The Great Gatsby

 The Great Gatsby

Director: Baz Luhrmann

Genre: Drama/Romance

Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton 

Distributed by: Warner Bros. Pictures

Release Date: May 10, 2013

My Rating: 7/10

In this new adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel, Tobey Maguire stars as Nick Carraway, a war veteran who moves from the Midwest to Long Island in the summer of 1922 to follow his American Dream and begins working as a bond salesman on Wall St in New York City. Right across the bay live Nick's cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and her husband Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton), with whom he begins to spend time. Shortly afterwards, Nick realizes that he lives next door to a mysterious millionaire named Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), another war veteran famous for throwing large parties. After Nick is invited to a party one night by Gatsby himself, he slowly becomes involved in the world of the rich, their illusions, loves and deceits.

Moulin Rouge director Baz Luhrmann presents a glamorous portrayal of this beloved tale that astoundingly recreates the fashion and customs of the "roaring 20s" while adding doses of a modern twist to the style. Famous rap and hip-hop stars such as Jay-Z and Fergie provide the upbeat songs in the amazing soundtrack that reflect the glitz and glam of the era, with other more mellow artists like Lana Del Rey, Florence and the Machine, and Jack White rounding out the somber tracks that play against the film's backdrop.

Although this constant contrast/fusion of old and new (both with music and other theatrical elements) creates a great and original mix in certain scenes, at others it seems out of place and the anachronisms are more evident. The cinematography, however, is truly incredible and aesthetically pleasing: the party scenes are very colorful and beautifully shot.

Like many book-to-film adaptations, the film does not do the novel complete justice. It omits a number of subtleties contained in the novel, particularly with regards to the thoughts, opinions, and perceptions of the narrator, Nick. The film does keep the first-person narration, however, even though Nick's voice-over only appears in certain scenes, for obvious reasons.

Per usual, DiCaprio delivers an excellent performance (despite a slightly overdone 1920s accent), bringing to life the essence of the character of Jay Gatsby. Tobey Maguire also proves his status as an actor by immersing himself completely into the character of Nick, by incorporating his naiveté and by powerfully and very realistically projecting a wide variety of emotions all throughout the film.
Unfortunately, I have not had the pleasure of seeing previous film adaptations of this novel (such as the 1974 version with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow) and thus cannot compare the styles of two or more different directors. I have, however, read the book and conclude that although it is a satisfactory adaptation in some senses, it does not truly capture some of the more abstract elements of the novel, such as the thoughts and feelings of the main characters.