I read the book by Francis Scott Fitzgerald shortly before the premiere, the film adaptation of Baz Luhrmann. Although I didn’t understand why it caused such a stir among readers, I liked the book. What I can't say about her new film adaptation.
I'll start with the pluses.
1. Actors. Leonardo DiCaprio in the role of Jay Gatsby, it's just a godsend! Beautiful, charismatic, sophisticated. The way you imagine Gatsby when you read the novel, he is fully embodied thanks to the talented actor Leonard DiCaprio.
Joel Edgerton, by the way, not far behind. And it also embodied Mr. Buchanan with dignity and believability.
As for the rest, there is not much good. No, I can't say that Toby Maguire is bad or anything like that. It's just that his character in the movie wasn't what he should be. And the fault, this is not Toby, but only the screenwriter, who dared to remove from the film the line of relations between Nick Carraway and Jordan Baker, which made Nick weak-willed and boring.
Everyone else, I did not cause any emotions, neither positive nor negative. It's just a mediocre game.
2. It's a beautiful sham. Excellent outfits, excellent decoration of parties and apartments.
That's where the pros end. And begin colossal errors Base Luhrmann, which could not do without this deliberate pretentiousness.
The first and huge fat minus is the soundtrack, which is still in the trailer catches the eye, but still does not spoil the impression as much as when it is present in the film. I don't have anything against Jay-Z and all that modern music, but when is the '20s party Dub-Step playing? When beautiful vintage cars drive across the Brooklyn Bridge in their 20s and play Hip Hop? It looks absolutely stupid and ridiculous.
Second on the list of misses will be 3D. I've never really understood why movies without much effect are made in 3D. I understand when, shoot something fantastic or adventure, and from flights, “flying” from the screen of objects can be breathtaking. But when it’s a melodrama/drama/story or something like that, where there are almost no effects (especially if you’re not watching in IMAX), it only spoils the impression.
The third and main drawback is the script. Baz Luhrman, old man, why did you turn Nick Carraway into the man who wrote The Great Gatsby? Why did he change his first words, namely the phrase with which the novel begins? Why put Jay's dad out of the movie, and then Jordan and Nick's relationship? And Tom and Nick's last meeting? In the film, all events rapidly changed one after another, which the viewer does not have time to comprehend, one moment already sees the next scene. Maybe someone likes it, but definitely not lovers to think and feel the moments.
To summarize, I want to say that this is still not the worst film adaptation. And in general, you can admire beautiful actors, beautiful pictures, albeit with ridiculous musical accompaniment, but still to the heart of this film adaptation is not worth taking.
6.5 out of 10
I have no idea how this film will be seen by those who have not read Fitzgerald’s novel. For to look a little further than the entire palette of colors, which pulsates the film for two hours, the modern viewer is not able.
In the film (as in the book itself), the grandeur of all parties is on the verge of possibility. At some point, it even becomes difficult to sit still and not start dancing with strangers. “A little party never killed anyone.” But on your way out of the theater, you get such a wild headache that you realize you just came from Gatsby Mansion. I can’t help but think that both Luhrman and Fitzgerald make this part of the story so pretentious intentionally, in order to amplify the “effect of tragedy” that follows.
Separately for the aching "what kind of modernity is this in film in the age of jazz" - read Baz Luhrmann's interview. Yes, and that has a hidden meaning.
There is no need to talk much about DiCaprio. All the words of admiration I know ended somewhere on Django Unchained. Another man said, “DiCaprio doesn’t need an Oscar, he wants a monument.” Well said. His Jay Gatsby seems to have come off the pages of a novel. The flower scene in the house is cut out of the film and systematically revised. The abundance of accurate quotes from the book (including my favorite) warms the soul so much that it reaches euphoria.
The film is not without drawbacks, but it will sweep through such a whirlwind of motley extravaganza that you begin to “calculate” those very shortcomings only after watching. And yes, “the PR department of any company cries for Luhrmann.” But this does not prevent him from fulfilling the main task - to conquer the story of impossible love of the Great Gatsby. Again.
I just got back from the cinema and wanted to concentrate all the emotions from what I saw. I didn’t expect this movie at all, like I was waiting for the second Star Trek, or I was waiting for Lone Ranger. But there was something very appealing about Gatsby. And this despite all the confusion that was shown in the trailer.
I really like this time. 1920s in the United States. Jazz, champagne, foxtrot. And I understand perfectly well that beyond these parties lived a completely different America. But what a game of colors. The dynamics, the original style with which the idle life of the “color of the nation” is presented, struck me and surprised me. Trying to capture only for a second flashing bright image, you are drowning in this stream of shades, and everything that happens seems a kind of cycle of insanity and euphoria. And it's all flavored with an incredibly organic soundtrack.
The choice of music made me happy with each new song. I guess I have a little thing about it. It was the processing of old and new hits, experiments with styles and allowed instead of the most realistic picture of that time to create a kind of projection on us, our time, thereby showing that only the scenery changes, but not people.
The work of the artist and all the workers of the art shop deserve special compliments. Luxury mansions, stunning interiors, meticulous attention to detail in every room, to every costume gave me untold joy. Every little thing found, whether it was a fan, a matchbox, a glass or a pen, filled the already emotional heart drop by drop. Incredible beauty of New York, its streets and houses. And of course, the place that is given, in my opinion, a key place in the film. That building between town and suburb. This sharp contrast is a strong and beautiful artistic technique. This contrast has shown me that to address the problems of unemployment, poverty and social inequality as a kind of “backstage” carefree life of the powerful, it is not necessary to resort to long, detailed dialogues or arguments of the inner voice on this topic. Sometimes a single picture is enough and you will understand everything. What you do not understand, you will feel. I don't know what those eyes piercing you mean. If I had read the book, I might have found the answer. But even ignorance did not prevent looking in them to feel a mixture of confusion and some hypnotic fascination, a sense of mysterious but important detail for the whole film. I don't even know.
Camera hits and close-ups, which the Beckmambets love so much and which I dislike so much in some of his films, gave me pleasure here. Maybe it's part of the skill of the director, feeling what to show the audience now? I hope I will find out someday.
I can't talk about actors. I don’t even know by what categories they can be judged or whether they should be judged at all. We will stay on the favorites “like/dislike”. Moreover, there is no dispute about taste. If I still feel it and describe it here, then they did it. Leo, as always, once again confirmed his undeniable talent. The two scenes, with his wonderful monologues involuntarily evoking fond memories of the recent Django Liberated, are truly spectacular and beautiful. The showdown in the hotel room is still in my memory in the finest detail. This, of course, is the merit of every actor. Maguire, who by his absurdity and "lostness" always made me smile, was very useful. And even though he reminded me of Peter Parker all the time, I didn't realize it until after the movie. That’s what the director needed, and that’s what I needed. I'll trust Luhrmann. Isla Fisher, unknown to me before this film Cary Mulligan and Joel Edgerton. Thanks.
After reading all the negative reviews on the site, I came to a fairly clear conclusion - you just haven't read Fitzgerald's legendary novel The Great Gatsby.
I'll start in order. First of all, I couldn’t recover from watching this acclaimed tape. And the fault of this is not the tinsel and attractive costumes of the main characters from Prada, nor the luxurious jewelry of Daisy and even the mind-blowing houses in which the “culprits of the celebration” lived.
I could not come to my senses thanks to the amazing acting of Leonardo DiCaprio. Yes, that's how I imagined the great Mr. Jay Gatsby to be, and that's what his mansion, stuffed with rich and famous dummies, looked like in my mind.
Secondly, the book and the film adaptation are filled with special magic, after reading and watching, you begin to look at the most elementary things differently. After all, today you are rich and the whole world is at your feet, and tomorrow ... and tomorrow may not be.
Tobey Maguire did a great job in his role. Sometimes infantile and very honest "old man", as Gatsby likes to call him.
As for Daisy, behind her bright appearance, behind colorful outfits and carelessness hides stupidity and insignificance. I don't think she's capable of loving anyone, whether it's Tom or Gatsby.
If you want to see a beautiful picture with an interesting narrative and an impossible love story, then do not waste time and sit comfortably while watching The Great Gatsby.
"-Hello, old man.
Well, I'm not disappointed, although I expected to see a slightly different narrative line of the main one. However, I have not read Fitzgerald’s novel, so my criticism of the plot is only imho, based on watching the film.
Now for a little bit of everything.
Storyline. Oh, it's a ragged narrative, feedbacks, main line, feedbacks, parishes, feedback. Honestly, shortly after the movie started, I started getting sick. But this is not a problem - the juiciness of the picture more than absorbed these pools of memory. The trouble lies in another, in love. Yes, the love line is the main, priority and completely crosses all the others. The intrigued viewer in anticipation waits for the denouement, waiting for the cherished answer to the question “So who was the great Gatsby?” and as a result receives an incomprehensible babble about a great and undoubtedly beautiful love. Why, why did you have to stick it out like that? Honestly, soap can be seen at home under a cozy blanket, here it is superfluous.
Acting. Excellent. DiCaprio played the divine Gatsby... divinely? Exactly. A delightful range of emotions, a cocktail of contradictory experiences, feelings, and a feeling of endless loneliness of the protagonist that does not leave us. He fluffs the peacock's tail, hides behind a mask of brilliance and luxury. Its wealth is its protection, a facade that protects the fragile structure inside. He literally falls in love with vicious purity and sincere hope for the best. The belief that it is possible to bring back the past. But we exist only here and now, and so do our feelings. The heroine of Carey Mulligan, Daisy, causes only a persistent feeling of disgust at her involuntaryness and cruel carelessness. And this is also an indicator of excellent, she played the “good fool”, behind the immaculate appearance of which hides a mean, heartless and weak-willed woman without principles and honor.
Picture. Crazy colored frenzy and magnificent future plans of the city. Charming little things, diversity and amazing harmony of the surrounding world and people, as if merged with it into a single whole.
Soundtrack. I totally disliked it. The beginning of the twentieth century - and suddenly rap? It's a terrible sound, unfortunately.
Beware of people who are not rumored. Motherfuckers smile more often.
The verdict is a good picture, spoiled by ill-chosen music and a drunken cameraman.
Completely magical Gatsby and one of DiCaprio's best roles
Yes, all those who say that the film is not the same as the book are right. Luhrmann told another story. Not about the pitiful little man who was vainly gushing, trying to become great, and the insidious heartless ice-shell with a gentle face, which in the eyes of this little man seemed filled with golden radiance.
It’s about a person who tried to be something other than himself, or could pretend to be someone or anything, or not pretend at all, because he was still bigger than everyone else. His story is almost a Homeric epic. Can Achilles or Odysseus be weird? That's what Luhrmann Gatsby could have done.
Diligently playing the role, he is many times more real than everything around, and the measure of their insistence, as suddenly turns out, is how much he broke their lives.
Everything rewritten in comparison to the novel hits this point: removed everything that would turn him back into a piercing upstart - from a young man who pretended to be a prince when he shouldn't, because he is already a prince. The story is directly about a unicorn, which was raised by donkeys, and he himself thought that the donkey, but decided to play the unicorn.
And yes, accordingly, his love for Daisy is a mirage in the fact that she herself does not matter, in his world she can be anyone. But love is the most real (Daisy in Kerry Mulligan turned out not to be a dummy, but a lost young woman who eventually cut off her own path to something other than mediocrity, except for the luxurious-looking predictable mediocrity of expensive dresses and techniques).
And the final union of the elusive, surviving Buchanans here is not at all a joyful, dense, real bond of real people as opposed to fictional feelings. This is the community of those who miraculously remained intact, faced with an iceberg, a tsunami, a falling colossus. There's a storyteller in the performance of Tobey Maguire's life completely destroyed - and now you have to reassemble. That’s why framing with the doctor and creating a manuscript – because he is not an epic hero, but a real one, and everything that broke, though painful, will be assembled into a new, much more beautiful construction.
This story, unlike the book, I cannot see from the outside. And no one who likes it can. We all went to look inside ourselves - how much Gatsby is in us, wherever our own is now - on the pier, on the dance floor, in the pool in a pool of blood. And what can he do if he shows him the green light of a lighthouse?
In one of the many interviews before the high-profile premiere, Baz Luhrman stated that he was releasing the film in 3D in order to get closer to the audience. Make him feel like a part of the action. To plunge into the world of the 20s of the last century even the screensaver "Warner Brothers" helps, and you, being in modern times, understand a holistic, thorough approach to business, tune in to watch a masterpiece.
The action takes place in the Parkinson's Psychic Clinic. Nick Carraway is still young, but has already rattled on the couch, and he has something to tell "Dr. Freud." Either I read the novel incorrectly, which I don't remember, or Baz Luhrman started talking nonsense. And getting ready for disappointment, I realized that this technique was introduced to facilitate the narrative. Let me make a reservation right away, I read the book recently with the motivation to only get acquainted with the plot before the premiere. And I did not think that she would turn so much in me, break my feelings and flood my soul with sorrow. And so it was very important for me to see all the visualization of the plot in detail and in the smallest detail. Fortunately, Luhrman introduced a negligible amount of "film", and therefore the film can safely be called Screening.
Baz Luhrman shifts his focus from Nick to the hospital to Long Island. At times, it sends the viewer into the foggy past - pre-war and wartime. However, it does so that the picture looks single, with smooth transitions, where there is nothing superfluous. It gives the viewer time and the opportunity to assimilate the morality of each particular scene.
Contemporary music as the background of retro pictures is an unexpected and piquant feature of the project. He does not cut the hearing, but, on the contrary, looks like a successful experiment, as in “The Story of a Knight”. The choice of compositions is such that “Love is Blinness” and “Happy Together” give me goosebumps... and the desire to listen to them again and again.
So back to 3D, I want to point out that the focus didn't work. The viewer is unable to feel part of what is happening on the screen due to the effect of "cartoon". Too bright colors, grotesque and extravaganza rule the ball. But in the scenes with parties 3D was very useful. The volume, the magnitude of what was happening was breathtaking.
You can talk about the cast... little. Because he's almost perfect. When I read the book, I never imagined anyone else as Jay Gatsby except DiCaprio. Nick's observations of Gatsby's face are clearly spelled out, with every emotion in great detail. The huge paragraph is just a description of the smile that the main character gives our narrator for the first time. And DiCaprio played perfectly. And a smile, and confusion from meeting a dream, and rage towards someone who dared to prevent it.
Cary Milligan is thin, almost airy. The only drawback is slouching. And since she plays a girl from a privileged family, this defect had to be covered up somehow. Milligan is very interesting with his eyes. In her views, literally everything is read depending on the moment - admiration, boredom and ... emptiness. The ideal candidate for a very difficult role found herself.
Tobey Maguire is the beautiful Nick Carraway. It highlights the main character - Gatsby. A true storyteller, friend and attentive person.
So how great is Mr. Gatsby? My dream. For him there is no impossible, impossible, for him there is no word “no”. He's great with the freedom of imagination. In the history of film and literature, I have never met a more rampant, crazy dream of a woman. The plot is very complex and multifaceted. His morality goes beyond decency, does not fit into the usual idea of the relationship of two people who love each other. People like Gatsby are rarely seen in real life. And meeting them, even an ordinary acquaintance, is already happiness. People of this breed have an inner light that does not come from money or fame. Or, worse, from origin. It comes from a dream. That's what J. Gatsby is all about.
Being in complete admiration for the history, book and film, I highly recommend it to those who liked the free reading of Romeo + Juliet, and just those who still remember what a real, high-quality cinema is.
10 out of 10
Just as I was waiting for the premiere, I am now waiting for the release of a CD with this masterpiece to once again enjoy the action. And in anticipation for the second time I will read the unforgettable book The Great Gatsby.
Fitzgerald bought his own book before he died because nobody cared about it. Last week, more copies of Gatsby were sold in the world than during his lifetime, all because of the film.
This statement belongs to the director of this project - Baz Luhrmann. And indeed, now the work is really gaining incredible popularity. Like the movie itself.
In general, I have quite contradictory impressions about the picture.
Everything seems bright, stylish, but something is wrong. And this "something" is what just feels incredible style of the movie "Moulin Rouge". Sometimes it seemed that the director decided not to bother about any new directions in his work and decided to make a new picture on the good old model. This applies to the scenery, and costumes, and angles, and manner of filming, and grotesque, and even the image of the writer. I won’t say it’s bad, but I would like something new.
But pleased with the closeness of the script to the content of the book, even if there was some interpretation.
The scenes of driving were completely disappointing. Of course, I understand that perhaps the director wanted to emphasize in them the incredible speed and power of the Gatsby car, to aggravate the tragedy of the ending, but this is not a reason to make in these moments the likeness of “Fast and Furious”. A lot of special effects, in my opinion.
As for acting, first of all, it should be noted the play of three actors.
Gatsby is simply gorgeous in the performance of Leonardo DiCaprio. This pathos, the mannerism at the beginning of the film, then this mixture of despair and hope in the eye, a kind of comic, insecurity. Also sensuality in the most gentle scenes. The role is brilliantly executed! Thank you, I didn’t disappoint.
Also impressed by the game Joel Edgerton (Tom Buchanan) and Jason Clark (George Wilson).
Edgerton has a perfect smug scoundrel. Bravo!
Clark got much less screen time, but, nevertheless, this did not prevent him from feeling the feelings of the hero quite deeply at the end of the film, he was very convincing. His eyes were really frightening.
The others weren't particularly impressed. It is a pity that this applies to Cary Mulligan.
I loved the combination of modern music with that era. I think that was one of the tricks to say that what happened then is just as relevant today. But in fact, the same problems, the same goals, the same lack of morality in society.
Finally, I would like to mention a couple of scenes that caught my soul. The first is an episode at Gatsby's house where he scatters his incredibly expensive shirts. The second scene was where Jay "lost his temper a little bit." Performed by actors and shot brilliantly! By the way, the shirt scene is the only one where I really believed Carey's game.
As I said at the beginning, the opinion is contradictory. Of course, the pros are more than the cons, but I cannot put an objective assessment yet. Either way, you won’t regret watching.
Incredible delight and amazing extravaganza! Tremble from top to toe and back!! Some fantastic and difficult to convey sensations! It was like I was reading one of my favorite books, and the characters were coming to life, coming up off the paper and becoming three-dimensional. Every line is shot, every detail is drawn. Houses and cars, trees and sky... and this green light on the other side.
Baz Luhrman got into the essence of the work and brought it to the screen. He did not emphasize his vision to the fore, but helped in each frame to see exactly what the author meant, only with the addition of something unique, his own. The handwriting of the director, in any case not crossing out the handwriting of the creator. It's like the pencil notes in the margins of reading a book that we've all left when we read something in school. These notes help to understand how deeply the reader penetrates into the work and analyzes it literally into letters. Every character is in their place. Brilliant cast - in the game of each of the actors you can see a serious attitude to their roles and preparation for their performance, working out their characters to the smallest details. Perfectly arranged frames - the operator is invisible with his camera where it is most needed, and shows what is hidden, but it is necessary to show. At the right moments, excerpts from the novel are inserted as the words of Nick, one of the key characters. It connects the film and the book even more, and explains something that is not entirely clear. Absolutely unexpected, but cool fit into the plot soundtrack. It seems not quite from that era, but only a couple of notes make you believe that we are watching in America in the 20s of the 20th century. The 3D effect was also a necessary tool and helped to get into that reality, to get as close as possible to what was happening.
Now let's get to the main thing. So to speak to dessert with a magical taste and a delicious aftertaste, which remains for a long time after watching. None of this would have happened had it not been for him. This is the Great Gatsby. The great Leonardo DiCaprio. When I watched the 1974 film adaptation, and then read the book for the first time, something kept bothering me. Something was wrong. With all my respect for Robert Radford's talent and acting, he was Gatsby, sort of, not quite. And now that Leo turned and said, "I am Gatsby" (the audience applauded), I understood why he was the absolute "mine." Gatsby. The thing that helped me understand everything was a smile. That's how Jay Gatsby smiled at Fitzgerald. “He smiled at me affectionately — no, much more than affectionately. Such a smile, full of inexhaustible encouraging power, you can meet four, well - five times in your life. For a moment, it seems to absorb the fullness of the external world, then, as if obeying an inevitable choice, concentrates on you. And you feel that you are understood as much as you want to be understood, that you are believed in as much as you believe in yourself, and that you are seen absolutely as you would most like to appear. That's how Leo smiles. And again, this ingeniously fantastic game of his eyes - at every moment, the transfer of the necessary emotions to them begins with a look and then already passes and is issued completely by the face. Gestures, movements. It conveys everything - embarrassment at the moment of the first meeting after a long separation, confidence that the past can be returned, a surge of anger and subsequent calm. There is nothing of existing states and human character that he cannot portray. He even shifts his eyebrows so that it looks like a line written by Fitzgerald. Gatsby doesn't even appear in the beginning. He's only talked about. But from the beginning, everything and everything is just a background for him. And Leo, with his play, conveys this very clearly and accurately. He's way ahead of everyone else in the game.
I can’t tell you what I liked the most. The whole movie is one such moment. It cannot be divided into fragments. This is a whole, where one frame flows into another, behind one word stretches a chain of dialogues. As in the book, the action grows, ends with one phrase, begins again and again grows and again one word or phrase. And in this component, the director also gives us an inextricable connection with the narrative in the book.
All I know is that I’m going to watch this movie again, and I’m going to enjoy it every time. It is a pity that there will no longer be such a bright and sweet “first impression”. I am a little jealous of those who are still waiting.
10 out of 10
Films made from books are a comparison, but since literature and cinema are considered as different kinds of art, I prefer to evaluate Gatsby with a fresh look.
Luxurious interiors and unbridled parties in the protagonist’s house could not leave me indifferent. This bright cover of the life of New York in the 20s, full of frank outfits of frivolous ladies, seething with rivers of forbidden alcohol, striking in the eyes with its screaming luxury, is accompanied by surprisingly modern musical compositions. At first glance, this discrepancy seems somewhat inappropriate, but, in my opinion, gives the atmosphere a dynamism and allows you to complete the impression of total farce. Here the notorious 3D technologies come to the place, allowing us to indulge in general revelry.
Degree DiCaprio successfully reveals the image of a desperate dreamer, a bright and mysterious Gatsby, who drowns in the quagmire of deception, self-interest and cowardice of guests of his own home. All his life, all his greatness thrown at the feet of windy and calculating Daisy. Heroes are enveloped by an atmosphere of panic and madness, and luxury is instantly devalued. Anyway, all these “vicious people” failed to desecrate Gatsby, because the green light of the lantern, the light of his dreams, confidently breaks through the thick fog of the night.
Despite the tragedy of the final, I am convinced that this is the best outcome for Gatsby.
With a healthy dose of perfectionism and a pure soul I put the film.
9 out of 10
Today I went to the long-awaited premiere with excitement and anxiety: some negative reviews were frightening, and hopes for a strong adaptation of the novel collapsed.
The first thing to note is the chic adapted soundtracks. Inimitable Leonardo DiCaprio and Joel Edgerton, Tobey Maguire was a little embarrassed by his frivolity, his image is a little unfinished, Carey Mulligan looks like a gray mouse (even compared to Elizabeth Debicki, playing a young golfer), in my opinion, many of the actresses who claimed this role more harmoniously fit into the cast. Visual effects and oversaturated editing at first cut your eyes, but over time you get used to and begin to fully enjoy the image of America of the 20s, created by Baz Luhrman with his inherent handwriting “burlesque”. You can feel the fact that the film is aimed at the general public, and many people blame it. I take this trend calmly - creators also need to feed children. The similarity with the new Anna Karenina is present in the sense that the era is transmitted mainly by the picture. The creators of both paintings turned out interesting, classic stories from a new angle and are perceived in a new way.
Thank you to the creators.
Those who have not read the novel will be especially interested.
I will try briefly, out of respect for the laconic novel.
For those who read Fitzgerald’s original novel between the lines, the film will be a disappointment. All the characters are like the viewer in the palm of his hand, the characters are revealed instantly, this makes watching the film completely “indifferent”. You will be shown a picture, and you do not need to think at all. But the director cannot be blamed for this, the film is primarily commercial, not authorial.
And for those who have not read - a bright, incendiary and carnival picture, with a share of drama under the dreary violin.
All right.
"The Great Gatsby" by Baz Luhrmann.
Beautiful, but not brilliant acting, it feels a note of falsehood, which with all my heart I want to ignore, distracting attention to the colorful carnival, which the characters of the story live.
Except for Jay Gatsby, of course, the protagonist. In love with a dummy, he invented a new man, instead of his true self, lived by deception and was blindly obsessed with a near lady. Hence the whole tragedy.
Many people refer to him as an example of a person who is truly in love, but I have to disagree that this film is about love. It is, again, about obsession, purposefulness and stupidity, cynicism, ambition and perhaps a hundred other human vices.
The film will leave you under the impression for sure, but the atmosphere of the Age of Jazz will not show you. Stylized costumes - yes, music - no. Alas.
6 out of 10
To be honest, I’ve been waiting for the movie for a long time. I re-read the book (I recommend one of my favorites), watched the already existing adaptations of the novel. This is May 16th.
The audience caught, to put it mildly, not the most successful, which somewhat interfered with the viewing, but did not affect the overall impression of the film.
I'll start with a picture. She is magnificent - Lurman knows how to shoot beautifully (remember the same Moulin Rouge). Interesting angles, unusual solutions, colors - great in one word! I agree, perhaps, that for someone a rich visual part will seem too much, but I was quite satisfied, this hypertrophied luxury, brilliance is not convenient for this film.
Actors. It's not a top score here, unfortunately. Well, I don't like Tobey Maguire, that's all. He lacked some seriousness, maturity - he always walked with an incomprehensible expression and a stupid smile. This is not what Nick Carraway imagined.
But Leonardo DiCaprio, on the contrary, very pleased. The result was a smile, "full of inexhaustible encouraging power, which you can meet four, well - five times in your life," and a look "that every girl dreams of." The character was genuinely sorry, and at the same time he commanded respect. A real gastby for me.
Carey Milligan and Joel Edgerton did a great job in their roles. Daisy is a socialite entangled with her own desires and Tom is a man who, although he went left, always returned to his wife. This is exactly what you need.
Jason Clark (automechanic) and Isla Fisher (his wife and Tom's mistress). Isla did not cause any specific emotions - a beautiful girl, but I do not see in her a great actress. Clark was not enough, but did not annoy with his game, so everything was pretty good.
Jordan performed by Elizabeth Debicki did not touch at all. A strange character, a completely different representation of her. Whether the actress herself is neither fish nor meat, or such an idea of the director, but in any case her heroine turned out to be raw and lifeless.
Now I'm going to the soundtrack. If you look at it separately from the movie, that’s great. But I don't know, modern motifs in the '20s sounded a little weird. “Young and Beautiful” by Lana del Rey. The song is lyrical, insanely beautiful, but I didn’t see its connection to the film. Melody - yes, words - no.
So, the advantages of the “Great Gatsby” still more than the minuses. You should go to the cinema at least for the sake of a wonderful, I would even say “delicious” picture. I also recommend to go to those who liked the book – shot very close to the novel!
8 out of 10
Fitzgerald’s novel played a role in making this assessment.
I found out about the novel The Great Gatsby, as I had already started, quite by accident. I'm reading Yeats' Road of Change, and it says in the comments that this novel is "The Great Gatsby" for new times. I wondered what the book was. After reading the description, I decided to read it. And then my interest increases significantly when I learn about the new film adaptation with DiCaprio in the lead role! So I'm reading this novel in February and looking forward to the film adaptation. So today I'm attending a daytime session at the cinema. Well, overall, I'm happy. Maybe not to the degree of delight that I expected, but the film adaptation, I believe, succeeded.
What's this movie about? Nick Carraway moved to New York in the spring of 1922. Engaged in credit operations in a small firm - he begins his story with the memory of how he rented a house in West Egg on Long Island, where, unlike East Egg, lived not noble, but no less wealthy people. He settled next to a rich, mysterious man named Jay Gatsby. Almost every night he has a party, there are a lot of guests invited and uninvited, rich and poor, Jay is happy to welcome them. So Nick meets him at one of the parties, immediately liking this Gatsby. Nick is drawn into the fascinating world of the rich – their illusions, love and deceit. He becomes a witness to what is happening in this world and writes a story of impossible love, eternal dreams and human tragedy, which are a reflection of modern morals.
Honestly, happy! The film was able to show us almost everything the novel showed. The terrible society of that time, which loved to “rest” with a bottle, the suffering of the lower classes, certain symbols, the blackness of life, hiding between the “lines” of the film, hiding under idle costumes, music and fun. The whole basis of both the book and the film, of course, is concentrated in society: its vices, its dishonesty, its immorality, in the end, its indifference, selfishness and the like. The director shows all this in bright colors, which on the contrary disfigured people’s faces, their behavior, so that the viewer could see the excess of this “beauty”. But why was it so interesting for me to read and watch The Great Gatsby – the answer is simple: society has not changed in almost a hundred years – and it’s scary! Nobody needs anyone, everyone lies, runs away from responsibility, drinks, does not reciprocate the feelings of another person. But this is probably a tragedy, denouncing what many are afraid to expose, to say it – the truth! It seems to us that this and that person love us, respect us, will not be forgotten even after death, but sometimes it turns out that no one needs you already, even during life, wearing the mask of self-confidence, accepting the false love of others. Of course, the highlight of this narrative is beyond the control, in my opinion, of Baz Luhrmann. It's not his subject. It's too serious here. That’s why it was so sad when I didn’t see something I wanted to see. When it is time for rebukes, feelings, anger, hatred, and the desire to weep, I get nothing like what was in the book. But this, dear viewers, is only a small part of the tape, so clasping your teeth, you can forgive the director.
The cast is brilliant! In general, I am outraged by reviews, negative reviews about the game and appearance Leonardo DiCaprio! He has been on the list of my favorite actors for many years, delighting more and more every year! How he knows how to show emotions, scream, convey only the look of the mood of the hero! Personally, when I read, I imagined him as Gatsby! The experience, the embarrassed face, the horror on the face, the smile that you see very rarely and so on – this is so chic DiCaprio showed!!! Identical to his book hero. This is another huge plus of the movie! And about the appearance somehow funny to read (" fat, "face swollen", "he drinks?" and so on). We are all not getting younger, and I do not agree with such remarks. Nonsense. He's fine. I was glad to see Toby Maguire. Overall, good! Modesty, curiosity, inner struggle, the fight against injustice – well done. I recently fell in love with Cary Mulligan, so I was glad to see her as Daisy. I am also pleased with the game of Joel Edgerton, who skillfully entered the image of his scoundrel hero, showing emotions at the level.
And in conclusion, I want to say that The Great Gatsby is a strong film filled with deep meaning and philosophy (sometimes hidden) that is worth watching for many, especially those who prefer to take something with them after watching, rather than look and forget. Sounds like a good movie, but not without its flaws. I had to have two directors, but it's very insolent. One should be responsible for the outer shell, for the kind of society, and the other should denounce the very philosophy and rigidity of the narrative, because, I believe, both are not given to Luhrmann, although the director is good. Very good film, long-awaited and beautiful. Still impressed. I suggest you check it out. I don’t think I can be lower than
9 out of 10
Gatsby believed in the green light, the light of an incredible future of happiness, which moves away every year. Let it slip away today, but no problem – tomorrow we will run even faster, stretch our arms even further... and one fine morning... So we try to swim forward, fighting with the current, and it demolishes everything and demolishes our boats back in time.
Every year, the big summer movie season opens on the first weekend of May. Movies such as Spider-Man, The Avengers and Iron Man 3 debuted with huge success for the start of the season, on the first May weekend.
And every year, in mid-May, deadly bombs and blockbusters come out. “The Great Gatsby” is one of these films, and you’ve probably already heard about it, and were looking forward to the premiere.
Transferring us to 1922, Leonardo DiCaprio plays Jay Gatsby, a mysterious mogul who throws legendary parties in his luxurious and daring mansion in West Egg, Long Island.
Nick Carroway (Toby Maguire) is a writer who decided to give up his unprofitable profession to make real money in the bond market. He rents a very modest cottage in the shadow of Gatsby Castle, and thus attracts the interest of this mystical figure.
But why does Gatsby take such a strong interest in Carroway?
The film adaptation of The Great Gatsby is a bland, empty look at the classic novel. Total chaos, no point. I haven't read Fitzgerald's book. To be honest, I don’t think I’ll like this piece. But I guess there was a lot of morals and deep thinking about class struggle, the frivolity of the elite, the influence of rumors and gossip, and more.
Instead, the film looks like a fake.
For the first half an hour, I didn’t understand what kind of madness was happening on the screen, and it made me laugh wildly. Seriously, be sure to watch the film walking for the sake of its beginning: a complete feeling that you are watching a selection of Russian commercials, a la Bonduel and Lenor - a quick change of frames; unexpected camera approximations to the faces of the actors, and their theatrical playfulness; disgusting musical accompaniment in the form of rap-shmeep and remixes on modern compositions, which makes the film about the era of the 20s even more fake.
Apparently, Baz Luhrman decided to bring thrills and a peculiar twist to his film adaptation. But in the end, the Great Gatsby is a visual assault, almost a rape. The director tried so hard to visually stun us, but missed the chance to tell a naive but tragic story, with strong emotions and experiences. The plot twists of the film do not make sense, because the viewer is not kept in suspense, but only forced to look at the clock in anticipation of the denouement of the story.
I would also like to highlight the performance.
DiCaprio is always good. He made Gatsby the best character in the film: an unsurpassed showman, a skillful seducer, a devilish “magnet” that attracts people to himself and, at the same time, showed his vulnerability.
But here's Tobey Maguire - the failure of the year, the first nominee for the Golden Raspberry. He did two things: he smiled stupidly, and from time to time he was terribly stupid, not understanding what was going on around him.
Cary Mulligan as Daisy did nothing. Just mediocrely played careless, flying in the clouds girl. Her character is in love with a luxurious world that is not ready to lose even for the sake of the man of her dreams.
The tragic story underlying it has not received the attention it deserves. For 2.5 hours, the director forgot to tell its essence, and so at the end you will find a long monologue that ends the film crumpledly.
3 out of 10
The golden calf is still unsuccessfully trying to tame, and girls, contrary to the romance of epaulettes, prefer the rich to the military - nothing has changed since the "roaring twenties", only today the years groan to the accompaniment of a funeral orchestra rather than a jazz band, however, this is not about this; it is about a timeless Bible, where instead of commandments - the consequences of neglecting them; about ageless youth reborn in each new tribe. So, in the new “Great Gatsby” all this is not. The fantastic insight and insight of Fitzgerald, who painted an unfading portrait of the aristocracy of the dollar, gave way to beaten clichés, a bitter look at himself turned into a trivial therapy in the hospital, and only Sean Carter, coupled with Kanye West, cares about the catastrophic godlessness of a lost generation: in the deserts of megacities there are no churches, and those preachers who reached the cities brought only lies and champagne on their lips. But Luhrmann is not up to it; he returned ten years ago to the days of Moulin Rouge: a writer brought to the handle and a glass, the usual style of variety and superficial boogie-woogie on the huge dance floor of the set.
Luhrman, Luhrman... What about Luhrman? He in his plate of visual dessert smeared beads, lights and alcohol, retaining the manner of dining to the music of a completely different era. The Australian filmed as he can, and he knows how to tell melodramatic stories. From the tragedy of the collapse of the notorious American dream, he singled out only the heart component, putting it at the forefront, and immediately became clear the strategic importance of DiCaprio in the cast: renouncing the roles of romantic characters, he taught a real master class of tenderness and loyalty; he did not play - he loved in the frame Carey Mulligan, which turned out to be a miracle, how good in her ability to hide female cloth behind a childlike mouth and an innocent look. If the novel by Gatsby and Daisy were a separate work, its adaptation could be considered almost exemplary; the only problem is that it is part of a much more piercing fate, to drive into the framework of exceptionally sensual, of course, blasphemous. Luhrman simply did not pull the grandeur of the source, but for diligence and the beautiful illusion of carelessness, you can raise a glass of champagne with him. After all, the moment is not far off when the party ends once and for all with the arrival of four uninvited guests - insight, remorse, despair and powerlessness (how insightful was this Francis Scott - you need to drink to him!) - so have fun while we can.
7 out of 10
This movie finally hits theater screens! In fact, I was very much waiting for him, read the book and went to the cinema with the thoughts that I would not see anything more grandiose and memorable than the work itself. However, the view was wrong. The book, compared to the film adaptation, seemed to me rather dry, Luhrman, I think I have covered much more details. This is the rare case when you can say that the film adaptation is better than a book. I do not miss the idea that fans of the novel this film adaptation will disappoint.
Also, you can not leave unnoticed the play of Leonardo DiCaprio. He’s a great fit for the role of the Great Gatsby, in a word, the chic man he put on the screen. Once again, you can see that Leo is a great actor. This film was for me the second in his filmography, over which you can think and experience all the experiences together with the hero.
But the main character, in my opinion, just made an insensitive empty space. Despite all the “strong feelings” for Jay in this film adaptation, there is an opinion that Daisy, simply drowning in wealth, luxury, family problems, considers Gatsby as a good option to have fun. At the same time, she reacts extremely negatively to her husband’s infidelity. In general, the acting can be assessed rather as a positive side of this film.
A strong impression is made by the costumes of the heroes, the luxury of the parties shown in this film adaptation and the film itself is truly gorgeous!
However, the most unfortunate detail of the film can be considered the music of the twenty-first century, inserted in moments in which it does not fit at all. It is not clear why dub-step, club music, especially JayZ were used. I think that’s the main drawback of the film. This music was a risky note. But in contrast, we can say that The xx, Lana Del Ray, Jack White, Florence and the machine were quite suitable for the scenes of film.
Despite the small nuances of the picture, the film is worth watching, perhaps even more than once, since after the quotes and in general, the end is well played. There is something that really causes emotions. You can’t call it a masterpiece, but I think it’s a great adaptation of The Great Gatsby.
10 out of 10
Successful: the roles of Leonardo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan, the overall rhythm of the film - in this regard - good editing, the use of rapid; the work of production artists, costume designers; a combination of music and image (the only exception, perhaps, is the song of Lana del Rey, although it is an amateur).
Unsuccessful: the voiceover text - it in many episodes quite stupidly illustrates what happens on the screen without adding anything; a lot of clichés in the expressions of emotions - the problem of the director in working with actors (or in excessively adjusting to the comic); the role of Tobey Magauir is generally unsuccessful, visual effects - sometimes it seems that you watch screensavers from computer games (maybe the problem is in the copy of the film, which I saw in the movie).
But in general, the film seems to me quite topical and exciting. Andrey Plakhov in his review notes that the film protrudes design, it is a triumph of design. Perhaps we can agree, but the drama of the characters, in general, also feels.
6.5 out of 10
70s crammed into a frock or modern grotesque Gatsby.
Oh, if only I hadn't read the book. The comparison spoils the impression of the film.
The film is really grotesque. A golden organ, a really big house, but some strange light, well, one that's green and from the house. I don't remember him having Fitzgerald like that.
In fact, all the problems of the film could be fixed. Fire the selection of actors, music and cameraman.
The first famously guessed with Tobey Maguire, in the original modest narrator, who really liked to watch more, but unwittingly (thanks to the screenwriter-adapter) became an alcoholic and with Jordan, the actress who played her, unfortunately, I am not known. But the screenwriter removed the lion's share of her love line with the narrator and melted her icy heart. Well, with my heart, I can understand why, but the love line has been pushed too far.
Gatsby himself. In the shots, young Jay was small, and here he was quite accurate, and DiCaprio is not athletic and strong enough for Gatsby, as for me. But he did his best. Especially the lack of "power" is visible in the scene of his conflict with Tom at the hotel. Played well, but the conditional average young Pitt would have looked better.
Tom is a bit of a passerby, too. I'd be younger without a mustache. I'd like to see Fassbender here, which is subjective, but the line of cheating on my wife would be more alive than animal. This is a question for the writer.
Daisy. I thought it was totally zero. She'd be prettier and cynical. But there are no alternatives, except for Johansson. But I can't be sure.
I didn’t like rap as a soundtrack. Modern, intelligible, but not Great is Gatsby, modern such.
Sometimes it really seemed to me that there was nothing to take from the 20s-30s and the atmosphere was pulled from the cocaine 70s, drugs were replaced with bootlegger alcohol and squeezed it all into tuxedos seasoning with honest Gatsby dreams.
The operator, however, constantly makes intrusive close-ups and unnecessarily blurs the picture, which is annoying.
By the end of the film I started to like it better, well, like the book, and that's what aligns the score from minus to neutral.
In fact, they wanted a grotesque, adapted the script and so removed. I recommend watching and reading. But look first and then read. Modern grotesque Gatsby under modern grotesque life.
It’s probably the first movie not related to sequels and prequels like Potter and Marvel comics that I’ve been waiting for so long. For a long time I was interested in Gatsby in the list of DiCaprio films, but more seriously I was imbued with the idea of watching the film adaptation after the release of the first trailers. Like many, I was struck by their colorfulness and intrigued by the soundtrack. Therefore, as soon as the film appeared in the Russian box office, I rushed to the screening. And I had the opportunity (for the first time, probably!) to see the premiere in the original, which I did.
In my opinion, the creators did not change the plot much. The main thread of events remained the same as was built in the novel by the genius Fitzgerald. Some not very significant details were excluded, although some did not hurt to leave in the film. Something unusual was added to the picture, but this does not spoil it at all: the director, so to speak, revived the novel, breathed into it a modern rhythm and revealed the characters on a larger scale. Therefore, I consider the categorical statements of new and not only critics unfounded, even because the director’s task is not to sculpt an identical, but three-dimensional picture from a masterpiece created on paper, but to add something of his own. In this sense, I was satisfied with the work of Base Luhrmann.
As for acting, it is worth saying how good Leonardo DiCaprio is! Speaking of English, I highly recommend watching the film in the original, because the actors’ play is manifested to a large extent also in voices, so to speak. And DiCaprio does his job amazingly. Take scenes where his character is overly emotional or loses patience - it does not even occur to you who could play the same or better. Cary Mulligan turned out to be the same Daisy created by the writer in the novel. Personally, I looked at the actress differently after Gatsby, I liked her. Not inferior to them in their roles and Toby Maguire, and Ayla Fisher in a duet with Joel Edgerton. Pay attention to Jason Clarke and his almost colorless eyes and crazy look in one of the scenes – they say that the actor was noticed by the producers of “The Drunkest County in the World”, and on their recommendation he got to Luhrman. Thank you for that!
It is worth watching Gatsby in 3D, as the film even in 2D amazes with excessive color and some even too perfect views. On the effects and graphics, the creators did not stingy, and somewhere, perhaps, a little too much.
That's what's exciting, it's the soundtrack. Many feared that the use of modern compositions in the picture would only spoil it. But everything turned out so harmoniously that there is almost nothing to complain about. The main theme of the film is “Young and Beautiful”, which sounds several times and in several versions, but most of all I was impressed by my favorite “Love Is Blindness” performed by Jack White, which was included there, where you need it. Although it was possible to turn on louder - even in a quiet hall filled with tensely silent spectators, we had to listen. And this is probably the only film, except for the pictures of Marvel Studios, after which you can not leave immediately, but stay on the credits – think, think and listen to music. You won’t regret staying.
In the end, the main thing is that the film leaves behind in the soul of the viewer. “The Great Gatsby” for more than two hours as if drawing an intricate pattern with bright colors in my head, and then all this “art” exploded and there was only one faint green light. The film, like the book, makes you think about what people are driven by true, sometimes even blind love. I don’t even want to call it a drama, although “Gatsby” is a real tragedy, but here the genre category “life” even more fits. This is a story that is stunning in the simplicity of the eternal problem of love and frightening with its fatal tragedy. A great work of the great writer, filmed in an equally great picture. Enjoy it!
So we try to swim forward, fighting the current, and it demolishes everything and demolishes our boats back to the past.
In this colorful, dancing and frothy world of emotions, feelings and rivers of champagne and martini everything is a fake.
People are internally dead and empty, nothing holds them or cares about them, except money and position in society.
Gatsby is the only one who, in addition to a large fortune, has inner peace. He has a wonderful gift: hope.
Everything around is shimmering with bright colors, but inside the flames devour the main character. Frightened, but genuinely believing that his own happiness is possible.
It so happened that Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby became my flame of hope many years ago. This book changed me and still changes me. Every time I read it, I feel like I've been clawed out. Nothing hurts anymore. And it's okay. But I didn’t expect all of that to come back after the movie ended. In ten times the size.
In the game Leonardo DiCaprio I did not doubt. I've never seen the best Gatsby yet. Favorite actor in the adaptation of his favorite book. What could be better?
Toby Maguire met my expectations. I'm sure you've got Nick.
Kary Mulligan managed to show the gentle and naive Daisy.
The brilliant and well-known director Baz Luhrman tried his best. There wasn’t a moment when I wanted to say, “Hey, I don’t believe that’s possible!”
I also enjoyed the soundtracks, modern, but accurately fit into the atmosphere of the 20s.
Lana Del Rey – Young and Beautiful
Jack White - Love Is Blindness
Florence and the Machine - Over the Love
The movie is worth seeing. It is possible to even reconsider your life and change something in it.
And a little bit of advice from me: Don't watch a movie if you haven't read the book!!
Luhrman is far from the first to film Fitzgerald's novel. The very first film adaptation took place in the distant 1926, during the life of the writer. Then the novel received a new life on the screen in 1949, and the most famous was the version of the Englishman Jack Clayton with Robert Radford and Mia Farrow, released 39 years ago.
The British BBC channel made a television version with Toby Stevens, Paul Rudd and Mira Sorvino, and 13 years later Australian Baz Luhrman arrived. Obviously, but the fact is that Luhrmann’s version is the most high-budget of all the adaptations ($105 million). For such money, you can afford top Leonardo DiCaprio and luxurious scenery.
For those who have read the book, the story is clear and clear. Well, for those who have not read, it will be useful to learn the following: America of the early twenties of the last century. New York City, where money is made as easily as it is spent. In the area of Long Island, famous for its wealthy inhabitants settles young Nick Carraway (Toby Maguire).
Nick’s neighbor is the mysterious Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), who mysteriously became rich and surrounded by a trail of all sorts of rumors. Gatsby throws chic parties in his huge and pretentious mansion, where you can easily meet movie stars and politicians. But no one knows that all this is done for the sake of Daisy Buchanan (Carey Mulligan), Nick’s cousin and the wife of the aristocratic reveler Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) living on the opposite shore.
So Nick, in whose name the story is being told, enters the world of the rich and famous, a world of gossip, illusion and deception. The picture begins with the memories of Carraway, a clinic patient and chronic alcoholic. Playing with flashbacks is not a new technique, but Luhrman uses it very appropriately in business.
The first half of "Gatsby" recalls the previous works of Baz (the Moulin Rouge immediately comes to mind) with its visual picture - the parties are shown sweepingly and almost grotesquely, and the soundtrack is ironic and modern. It's such a directorial banter - early-century dances to dubstep and hip-hop, and vice versa - Beyoncé's song Crazy In Love in an almost foxtrot arrangement.
As for the presentation, it is shot close to the text of the book, but otherwise and not to say. This is especially true of the climax and finale. A cheerful musical with jokes, jokes and a spree, briefly freezes at the stage of gentle melodrama, where old feelings flare up with renewed vigor, and then ends with an American tragedy.
Closer to the finale, the paints, so bright at the beginning, become faded as the autumn sun and the leaves falling into the pool of the Gatsby mansion. The green light of the pier on the other bank, burning for the hero DiCaprio and giving him hope, went out. And hope was broken by carelessness, which kills all feelings.
Luhrman, who clearly managed the ending, not crumpled and devoid of pathos, in his own way showed this crazy and ephemeral era of the “swinging twenties”, using the trademark overlays of the future on the past. Not least thanks to the cast.
Leonardo DiCaprio is a pro and played a good man who jumped from “mud to princes”. In some places it seemed that he was slightly overplaying, but closer to the final he was more convincing and convincing. Did not spoil the impression and “Spider-Man” Tobey Maguire, who portrayed a few detached, as befits the observer, Nick Carraway.
Perfectly fit into the image of Tom Buchanan Australian Joel Edgerton, whose role claimed Ben Affleck, Luke Evans and Bradley Cooper. Luhrman chose a compatriot. A small miscast happened with the main female roles - and Carey Mulligan (Daisy), and Elizabeth Debicki (Jordan Baker) nothing was remembered. So, by the way, Keira Knightley, Natalie Portman, Eva Green, Scarlett Johansson and Rebecca Hall auditioned for the role of Daisy, and several starlets of a smaller rank.
But successful finds - Isla Fisher in the role of the broken Myrtal Wilson, and Jason Clark in the role of her husband. At the top, as always, is Luhrmann's permanent composer Craig Armstrong. The novels of Francis Scott Fitzgerald are often filmed and with
pleasure. And there are very worthy examples like “The Mysterious History of Benjamin Button” by David Fincher or “The Last Tycoon” by Elia Kazan. Luhrmann’s creation deserves to be on a par with them.
8 out of 10
Fitzgerald’s novel The Great Gatsby could be called a Summer Adventure. Indeed, it is very compact and begins and rapidly ends in the hot summer of 1922 on Long Island. It leaves me with the impression of rather “notes in the margins”, made hastily, before the final and thorough study of which Francis Scott lacked either time or patience. Where Fitzgerald is limited to a couple of brilliantly concise phrases, Leo Tolstoy would write a dozen pages. And Fitzgerald leaves the emotional nuances and motives of the characters to the imagination of the reader. The novel is so compact that Francis Ford Coppola, who adapted it to the film version of 1974, not only without bills transferred the entire action to a little 2 hours of screen time, but also reproduced some colorful details that appear in the text not physically, but only mentioned in gossip and conversation.
Summary: Jay Getz, later Gatsby (pseudonym), by birth No one who got hooked in his youth to the cute and unusually popular baby Daisy, a shining aura of big money and secular brilliance, energetically knocks out “in people”, makes a state that smells bad and doubtful, and after years (or rather 5 years) tries to regain his romantic love. In the story are tragically involved husband Daisy Tom, mistress Tom and her husband; friend Daisy Jordan; second cousin Daisy Nick, part-time neighbor Gatsby and by coincidence his temporary confidant. The background of what is happening is the secular party of New York at that time.
Gatsby 2013 also almost verbatim reproduces the architecture of the novel. There is even something added "from myself." For example, Nick Carraway turned out to be an alcoholic and Gatsby's story was recorded at the insistence of his psychoanalyst as a medical procedure. The meaning of this “genius” find, I honestly did not catch. The film is more like vaudeville than drama, and Moulin Rouge is more like Fitzgerald’s prose. Although, once again, the novel is very nonlinear and ambiguous, which allows a broad emotional interpretation.
The actor’s “dream team”, like the author of these lines, was apparently in a lot of confusion about the motives of their heroes, and besides this confusion and, as a result, some emotional isolation, nothing in particular was remembered. Against this background, Joel Edgerton successfully stands out, who was more lucky with his Tom Buchanan - a pronounced alpha male, the master of life, not bothering with harmful sentiments, takes everything he considers necessary. Buchanan-Egerton turned out to be the most realistic and “Fitzgerald”, except for the fact that in the novel he is a “hole”, closing the doorway. As we remember, Baz Luhrman saw in this role Ben Affleck (190 cm), and 180 cm Edgerton slightly blur the image.
The entourage is luxurious - Miucci Prada costumes, fundamental interiors, a team of artists familiar from the Moulin Rouge, a massive soundtrack by Keig Armstrong with Jay-Z and Lana Del Rey. In general, a gift for the Cannes party, although they took the film very restrained.
It is necessary to watch, but without high expectations.
I suppose I can run into the outrage of those who have read Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby. Many super important scenes have been removed from the novel. But wait, have you seen a lot of movies yourself without first getting acquainted with the original? Now, for sure, there are very few people who always, absolutely always before watching anything, find out whose book the film is made, read whole complex multi-page works and watch movies with a restless soul (although fearing that an unknown director would not distort the film adaptation). Such curious units. As for the classics read in school and spoiled by many directors, the approach is different. “The Great Gatsby” is not “Taras Bulba”, you can write off for a personal reading of Baz Luhrmann. In the end, it seems to me, in order to reflect his vision of the story, Luhrman did not make any unforgivable actions, but tried to treat the source with respect. At least it could be felt, special strangeness was not noticed, except for an unexpected musical design.
Whether a 3D movie is needed is another question, the influence of fashion has affected it. But I did not go to 3D, so I will start directly with the story impression.
At first, I didn't like the movie very much. Luxury, retro, cabaret – everything was shown too Hollywood standard, as if with a special intention to impress the visual component, because there were enough long, sagging episodes, and people, by the way, left the hall. Fortunately, two or three people left, realizing that they were not ready for such a long beginning, describing the adventures of the main character, by the way, not Gatsby himself. What really bothered me was the selection of music. Note: The action takes place in the first half of the twentieth century. Nick Carraway visits a cousin with her husband, and a small drinking party begins. And the motives of the twenties change... I don’t remember what, but the rumor caught something from the twenty-first century. Dub-step, club mix – in my opinion, this innovation is risky, given that not everyone will take it for novelty, and think that Luhrman mocked the novel, modernizing it. But gradually you get used to it, because you want to know where the fate of Nick will lead. And then we witness an easy secret, quickly revealed - the plot includes Gatsby himself, Nick's neighbor, who arranges chic parties in his mansion. Arriving at one of them, Nick is almost convinced from the stories of the guests that no Gatsby exists until he meets him.
With the appearance on the screen of my favorite actor Leonardo DiCaprio, exposing himself in every role to the last nerve, everything changed and began to improve. At first, it was rustic; then it was very sweet, cozy and romantic; then it resulted in an all-consuming conflict of eternal “love triangles” and, finally, it became a philosophical fairy tale about an abandoned person. Here's what I waited for: I wanted to read the book. Not from irritation, but from admiration, for the book certainly describes everything much deeper, on which one has the courage to hope. Still, starting from the book, it is worth noting that the director made a great, albeit somewhat controversial film. It is best to evaluate films not only by some facts, but by acting, staging, plotting and feelings comprehended during viewing. Here I saw a touching, real melodrama in its manifestations; the splendor of luxury in the days that have passed a little less than a hundred years ago; a tense, uneasy family-love drama; a descriptive narrative story in general and at the end - a sad, memorable little human tragedy, which was not saved by close love, strong friendship, or destroying power in society, giving unconvincing privileges.
Therefore, I evaluate the film as a very talented adaptation that can interest, entertain, make you think. If it weren’t for all of these aspects, I wouldn’t be completely satisfied, but at least DiCaprio and the second half of the film with a striking finale are worth acclaiming. And find the book.
Finally, the Great Gatsby! I have to admit, I was really looking forward to this movie. There were several reasons: the favorite actor Leonardo DiCaprio, an amazing cast, one of Fitzgerald’s favorite novels, a beautiful video and amazing music, which attracted the cinema. But after reading the negative reviews of critics after the premiere, I was wary and internally afraid of disappointment.
I think that fans of the novel this film adaptation will disappoint a little. It’s kind of a new interpretation, and I really like it. It may be far from a novel, but it's certainly close to my feeling of reading the book. For me, this novel is not about depression, not about America, it is a novel about a man, or even two, whom fate once brought together and turned their lives upside down. And so the creators of Gatsby completely got into it, got into my sense of romance. Great film adaptation. I want to say special thanks for such a well-played theme with a green light, which is remembered in the book, which is so well emphasized in the film.
Acting is the strongest side of the film. And DiCaprio, and Toby Maguire, and Carey Mulligan - an exact hit in the image. Some people scold Toby Maguire's game, but I fell in love with Nick, believed his hero, he accurately reflected disbelief, interest, experience, and participation. I can only say one thing about DiCaprio - not his most interesting role, but very chic. Best Gatsby performed by DiCaprio!
Separately, I want to note the incredible beauty of the costumes of the heroes, and the film itself, which simply blinds with brightness. Great job of the operator.
I don’t really understand the need for 3D format, it’s more of a tribute to fashion. I would recommend watching it in the usual format, fans of the three-dimensional format will find much more attractive, in terms of special effects, Star Trek: Retribution, and Gatsby should be viewed through the heart, not glasses.
The movie is worth seeing. It is not boring at all and certainly not devoid of meaning, as some critics claim. A great adaptation of The Great Gatsby!
Luhrman, apparently, will never give up his main desire - to live dancing, which, in general, can be understood, because why live without being able to do everything as you want?
Strangely, for some reason, everyone prefers “The Night is Tender” by the great alcoholic writer of the twentieth century (and, however, which of them was not an alcoholic, of these children who became the “lost generation”. Gertrude Stein?), and I was always closer to Gatsby, the same Gatsby, who is “the only worthy of all the gathered around him a host of nothingness”, it seems that this is the phrase I was waiting for the whole film, and Maguire pulled, the infection, to the last, I thought... but no, Luhrman winked at me because of the screen of the hot party of the pre-depression non-alcoholic generation of the American twenties and this was the only scene for which I forgave his appearance in the role of Nick in this film (I do not like the image of an alcoholic, in fact, I do not understand the image of an alcoholic, who is so exploitatively in the moment).
Give people chic, shine, chic, shine! If you lead them by the nose, they will not understand that you are a CHILD! Give it a shine and you will become...
We all love you, you filthy, impoverished degenerate, in which not a drop of blue blood of the highest race, the highest society in which you so wanted to get. Loneliness is not divided into parts like an orange, nor is it handed out at a party on the occasion of a sudden wealth grown out of a bootlegger bottle of moonshine. Oh, yeah, and the past. I'm sorry, but the butterfly has already waved its wings enough, and the past cannot be changed, no matter how hard you try, a too thick flare of pink mist envelops you and you cannot see beyond your own nose, for they are all dead. Yes, yes, thanks to the genius of DiCaprio, he managed to create an image of a truly alive person against the background of aristocrats suffocatingly rotting in the fragrance of French perfume, their henchmen, pathetic likenesses and other brethren, who can only scream at the beat of black musicians and trampling black dancers, bravo, Leo, you succeeded, however, no one doubted. At least not me.
It felt like a lump. I wanted to scream. I wanted to shout at least one of them, but everything remained so, the plot repeated, which is quite natural, but it is a pity.
Although that would be a completely different story.
They're nothing. You alone are worth all of them put together.
I have been waiting for this premiere for a long time. During that time, I read the book, fell in love with Gatsby, listened to all the soundtracks, watched all the trailers and excerpts countless times. I was glad every day that Gatsby would be playing my beloved Leonardo DiCaprio. So this morning I'm running to the cinema for my first session. I am finally immersed in the world of the 20s, in the world of love and hope, in the world of Jay Gatsby.
I certainly liked the film, the critics criticized, but they did not scare me. They were wrong, which I am very happy about. I expected a lot from the film adaptation and I got it, for which a big thank you to the cast and Baz Luhrman.
The story of Gatsby is the story of a noble man who believed in his dream, hoped that one day he would touch that dream. But how often it happens to us to achieve the goal catches up with disappointment.
Gatsby believed in the green light, the light of an incredible future of happiness, which moves away every year. Let it slip away today, no problem — tomorrow we will run even faster, even further stretch our hands.
He lived only for that dream and everything he did for her and for her was for Daisy. And she was a dummy, which he too idealized in my opinion. We plunge into dreams, and when faced with reality, our ship sinks, unfortunately, and this is inevitable.
No tangible, real charm can compare with what a person is able to accumulate in the depths of his imagination.
In this film, I like the cast and great soundtracks. The songs are modern, but I think they fit perfectly into this atmosphere, in this era. Especially for this love, Gatsby and Daisy fit Florence and the Machine - Over the Love, Lana Del Rey - Young and Beautiful and Jack White - Love Is Blindness. The costumes of those years are simply magnificent, women in elegant dresses, men in hats and costumes, adore the old days. What I didn’t like was the too pretentious, big and noisy parties, something I strongly doubt that in those years there was such a thing.
Leonardo DiCaprio - he like no other fits the role of Gatsby, a noble, beautiful and intelligent man, whom he embodied on the screen, he seemed to come down to us from the book pages. I admire Leo and his talent. I always have, and I will.
Toby Maguillar - let someone say that his role is not, I absolutely disagree with them when I read the book I imagined him as Nick. Maybe it's because he and Leo are good friends, but I still like him as Carraway. And it is not for nothing that Toby said that it was not difficult for him to play this role, because he admires Leo in life, as Nick admired Jay. Toby's good! I'm excited for every new role you play, especially in such a good film adaptation.
Cary Mulligan - at first I didn't like her candidacy for the role of Daisy, I thought that she was not suitable and everything here. And after watching the movie, I realized that it was not in vain.
That's who else fits into the role just like the book is Isla Fisher, I imagined Myrtle, so bright and ridiculous. It is a pity that Isla was not enough.
The Great Gatsby is a wonderful book for me, and the film is an amazing adaptation, although I have not seen other films. This is a film about a man who created himself, he made a name for himself, he made a living for himself, he went this way only because he hoped that this way he would get the woman he loves, so he would fulfill his dream, so he would touch this green light. But Nick was right: "You can't go back to the past." I love Gatsby's story, but I'm sad that he never got what he wanted.
Watch and read. I will. I hope you enjoy it as much as I do.
It’s hard to write a review of The Great Gatsby. Impressions from the film turned out to be so dual and contradictory that it is difficult to get along on the delicate balance of positive perception.
The first half of the film simply irritated the eye with unnecessary special effects, extreme variegation and inappropriate outrage. For the first half an hour, the question came to mind, “Why did I come?” I was starting to worry if the whole movie was going to be in such a boorish style. All that has been shown does not convey the true atmosphere of the time. It was more like Luhrmann's over-the-top fantasy. The mystery that was to envelop Gatsby’s dark personality was felt only in passing. Inside, there was no wild desire to unravel the mystery of rich neighbor Nick Carrouway. But Gatsby appeared on the stage, and the curtain was opened, but there was no sense of satisfaction. Dry.
But despite the difficult beginning, the film immersed me more and more. Emotions and feelings come into play. The relationship between the main characters seemed so close that in some places breath stopped along with the characters. Shyness, charm, restraint, tame the storm of emotions between Gatsby and Daisy, fill your vessel of emotions to the limit, and you want to spill out feelings with them. The deeper you get into the love story of Gatsby and Daisy, the sadder the situation they find themselves in. The dramatic combination of circumstances, hard turns of fate created this picture, brightly decorated with Gatsby.
Why, the whole movie doesn’t leave the feeling that the role of Jay Gatsby is not made for DiCaprio. Well, he didn't look like he wanted to. I may be wrong and want something special, but why not? You can see how Leo tried, worked through his character, but apparently the charisma is not the same.
The one who really enjoyed it was Joel Edgerton. Tom Buchanan. Unfazed, sharp, a man able to control absolutely everything. Tyrant and hypocrite. Tom Buchanan deserves a lot of gratitude, it was great to watch such a game.
Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan don’t want to praise or scold them for playing. They did well, they did well, but that’s all.
Disappointment at first, grew in moments of acute sensitivity, which brings not only satisfaction, but also pleasure.
8 out of 10
Baz Luhrmann’s film is the fourth adaptation of The Great Gatsby. It would seem that all the mistakes of past adaptations should be taken into account and the output is not just a beautiful story told in two hours, but a really great thing. Something Luhrmann still succeeded, but something he never finished.
Plot:
It would seem that it could be easier. But why make Nick an alcoholic who suffers from insomnia and after Jay's death has developed mental problems. Jordan and Nick’s love line, like Gatsby’s father, was probably cut out entirely because of the film’s timing. But it was worth showing them, at least so that Nick did not look like some kind of asexual, and Jay would appear before the audience also in the image of a caring son. It is not clear why Luhrmann needed to show how Gatsby loses control and breaks down at Tom in one of the key scenes of the film, because such a pronounced anger in the book Gatsby never existed, everything was read only in his facial expression, not in actions.
Actors:
Naturally, everyone imagined their ideal Gatsby and Carraways, so talking about the selection of actors does not make sense. But it makes sense to praise or scold the acting. Leonardo DiCaprio looked surprisingly good in the role of an American who is just over 30. In Gatsby, he even looked a little younger than, say, Inception. Surprisingly, his Gatsby look strongly resembled another character DiCaprio - Jack from "Titanic", the same love eyes and, at first glance, a restrained, but at the same time tender smile. He managed to embody what was necessary to create the perfect image of Jay Gatsby. A low bow to Joel Edgerton - his Tom was just matchless. This game deserves an Oscar. The rest of the actors did not particularly stand out, even Tobey Maguire at times looked impossible dull.
Perception:
Scenes with smooth transitions from one window to another have always been perfect for Baz Luhrmann, the benefit of such scenes is enough. “The Great Gatsby” is a beautiful picture: the scenery and costumes are worthy of attention. The atmosphere of the places of action is also carefully worked out. The music, though not time-appropriate, is surprisingly easy to perceive and generally enjoyable. The party scenes are shot colorfully and quite pathetic, reminding us a little of one of Luhrmann’s past works – Moulin Rouge. Disappointingly, the editing of the lunch scene at the Buchanan house was a little annoying with its rapid change of plans, which was only exacerbated by the use of 3D (which, in general, the film did not need).
Conclusion:
If you like colorful pictures, good acting and interesting stories, you will love the film. If you are not a fan of clipping and paintings, where feathers-striches-chic – choose something else.
“An idiotically told story, noisy, colorful, with a little more than zero meaning.”
The opinion of the formidable Walstreetgern film critic Joe Morgenstern, voiced the morning after the world premiere, can not be divided only by putting a lot of effort, given that Baz Luhrman really brought to the viewer exactly the above. How did it happen that the most anticipated film of the year in the smart movie category turned out to be a disappointing nasty disabled swan? There are several reasons, and they all played against the director’s global plans to intellectually knock out the audience, feeding on crumbs from the universal feast of wit.
First of all, the (ex-) cute DiCaprio, who has already grown out of short pants, in which he fought lovers of shopping and cosmetics, and at the same time, not to say that he acquired a bonus to the abdomen and sagging face some hitherto unprecedented acting skills that would allow him to impress fans of football and beer. Strung for two hours, a duty smile only emphasizes the complete emptiness of the image and the clumsiness of the actor in this not the simplest role.
With some degree of anxiety, we can state that Carey Mulligan, as if nothing had happened, entered the image called "I am very cool and laxhery actress, listen to every word that comes out of my mouth, because this is unconditional fashion", and frankly, this is a mistake. A little more, and she will forget the feeling of the natural game, which was so great showed in “Education of feelings”, and it will be, God forbid.
Toby, this squeaky and cute kid in a tuxedo, one of his presence brings to a rather serious plot notes of childishness, and this is obviously obvious to any audition supervisor. However, in the scene with an orgy it looks even appropriate, but comic rather serial type, in our humble opinion, has no place in a serious feature film.
And although an already unsuccessful selection of actors would be able to throw the picture into the list of products that have been dusting on the shelves of cheap video rental for years, the saddest thing is not even that. Being a real treasure for potential movemakers, hiding a sea of possibilities and options for reading Fitzgerald’s novel, filmed, God forbid, at least four times, hardly knew an incarnation more incompetent than Baz Luhrmann’s version.
How organic looks stylistic diversity in the "Red Mill", so repulsive it is presented in Gatsby, where the Director as if deliberately, diligently and consistently, does not fall into the atmosphere of the eve of the Great Depression.
Take the same soundtrack (Craig Armstrong), which itself is not without inspiration, cute colorful fragments betraying the hand of a gifted master. But here is the case when the artistic director of the project is responsible for the layout (we will not point the finger), because the entourage dictates perception. The idea to voice glamorous and sweeping parties with a cocktail from Gershwin and hip-hop with rap is not the most talented, let’s face it.
A similar stylistic absurdity, a crazy combination of arbitrary archetypes is the calling card of the picture. In a series of examples - the tastelessness of dancing, with a touch of cheap clubbing of an unidentified property, akin to disco elements of the indefinite nineties-zero. In conditions where the composition of the frame itself requires thoughtful choreography, its absence creates a sense of disorder. Or the flight of the camera over the builders of New York - instead of becoming a colorful documentary quote of one of the most famous photographs of all time, simply finishes the viewer with a terry-kitsch baton.
Well, it is a peculiar achievement to do everything in the worst possible way: in such a way that little remains of the original plot, that the main idea dissolves in brilliant serpentine and other tinsel, and that the vulnerable and cherished American dream was carried to such an absolute absurdity when the viewer and critic unanimously shake hands and diverge to the appearance of something more meaningful.