that Is why Nick will try to unveil that mystery and
their lives will cross until the end.
Regarding
the topic that can be deduced from that plot, the movie makes a reflection
about both the past and the old age. Furthermore, other topics are also treated,
like love, luxury or the sin.
Regarding
the cinematography, it can be said that in general it attracts the attention of
the audience from the beginning until the end. It is a skillful and perfected
direction, although there are some shoots that seem more slovenly. The staging
is rich and radiant, like the story it tells. A narrative resort that is used
in several occasions is the lapse of time, since it is a story of the past told
from the present. For that it is necessary the use of flashbacks and
flashforwards.
The
screenplay of “The Great Gatsby” is an adaptation of the homonym book written by
F. Scott Fitzgerland in 1925. Nevertheless, it is not the first one, as four
more adaptations have been made before this one. The last one was made thirteen
years ago.
The cast
that make possible this movie can’t be obviated. It is led by Leonardo Di
Caprio in the role of Jay Gatsby. Tobey Maguirre is also worthy of the occasion
in the role of his neighbor Nick. Carey Mulligan also shines as Daisy Buchanan,
accompanied by Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan. No doubt that there are more
actors that detach for their great performance, but these four seem to carry
out the story.
Almost as
important as the cast is the music chosen for “The Great Gatsby”. Undoubtedly
it is a big claim for the audience, since they are songs by famous artists of
the present that will take its fans to watch the movie. In total, there are
fourteen songs, that include songs by Jay-Z, Beyoncé, Will.I.Am, Florence &
The Machine, Gotye, Sia, and even the suitable song by Lana del Rey “Young And
Beautiful”. Obviously these songs are not from the twenties, as it includes rap
and other modern styles.
“The Great
Gatsby” has an approximate running time of 143 minutes, and being at the
cinema, you will enjoy almost every minute. However, there is a certain moment
when you think that the end is very close but it goes on prolonging, probably
creating desperation. That is the reason why, in the opinion of the one who is writing
here, the ending should have been shortened.
Having said
that, I just invite you to watch the movie and enjoy the spectacle and the
audiovisual party that Luhrmann proposes us. And I even say more: will “The
Great Gatsby” obtain a prize at the next Accademy Awards? I certainly think
that it deserves it.
“I hope she’ll
be a fool. That’s the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful
little fool.” The Great Gatsby
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