The Great Gatsby (2013)

Directed by: Baz Luhrmann Based on the novel by: F. Scott Fitzgerald
The Great Gatsby was released worldwide in theaters May 10th, 2013 and was based on American Jazz Age author, F. Scott Fitzgeralds, glamorous novel of the same title. Although the movie takes place in New York City and Long Island, the movie was shot entirely in director Luhrmanns native birthplace of Australia. Gatsby grossed $50,085,184 at the box office during its opening weekend in the USA alone, and its numbers continue climbing, though not yet surpassing its estimated $105,000,000 budget. The film stars Leonardo DiCaprio (Jay Gatsby), Carey Mulligan (Daisy Buchanan), Tobey Maguire (Nick Carraway), and Joel Edgerton as Daisys adulterous, wealthy husband, Tom Buchanan.

The movie, mirroring the novel it is adapted from, is narrated throughout by Nick Carraway, a Yale graduate who has recently moved to West Egg, Long Island. Nicks house is situated right alongside Jay Gatsbys illustriously opulent mansion, where Gatsby frequently throws his exceptionally lavish, renowned parties. Daisy Buchanan, Nicks cousin, is married to the staggeringly wealthy (not nouveau riche wealthy like Gatsby, either) Tom Buchanan. Tom and Gatsby are flashy in their own ways, and can arguably serve as each others foils in both the novel and the film. Nick is then invited to dinner by the Buchanans, where he meets famous golf persona, Jordan Baker (whom Daisy very much wants to set up with Nick). After an unsettling phone call that interrupts the rather pleasant meal, Nick learns that Tom is having an affair with a woman in New York (more specifically, the Valley of Ashes) whose husband owns a garage that Tom frequents during his out-of-town ventures. Nick eventually (and uncomfortably) meets the Wilsons George and Myrtle that Daisy (Carey Mulligan) and Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) rekindling their past romance. own the garage in the Valley of Ashes. Tom arranges a party for he, Myrtle, and some questionable acquaintances of Myrtles to entertain Nick while they are away from Daisy. In Nicks voiceover narration, he expresses that that party marked only the second time hed gotten drunk in his lifetime, somehow justifying his over indulgence with the fact that it was quite an uncommon occurrence. The reckless debauchery comes to an unheralded halt when Myrtle drunkenly stumbles out of her room and begins belligerently

shouting Daisys name at Tom, who responds to her slurs with a vehemently unrestrained wallop to Myrtles nose. Several weeks pass and Nick is cordially invited to one of Gatsbys acclaimed parties. Nick finds himself overwrought with the elaborateness of his surroundings and gradually loses himself in the partygoers and spectacle all around him. Nick is encircled by extraordinarily novel faces, but is quickly thrust back into reality when a familiar face, Jordan Baker, pulls him out of obscurity. After a brief exchange with Jordan regarding the identity of Gatsby the enigmatic host of such extravagant gatherings Nick is finally able to associate a face with the name, and officially (and quite ostentatiously) makes Gatsbys acquaintance. Gatsbys attendants proceed tending to his guests, while he in the meantime requests an audience with Ms. Baker to inquire about Nick and Nicks relation to Daisy.

Jay Gatsby officially making his identity known to both Nick Carraway and the film audience.

The party begins dwindling down, and the guests all plop into their automobiles and start leaving the premises when Jordan suddenly bursts out of Gatsbys mansion after discovering Gatsbys intentions for having formally invited Nick to attend one of his parties. As she climbs into her getaway vehicle, Jordan hollers Daisys name at Nick, leaving him initially perplexed. As she drove off with the intention of seeing Nick at a later date, Nick watched her and contemplated the events that occurred that night and what he was just unknowingly and innocently plunged into. After that night, Gatsby and Nick began spending more time together. Nick was introduced to a brand new life; a life of hope and beauty that was seen strictly through Gatsbys eyes. Nick and Gatsby were undoubtedly establishing a sturdy rapport together, but the fact remained that, although they were solemn separated, Nick truly had no idea what kind of man Gatsby really was. Upon meeting several of Gatsbys confidantes and learning what kind of influence Gatsby had on the majority of the townspeople (especially in law enforcement), Nick finally arranged for Gatsby and Daisys long-awaited reunion, unbeknownst to Daisy. Jordan told Nick that, five years prior, Daisy and Gatsby were hopelessly and irrevocably in love with each other. Gatsby was a young, handsome WWI soldier then, and knew that Daisy was the woman who would get him through the war in the hopes of one day having a future and starting a family with her with the aid of his newfound riches. Daisy inevitably grew restless and got tired of waiting for Gatsby, so she married Tom after thinking Gatsby was killed in the war. Gatsby returned from the war, and spent the remainder of his newly reclaimed civilian life attempting to win Daisy back by impressing her with his luxuriant mansion, deliberately situated right across Daisy and Toms bay. Their reunion was an intensely impassioned one, and neither had any idea what to say or do to the other, though the silence they commiserated in and the expressive glances they exchanged spoke loudly enough. Nick left the two to

catch up, but not before expressing his conflicting feelings to himself: how can he facilitate this meeting between his cousin and another man that wasnt her husband? Gatsby and Daisy begin seeing each other behind Toms back, further fueling the fire that is scalding the Buchanans already atrophying marriage. Gatsby invites Nick, Tom, Daisy, and Jordan to another of his parties, and Tom gets an unnerving feeling that Gatsby is wooing his wife behind his back. Gatsby and Daisy clandestinely steal away from the spotlight together into a secluded area on Gatsbys property. Nick hesitantly watches the lovers flee, hand-inhand, and is then approached by a drunken, post-coital Tom, who is very dissatisfied to learn that he is unaware of his wifes whereabouts. Nick attempts to get Tom off of their trails, and buys the lovers enough time to escape from the situation undetected. The quartet reunites at another rendezvous the following afternoon, and tensions rise. The truth about Gatsby and Daisys relationship is revealed, and soon followed with an uncontrollable show of indignation delivered by Gatsby in response to Toms relentless opposition to the couples (primarily Gatsbys) statement of love. Because Gatsby wishes to relive the past and still believes he and Daisy have the same relationship they once had when he was a young soldier, he only requests that Daisy tell Tom she never loved him so that the couple may go away together and begin their new life the life that Gatsby envisioned since hed first met Daisy. Daisy struggles to fight back her tears and in a shake tells Gatsby she would be lying if she told Tom that, considering she did at one point truly love Tom. Daisy and Gatsby leave the scene in a fluster, with Jordan, Tom, and Nick following.
Gatsby and Tom (Joel Edgerton) overlooking Daisy, the object of their desire at one of Gatsbys social gatherings.

Nick (Tobey Maguire) contemplating the mystery of Gatsby and his underlying intentions.

Gatsby and Daisy pass by the Wilsons garage on their way back to West Egg and accidentally strike and kill a weeping Myrtle Wilson as she bustled through the street in front of the speeding car. Gatsby and Daisy peel away while Tom and co. catch up to see whats happened. Tom discovers his mistress slaughtered body and proceeds to console George Wilson, Myrtles oblivious husband. He weeps in

Toms arms, unaware that he is being comforted by the man Myrtle was immersed in a tumultuous affair with. Tom uses Georges blossoming rage and vulnerability to his advantage and tells him that Gatsby was the one that murdered Myrtle (it was really Daisy). George, hell-bent on revenge, plots to seek out and murder Gatsby. Meanwhile, Gatsby and Nick are about to take a swim in his pool when Nick explains to Gatsby that he shouldnt be waiting so expectantly by the phone, anticipating Daisys phone call to run away with him. Gatsbys hope never wavers, and he remains constant and decidedly reserved in his decision. Nick leaves him with those thoughts, and Gatsby resolves to swim alone. The phone rings and Gatsby slowly emerges from the pool, filled with optimism and reverie at the thought of the future with his beloved. Just as he is about to turn to face the phone, George appears in the frame and shoots Gatsby straight through the heart. Gatsby utters Daisys name one last time before crashing headfirst into abject despair, and for the first time living in the moment and completely forgetting the past.

Although The Great Gatsby is Australian director Baz Luhrmanns fifth feature length film, it is progressively more stunning and polished than his previous films. Collaborating once more with Leonardo DiCaprio since their 1996 production of Romeo + Juliet, Gatsby takes audiences on a visually dazzling journey via Nick Carraways eyes into the grandiose, almost tenebrous life of Jay Gatsby, Nicks neighbor. Firstly, however, Id like to sever the vein connecting the film with the novel it is based from, considering that that fact alone will significantly alter the review of Gatsby solely as a film without considering its literary roots. The film is narrated throughout by Tobey Maguires character, Nick Carraway, while he reservedly tells his story to a psychiatrist, obscuring the sense of an unreliable narrator the story is naturally tailored by Nick, a Yale graduate and aspiring writer, to suit what the psychiatrist wants to hear. The casting for the film is quite bizarre; theyre a group of actors one would assume would never have a chance to work together since their talents, limits, and previous work (aside from DiCaprio and Maguires off screen friendship) are vastly different and unrelated. Even with the foundation of DiCaprio and Maguires previously-established friendship, the chemistry between Gatsby and Nick was nonexistent. In fact, chemistry between all onscreen characters was virtually nonexistent. Of the primary cast (DiCaprio, Mulligan, Maguire, and Edgerton), the individual acting and interaction between characters was above average, but devalued given the lack of chemistry between the characters. Mulligan, an up and coming starlet in Hollywood with charming looks and brimming talent, looked like a little girl compared to the seductiveness that Elizabeth Debicki (Jordan Baker) personified throughout the film. The DiCaprio/Mulligan romance would have worked better with a younger, boyishly handsome DiCaprio that audiences will recall from Luhrmanns Romeo + Juliet, but instead, the age gap between the characters is emphasized, further highlighting the general awkwardness of the film. Luhrmanns visual spectacle featured in Gatsby is unlike any of Luhrmanns previous films, save for an oversaturation of contrasting colors, Kubrick-like shots and camera angles, and fast-paced editing and cuts between scenes. Granted, the colors are vibrant, the sounds are immaculate, and the angles are quirky, the final product can be described as dizzying, at best. The first half of the film can be missed with the blink of an eye, displaying cuts of breakneck speed, whirling shots, and visual assaults that render the audience nauseated, gripping the edge of their seats, and then suddenly plopped back into reality. After this rollercoaster ride has ended, what ensues is a dismally dilatory, slow-paced

progression of the delusional love story, neatly (and almost laughably) pieced together with cheesy narration, literal interpretation, and wide-ranging, cartoony shots that diminishes the seriousness of the film. The gaudiness of the film, however sensational, seemed to mirror Gatsbys glamorous lifestyle: stunning, certainly, but worthless, trivial, and empty because of its lack of emotional content (a hole that truly possessing Daisy and a more humble, minimalistic approach could have achieved, respectively). In terms of editing and effects, I imagine the editors and crew responsible for the special effects having to display unnatural feats of monastic patience in order to be able to produce what a visually stimulating film Gatsby turned out to be, regardless of it, ultimately, bulldozing the plot and story, and distracting audiences from the bigger picture. Set during the Jazz Age of the 1920s, the treatment of women in the film was astonishingly accurate. Each of the female characters unquestionably serve the male characters in the film, are effectually deprived of a voice, and ignored of their true desires and motives. Daisys success as a wealthy woman was only made possible by her overbearing husband, Toms, inheritance of family riches. Jordan Baker, superstar golfer, barely makes an impact on the film and is only regarded as arm candy for Nick to potentially parade around New York with, while the deranged Myrtle Wilson is seen primarily housed and almost like a caged-animal, acting solely on carnal urges, and beaten and oppressed when expressing herself to her illegitimate lover. Each women rarely makes a decision for herself, and when she does, she finds herself facing extreme consequences, but enduring nonetheless (despite Myrtle being killed). This behavior and perception of women was typical during this era, and the film effectively depicts this reality. Given the promotional and teaser trailers for the film featuring the sounds and styles of several popular, contemporary artists (indeed, it was executively produced by hip hop mogul, Jay-Z) the general sense of the original soundtracks success seemed to go without saying. However, when Jay-Z and Kanye Wests Watch the Throne was compounded with scenes from a booming stock market, a rowdy, 1920s carousal depicting the second time the films narrator gets drunk, and a self-reflexive car drive in Gatsbys Rolls Royce, the implementation of this genre of music and its purpose does nothing to serve the film and, instead, muddles both the explicit and implicit meanings the scene is attempting to convey to the films audience. During the latter half of the film, the score is completely overpowered with Lana Del Reys haunting Young and Beautiful, which does a significantly better job at tying into the films theme given Gatsbys delusional obsession with living in the past. The somberness and longing that Del Reys lyrics exude fasten beautifully to Gatsby and Daisys rekindled relationship, the nostalgia of their wilder days spent together, and the promise of what their future together may hold. Paying particular attention to the score, the moviegoer will notice that, once Del Reys song is initially debuted in the film (strictly between scenes featuring Daisy and Gatsby, accentuating the gravity of their seemingly forgotten romance), it plays several more times in different versions and variations. For instance, the songs instrumentals will overlap dialogue between the characters and cue a montage of the lovers lighthearted and playful momentary existence, while also assuming a more upbeat undertone when covered by a young cabaret singer during one of Gatsbys parties at the end of the film, symbolizing Gatsby and Daisys overcoming of their previous woes and a change in the way the couple perceives their situation. However effective Del Reys track is for the film, it was, again, used at the wrong time and was essentially overplayed. Alternatively, the continual use of the track can further emphasize Gatsbys growing, fanatical fixation of his attraction to the relationship he and Daisy had before he went overseas to fight in the war. Whereas the soundtrack and utilization of contemporary

music during Luhrmanns 1996 Romeo + Juliet proved effective and suited the retelling of Shakespeares classic beautifully, Gatsbys soundtrack falls short and adds to the films overall jumble. Essentially, attempting to keep up with the film without being distracted by its odd usage of music during inappropriate moments, coupled with overwhelming visual effects, and deficiency of chemistry between characters is like trying to snap a leash on a hurricane: dangerously adrenaline-pumping, stimulating, and staggeringly beautiful (in its own way), but conclusively improbable.