The Great Gatsby (2013)

 "Can't repeat the past?...of course you can!"

Directed by Baz Luhrmann
Produced by Douglas Wick, Lucy Fisher, Catherine Martin, Catherine Knapman, Baz Luhrmann, Anton Monsted, Barrie M. Osborne, Shawn "Jay-Z' Carter, Bruce Berman 
Screenplay by Baz Luhrmann, Craig Pearce
Based on "The Great Gatsby" of F. Scott Fitzgerald
Starring: Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke, Amitabh Bachchan.
Music by Craig Armstrong
Cinematography: Simon Duggan
Editing by Matt Villa, Jason Ballantine, Jonathan Redmond
Distributed by Warner Bros. Pictures, Roadshow Entertainment
Release date: May 10, 2013 (United States)
Running time: 142 minutes
Country: Australia, United States

"The Great Gasby" is a romantic drama film directed and co-written by Baz Luhrmann and based on the F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. In the winter of 1929, Nick Carraway, a Yale University graduate and the World War I veteran, is staying at a sanatorium to treat his alcoholism. While he talking about Gatsby, a millionaire, describing him as the most hopeful man he has ever met, he makes efforts to articulate his thoughts, and his doctor suggests writing them down, as writing is Nick's true passion. Thus Carraway tells about his mysterious neighbour, Jay Gatsby, who always organises gorgeous parties. One day Nick receives an invitation from him and this way they meet with each other. With the course of time Carraway recognises Gatsby's character, his feelings, his thoughts, his history and his purpose of the life, which becomes Jay's biggest mistake.

Cast

• Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway
• Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby
• Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan
• Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan
• Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker
• Isla Fisher as Myrtle Wilson
• Jason Clarke as George Wilson
• Amitabh Bachchan as Meyer Wolfshiem
• Jack Thompson as Dr. Walter Perkins
• Adelaide Clemens as Catherine
• Richard Carter as Herzog
• Max Cullen as Owl Eyes
• Heather Mitchell as Daisy's mother
• Gus Murray as Teddy Barton
• Steve Bisley as Dan Cody
• Vince Colosimo as Michaelis
• Felix Williamson as Henri
• Kate Mulvany as Mrs. Mckee
• Eden Falk as Mr. Mckee
• iOTA as Trimalchio

Before reading the "The Great Gatsby" I'd thought it was just a story about rich people and their problems, deceptions. But in fact it turned out an astounding one and grabbed my attention. As for the movie, it begins pretty well, not boring. Then we gradually get to know a complicated love story which intrigues us to the end, which is quite unexpected: we see a terrible fraud that leads to an irreversible consequence.

Frankly speaking, I had never heard about Baz Luhrmann before that splendid film. But "The Great Gatsby" demonstrated me doing justice to himself. The brilliant plot, the captivating music, the delightful cast, marvellous special effects - I can't find fault with anything! I heard someone didn't appreciate the idea of music not according with the time of the story. In my opinion, it was an amazing intention as it gave zest to the new screen version of "The Great Gatsby", despite my love of jazz music. Luhrmann also stayed true to the text and made use of a lot of direct quotations in the film.

I'd like to emphasise some actors from the cast. First of all, I want to underscore Leonardo DiCaprio's work. His character, Gatsby, is pretty difficult: on the one hand, he's a millionaire having a good reputation, on the other hand,  Jay is a romantic idealist who believes in his dream. In fact he has faith in a fairy tale which he has imagined himself. DiCaprio coped with his part perfectly. Just draw attention on the scene where Jay and Tom clear up with whom Daisy want to be. When Gatsby becomes angry  the actor shows us a fury. Even his cheeks do the same. It's very believable.

In spite of Nick's tranquillity he's quite a complicated character. He hides his feelings and emotions because of his modesty but in fact Carraway can compress thoughts as he's a writer. Daisy seems a pretty and nice woman on the face. But then we'll see that under this mask there is a small silly and selfish girl, whose husband, Tom, is a perfect couple for her. They "smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness and let other people clean up the mess they had made".

Advantages

• Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby
• Tobey Maguire as Nick Carraway
• Carey Mulligan as Daisy Buchanan
• Joel Edgerton as Tom Buchanan
• Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker
• Isla Fisher as Myrtle Wilson
• Jason Clarke as George Wilson
• 1920's costumes
• Music
• Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel
• Story

Disadvantages

• Some too artificial locations (like the dumb)

"Strangenesses"

• Some things which were invented after the 20's (like Buchanan's telephone)

Clue Moments

• The green light
• Daisy's betrayal
• Gatsby's parties

Details

• When Gatsby tries to make Daisy say the truth to Tom, Leonardo DiCaprio's face speaks louder than words

"The Great Gatsby" is full of ideas (as the film as the book). Firstly the main one is idealising people. You can make a dream come true only if it doesn't depend on someone else. Otherwise your illusions will bring to a dead end as a person can turn up someone else. Someone else that you even don't know because of your perfect image that you have thought out.

The high society, or probably I can say the society on the whole, isn't the same as it appears. Hypocrisy, fraud, rottenness - everything is hidden under the guise of amicability. Oddly enough the society won't exist without lies. People need it as they're in want of politeness, civility and compliments. And what is more, we're fond of living in a fantasy world.

There's still one idea which is also connected with our dreams, exactly, with the past. People almost are everywhere inwardly except for here and now. They do nothing at the moment and don't appreciate things that they have. But the future can change like everything else and people would hope to improve something in the past. But the past can't be corrected.

Hope has always been one of the most powerful emotions. When a person has it he or she may do everything. It gives a vital force, a stimulus and the light at the end of the tunnel. As time goes by Hope can grow to Faith, a stronger feeling. At the time it becomes unshakable and makes us sure in what we trust.

In the upshot I want to say that "The Great Gatsby" made an amazing impression on me and I also became interested in Francis Scott Fitzgerald.

Soundtracks

1. Jay-Z - 100$ Bill
2. Beyonce feat. Andre 3000 - Back To Black
3. Lana Del Rey - Young And Beautiful
4. Jack White - Love Is Blindness
5. Emeli Sandé feat. The Bryan Ferry Orchestra - Crazy In Love (Kid Koala Version)
6. will.i.am - Bang Bang
7. Elizabeth Debicki - "I Like Large Parties"
8. Fergie feat. Q-Tip feat. Goonrock - A Little Party Never Killed Nobody (All We Got)
9. Bryan Ferry feat. The Bryan Ferry Orchestra - Love Is The Drug  
10. Leonardo DiCaprio feat. Tobey Maguire - "Can't Repeat The Past?"
11. Gotye - Heart's A Mess
12. Coco O. - Where The Wind Blows
13. Green Light - Green Light
14. Kanye West feat. Jay-Z - No Church In The Wild (Feat. Frank Ocean & The-Dream)
15. Florence + The Machine - Over The Love
16. The xx - Together
17. Nero - Into The Past
18. Sia - Kill And Run
19. Florence + The Machine feat. SBTRKT - Over The Love (Of You)
20. Lana Del Rey - Young And Beautiful (DH Orchestral Version)
21. Craig Armstrong feat. Tobey Maguire - "Gatsby Believed In The Green Light"

Quotations

* * *

Nick's father: Whenever... you feel like criticising any one just remember that all the people in this world haven’t had the advantages that you’ve had.

* * *

Nick: This isn’t just an epigram — life is much more successfully looked at from a single window, after all.

* * *

Daisy: All right.[…] I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.

* * *

Nick: I was within and without, simultaneously enchanted and repelled by the inexhaustible variety of life.

* * *

People disappeared, reappeared, made plans to go somewhere, and then lost each other, searched for each other, found each other a few feet away.

* * *

There are only the pursued, the pursuing, the busy, and the tired.

* * *

Americans, while occasionally willing to be serfs, have always been obstinate about being peasantry.

* * *

It is invariably saddening to look through new eyes at things upon which you have expended your own powers of adjustment.

* * *

Nick: "I wouldn’t ask too much of her," I ventured. "You can’t repeat the past."
Jay: "Can’t repeat the past?" he cried incredulously. "Why of course you can!"
He looked around him wildly, as if the past were lurking here in the shadow of his house, just out of reach of his hand.
Jay: "I’m going to fix everything just the way it was before," he said, nodding determinedly. "She’ll see."

* * *

Nick: It occurred to me that there was no difference between men, in intelligence or race, so profound as the difference between the sick and the well.

* * *

So we drove on toward death in the cooling twilight.

* * *

Nick: "They're a rotten crowd. You're worth the whole damn bunch put together."
I’ve always been glad I said that. It was the only compliment I ever gave him, because I disapproved of him from beginning to end. First he nodded politely, and then his face broke into that radiant and understanding smile, as if we’d been in ecstatic cahoots on that fact all the time.

* * *

Gatsby believed in the green light, the orgastic future that year by year recedes before us. It eluded us then, but that’s no matter — tomorrow we will run faster, stretch out our arms farther.... And one fine morning —
So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

* * *
You may see the trailer here.

Plot: 8/10

Entertainment: 8/10

Acting: 8/10

Originality: 7/10

Music and Sound: 8/10

8/10