Review #4: "The Great Gastby"

Basic Facts About The Movie

Title of the film – The Great Gatsby 

Director - Baz Luhrmann 

Lead actors - Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton, Isla Fisher, Elizabeth Debicki, Jason Clarke 

Genre - drama

Setting – America of 20s – 30s of XX c.
Plot overview - Nick Carraway is staying in a sanatorium for treatment of his alcoholism. He talks about a man named Gatsby, describing him as the most hopeful man he had ever met. When he struggles to articulate his thoughts, his doctor suggests writing it down, since writing is what brings him solace. As the summer progresses, Nick receives an invitation to one of Gatsby’s parties. Upon arriving, he learns that none of the guests at the party have ever met Gatsby himself. Nick encounters Jordan, and they meet Gatsby. Gatsby seems to take a liking to Nick and the two become mutual friends. Through Jordan, Nick later learns that Gatsby knew Daisy from a romantic encounter in 1917, and is still madly in love with her. He spends many nights staring at the green light at the end of her dock, across the bay from his mansion, hoping to one day rekindle their lost romance. Gatsby’s extravagant lifestyle and wild parties are an attempt to impress Daisy in the hopes that she will one day appear at Gatsby's doorstep.

Gatsby now wants Nick to arrange a reunion between himself and Daisy. Nick invites Daisy to have tea at his house, without telling her that Gatsby will be there also. Tom asserts that he and Daisy have a history that Gatsby could never understand, and he announces to his wife that Gatsby is a criminal whose fortune comes from bootlegging alcohol and other illegal activities. This pushes Gatsby to his breaking point, and he has an explosive outburst of anger, much to his own dismay. After this incident, Daisy realizes that her allegiance is to Tom, who contemptuously sends her back to East Egg with Gatsby, attempting to prove that Gatsby cannot hurt him. When Nick, Jordan, and Tom drive through the valley of ashes, however, they discover that Gatsby’s car has struck and killed Myrtle, Tom’s lover.

In the morning, Nick leaves for work while Gatsby decides to go for a swim before his pool is drained for the season. He asks for the telephone to be brought down to the pool, still waiting for Daisy to call. The night before, Tom tells Myrtle’s husband, George, that Gatsby was the driver of the car. Gatsby hears the phone ring, and believes it to be Daisy. As he is climbing out of the pool while looking hopefully across the bay at Daisy's mansion, he is abruptly shot and killed by George, who immediately turns the gun on himself. It is revealed that it is Nick on the phone, and he hears the two gunshots. When Nick calls the Buchanans to invite Daisy to Gatsby's funeral, he learns that she, Tom, and their daughter are leaving New York. Only the press, whom Nick chases out, attend the funeral. The media accuse Gatsby of being both the murderer and lover of Myrtle, leaving Nick as the only one who knows the truth. Evidently disillusioned with his fascination for the East Coast, he soon moves back to the Midwest to escape the disgust he feels for the people surrounding Gatsby's life, as well as the moral decay and emptiness of the wealthy of the East Coast. Back in the sanatorium, Nick finishes his memoir and titles it, "The Great Gatsby."

The Mechanics of The Movie 

Direction. I think the director of the film, Baz Luhrmann, chooses a very good way to portray the events in the story. His choice explains all the events which are shown in the movie. There is nothing incomprehensible. The movie is presented to the audience from the very high level of cinematography. But nevertheless it is only pleasure to watch such a work. I don’t think the movie has been slow or hasn’t included things which are neccesary. There is harmony in it. Truly speaking I haven’t seen films directed by the same person yet. 

Writing. I felt like the plot was inventive and unpredictable. It was difficult to realize which action would be shown in a second. The characters' words seem credible to me, because they had been spoken with good emotions and based on them.

Editing. The movie was choppy. The director tried to involve us into the world of the main heroes. I am sure that the use of lighting and other ambient effects were on the high level in the film. The move has computer-generated graphics, I don’t think about whether they looked realistic but they fit with the rest of the film.

Costume design. This aspect impressed me greatly. The clothing choices fit the style of the movie absolutely. They contributed to the overall tone, rather than digressing from it.

Set design. The setting of the film influenced its other elements deeply. It was a typical America of the 20s-30s of XX c. The movie was filmed in a real place, and this location was well-chosen.

Background music. Soundtracks are the best. It worked with the scenes. It was normally-used. It was suspenseful, amusing and irritating. A soundtrack can make or break a movie, especially if the songs have a particular message or meaning to them but it is not about our variant.

Personally I think that it is a great work of the great director. We are to say that the film is based on the book with the same title. There are lots of people who like arguing what is better the movie or the writing, but I dare say that we have a chance to compare both these variants and make our own conclusion.