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The Great Gatsby Customer Reviews (1 - 3 of 32 Reviews)

Unappreciated But Not Forgotten
Throughout American literature, surely no icons existed more dramatically than F. Scott Fitzgerald and his beautiful wife Zelda Sayre. Disgustingly self-indulgent as they may appear to modern sensibilities, they were the epitome of youth, celebrity, and "modernism" to a generation struggling to shed the vestiges of World War I and escape from the reality of agrarian life and work. As he did with virtually everything he wrote, F. Scott Fitzgerald borrowed generously from his own life and relationships to create The Great Gatsby. The story has endured countless interpretations by critique and Hollywood, but the Gatsby played by Robert Redford comes as close to presenting the genuine tone of the original book as can be seen. The performance, at once sensitive and brittle, tells the story, but if viewers take it on face value, it is a mediocre Hollywood attempt at recreating its own shallow values and hidden peversities. Look closer, and what emerges is a deeply imagined commentary on dissipation and emotional poverty. So many reviews of this fine movie have overlooked the absolute truth lying hidden beneath. Performances by the cast seem to be superimposed over the everlasting strength of Fitzgerald's original prose. It is thrilling to see 1920s frivolity recreated by modern hedenists (movie stars) who certainly could have moved freely in Scott and Zelda's circle, albeit sans literary pretentions.

The art direction is splendid -- tiny details (down to the minutia scattered across Mia Farrow's dressing table) support the lush cinematography of large vistas and even larger luxury. This combination -- plus exquisite costuming and total absorption of the characters who tell Fitzgerald's story, create an overall effect that either woos audiences completely or leaves them gasping for air. F. Scott Fitzgerald gives not a moment to the "realities" of life in the Roaring Twenties -- and the critics who blasted this movie as superficial missed the point entirely. It was the essense of Gatsby and his story that both glamorized and destroyed the life to which they all clung obsessively. Zelda's later fall into schizophrenic maddness, the Fitzgerald's constant need of money, and the disappearance of their lifestyle (with the onset of World War II) may have been the consequences of their excesses, but the movie audience's fascination with creatures utterly dedicated to their own pleasures and fantasies continues to keep The Great Gatsby in our collective cultural memory. Would you like to comment on this, Paris Hilton?

Too Faithful Adaptation Dampens the Many Qualities of an Elaborate Production
It seems something of a shame how maligned the extravagant 1974 movie version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary masterwork was when it was originally released. So much media hype surrounded the production, including a Scarlett O'Hara-level search for the right actress to play Daisy Buchanan, that it was bound to disappoint, and it did critically and financially. It's simply not that bad. Interestingly, looking at the film over thirty years later, I am taken by how faithful the movie is to the original book both in text and period atmosphere. The central problem, however, is that Jack Clayton's overly deliberate direction and Francis Ford Coppola's literate screenplay are really too faithful to the book to the point where the spirit of Fitzgerald's story becomes flattened and plot developments are paced too slowly. The result is an evocative but overlong 144-minute epic movie based on a novel that is really quite intimate in scope.

The focus of the plot is still the interrupted love story between Jay Gatsby and his object of desire, Daisy. Narrating the events is Nick Carraway, Gatsby's modest Long Island neighbor who becomes his most trusted confidante. Nick is responsible for reuniting the lovers who both have come to different points in their lives five years after their aborted romance. Now a solitary figure in his luxurious mansion, Gatsby is a newly wealthy man who accumulated his fortunes through dubious means. Daisy, on the other hand, has always led a life of privilege and could not let love stand in the way of her comfortable existence. She married Tom Buchanan for that sole purpose. With Gatsby's ambition spurred by his love for Daisy, he rekindles his romance with Daisy, as Tom carries on carelessly with Myrtle Wilson, an auto mechanic's grasping wife. Nick himself gets caught up in the jet set trappings and has a relationship with Jordan Baker, a young golf pro. The characters head for a collision, figuratively and literally, that exposes the hypocrisy of the rich, the falsity of a love undeserving and the transience of individuals on this earth.

Casting is crucial, and surprisingly, most of the actors fulfill the characters well. Robert Redford, at the height of his box office appeal, plays Gatsby with the right enigmatic quality. As Daisy, Mia Farrow captures the romanticism and shallowness of a character that ultimately does not deserve the love she receives. Even if she appears overly breathy and pretentious, her frequently trying performance still fits Fitzgerald's image of the character. Bruce Dern makes an appropriately despicable Tom Buchanan, while Karen Black has scant screen time as the trashy Myrtle. A very young Sam Waterson makes the ideal Nick with his genuine manner and touching naiveté, and Lois Chiles is all throaty posturing as Jordan. As expected, all the exterior touches are luxuriant and feel period-authentic - Theoni V. Aldredge's costumes, John Box's production design, Douglas Slocombe's elegant cinematography, and the pervasive use of 1920's hits, in particular, Irving Berlin's wistful "What'll I Do?" as the recurring love theme. The film is worth a look if you have not seen it and a second one if you haven't seen it in a while. It's actually better if you've already read the book. The 2003 DVD has a nice print transfer but sadly no extras.

Great Great Gatsby Movie
I have read Great Gatsby easily 15 times and I think this movie rendition is excellent. What makes it so good is the casting. Redford is perfect as Gatsby as is Farrow as Daisy and Dern as Tom. Waterston is just as I pictured Nick. The music is well chosen and the costuming is superb. The only thing I missed at the end was not hearing the last words of the book "so we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past." (I did that from memory; if not exact, it should be close)

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