The Great Gatsby

Hollywood is once again fascinated by their obsession: marketing on remakes. They seize to amaze me in that there are so many topics out there to have to resort to remake land. I won't go into the list they've created, but suffice it to say the list is extensive. This version of "The Great Gatsby" was presented back in 1974, and starred Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, and Bruce Dern. It was a version that was traditionally presented whereas this version was set in 1922, but it had a kind of contemporary feel to it while celebrating the day it was set in.

Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire), a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, New York, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his nouveau riche neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). Gatsby is intrigued by the modesty and realness of Nick and subsequently sends him an invitation to one of his many lavish parties to find out more about him. As Nick is drawn into Gatsby's circle which includes Jordan Baker (Elizabeth Debicki) and Meyer Wolfsheim (Amitabh Bachchan), he becomes a witness to obsession and tragedy.
Meanwhile, across the bay, Carraway's cousin Daisy (Carey Mulligan) flounders in her marriage to philandering aristocrat Tom Buchanan (Joel Edgerton). Inspired by the debauchery on display at Gatsby's wild parties, and the lives of the elite, Carraway begins putting pen to paper as it gradually becomes clear that his cousin Daisy and the millionaire share a complicated romantic past that remains unresolved.

Others to round out the cast are Isla Fisher as Myrtle Wilson, Jason Clarke as George Wilson, Jack Thompson as Dr. Walter Perkins, Kim Knuckey as Senator Gulick, Eden Falk as Mr. McKee, Gus Murray as Teddy Barton, and Steve Bisley as Don Cody.

This was directed by the incomparable Baz Luhrmann ("Strickly Ballroom" '92, "Romeo + Juliet" '96, "Moulin Rouge!" '01, "Australia" '08, and lots of shorts). He really had this ability to bring this otherwise old story back to life by making it fresh and a film we can surely relate to today--with all the love, deception, obsession, and hope that we experience today. It was equally well written by Luhrmann and Craig Pearce based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. There were a couple of slow moments, but certainly not enough to take away from the story at hand.

This was a stunning film with the photography of Simon Duggan, acs, Hans Zimmer's time captioned score, Catherine Martin's beautiful costumes and production design, and visuals predominantly created by ILM (Industrial, Light & Magic), all presented in 3D.

If you are a filmgoer that is really into period films, loves a stellar cast with incredible directing, this is definitely the film for you, and a great way to spend a two and a half hour time slot.

Out of 4 Stars: 3.5                        Rated: PG-13                       142mins.