Baz Luhrmann has always been hit and miss for me. Though I can understand why his filmic style is detested by some, and loved by others, for me the success of his style comes down to the content. Sometimes it works, other times it doesn’t. Australia – average story equals an average film, though admittedly I seemed to enjoy it more than most. I have always struggled with Romeo + Juliet. I think my English teacher at the time turned me off it as she loathed it. But I loved Moulin Rouge and Strictly Ballroom, and Luhrmann’s ability to continually produce films locally even with a high dollar, employing the entire industry in the process, must be admired.
So, with the above in mind, I awaited Luhrmann’s latest epic production, an adaptation of The Great Gatsby, with the expectation that it could go either way. While come critics have come out swinging, calling it a disaster (if you don’t like Lurhmann’s style, then you’re probably not going to like this film), others have celebrated it as an admirable adaptation, noting the film’s lavish sets, stunning production and even the controversial soundtrack as highlights. Well, this is what I’ve gathered from Rotten Tomatoes anyway, where it sits at 50% as we speak; I never read a full review before I’m going to write one of my own.
Although I far from consider this interpretation of the “Great American Novel” a masterpiece, the story lends itself almost too perfectly to Baz Luhrmann’s well known editing style: fast cuts, plenty of sexy actors and some great, contemporary music to mix it all up. Delivered sparingly, thankfully. When you’re watching the anticipated party scenes, which incorporate some of Sydney’s finest musical talents in Brendan Maclean and iOTA, you can’t help but think “this was the film Luhrmann always wanted to make”.
These scenes are superb and definitely the stand out from a production point of view. Lavish sets, beautiful costumes, great music and solid editing provide the Gatsby party scenes with an atmosphere that perhaps no other director could get away with so stylistically. The 3D aides the film in bringing you into this world, though it would be hard to argue that the film needs to be seen in this format. All the same, it is done justice by the technology and provides an added depth to each shot that isn’t there for trickery, rather for your inclusion in the environment.
The script is true enough to the original novel, while its style allows it to sit far enough away to be its own “interpretation”, and though contemporary music is used throughout the film, much from executive producer Jay-Z, this suits the style well and one would expect no less from the Director. Leonardo DiCaprio is perfectly cast as Gatsby, and Edgerton shines as Tom Buchanan. Emerging Australian actress Elizabeth Debicki does a fine job and it’s always a pleasure to see the great Australian actor Richard Carter on the screen. Though it’s hard to avoid DiCaprio’s gaze in the film, Carey Mulligan is probably the standout of it all; her performance seems to be inspired by Monroe, and she pulls it off with justice as the beautiful Daisy Buchanan, the object of Gatsby’s affection.
The relationship between Daisy and Gatsby is always, at its heart, what this story has been about. The parties and the glitz and the glamour all in place to conceal with truly lies beneath. And the same could be said of Luhrmann’s sytle as a director. Though there is a certain style to his craft that leaves as many detractors as fans, at its heart is a phenomenally engaging story that remains on screen. It’s engaging, performed well (even in moments when the script could have been better) and presented with a stunning veneer that makes it impossible to look away.
Tobey Maguire’s character Nick Carraway – our narrator – is arguably the weak link of the film, with his character presented with less depth than in the book – removing his relationship with Baker, allowing more focus on Daisy, Gatsby and the characters that are brought together by Carraway’s move to the Island. The film already clocks in at over two hours, so it goes without saying that they needed to cut what they could to make it all work. It was already a little too long as it was. This is the nature of all adaptations I suppose, though I criminally haven’t seen the classic 1974 film with Farrow and Redford to compare; the two films do come in at roughly the same length.
If you remove the film from its source, it’s hard to fault the film beyond the occasional character flaw, and the odd shot that it a “bit too much”. It’s always been such an incredible story because at its heart are characters that should be, in their nature, difficult to connect with. Liars, swindlers, cheaters… but from Fitzgerald’s original words to the clever tendencies of our director, we have a film and a story which not only can you connect with, but you enjoy in droves along the way – a factor that Luhrmann has definitely put more emphasis on in the latter than Fitzgerald did in his source material, but to arguably similar effect. No character comes up looking pretty in the end, and it was the same in the original text.
As the credits roll, and Gotye and Sia’s music helps hold the local musical flag waving for Australia, you can’t help but think that Luhrmann himself considers this to be one of his greatest swindles. Convincing an American studio to let him direct the classic American novel, in Australia, with some of our best actors, in a style that so suited his directorial tendencies. However he got away with making that happen, fans of the director will be sure to love what he’s done with the piece; detractors will probably be less amused. Love it or hate it, this may just be the film he was born to make.
THREE AND A HALF STARS OUT OF FIVE.
The Great Gatsby is released in cinemas Australia wide tomorrow, May 30th.
