wonderful movie..'The Great Gatsby''K.M.RADHA

Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby fizzes and pops like overflowing champagne. Visually and musically, the film moves from one choreographed spectacle to another. In a word, it’s overwhelming, but that’s not to say it’s unpleasant to the taste. This may not be Gatsby’s world precisely as Fitzgerald envisioned it, but regardless, Luhrmann takes us on a turbulent romp through a reimagined, ostentatious New York of the 1920s.

The modern hip-hop soundtrack, executive produced by Jay-Z, is a constant reminder that this isadaptation, not museum-piece. While some may scoff, the soundtrack is a bold choice, and in most cases, it works. Rather than recreate history, the music captures the booming, glittering feel of the 1920s and draws us away from the sacred pages of the novel so that we are able to watch and listen as if this story is something entirely new. Lana Del Rey’s Young and Beautiful is particularly effective; as one of the more somber and haunting pieces, the song envelops us in the gossamer strands of this tragic love story before it all begins to unravel. Unfortunately, at times, Luhrmann seems to have fallen perhaps too much in love with his soundtrack. In several scenes, he amps up the volume at the start of a new number, as if to be sure we don’t miss it, and by making us focus upon the beauty of his craft, he momentarily pulls us out of the story. To be sure, the songs are striking, but since Gatsbyisn’t a strict musical like Lurhmann’s Moulin Rouge, they don’t necessarily deserve our full attention.

Every bit as flamboyant as the soundtrack, Gatsby’s party scenes are a constant barrage of saturated, indulgent imagery. Dancers shimmy on the steps and around the pool; alcohol flows in excess; and glitter rains down upon the revellers. While initially we are dazed by the parties’ richness and razzle-dazzle, eventually we have consumed too much of their sugary goodness. By the time we are seeing the parties through Daisy’s eyes, we’ve already seen the pools, the dancers, the costumes… It’s become repetitive. We want something new and meatier. Luckily, the parties cease, and we are raced into a frenzied climax that finally pits these seemingly untouchable characters against one another and forces them to remove their cavalier masks.

The cast is superb; they bring emotional weight to an otherwise fantastical world. Leonardo DiCaprio makes a charming Jay Gatsby. At first, he seems ridiculous; after all, we first see him in a slow-motion close-up framed by fireworks. Soon after, however, he manages to win us over. His nervous antics before his first meeting in five years with his former lover, Daisy, are a delight, and his eyes speak volumes every time he so much as looks at her. DiCaprio, once again, manages to convince us he’s a man who would do anything for love. As the object of said love, Carey Mulligan manages to make the superficial, carefree Daisy Buchanan a character worthy of our sympathy, which is no mean feat. Mulligan imbues Daisy with the doe-eyed helplessness of a woman who has become used to being controlled and is incapable of making a strong decision on her own. Meanwhile, Tobey Maguire plays the film’s narrator Nick Carraway as the straight-man, perhaps too innocent for Fitzgerald fans’ tastes, but he fills a hole in Luhrmann’s world nicely. He is the foil against which the film pitches all the diamond-encrusted dirt of the rich and corrupt. Unfortunately, Luhrmann has also decided to make Nick narrate the film from the future in the office of his psychiatrist some years after the main story’s events. The device is entirely unnecessary and in fact, often slows the film’s momentum. Every moment spent in that messy office is a moment we could otherwise be with Gatsby, the true hero of this tale, who is, as ever, spellbinding.

Luhrmann has created an adaptation of Gatsby like no other. This is the over-indulgent Gatsby, meant to appeal to a generation of bumping hip-hop lovers and enthusiasts of oversaturated colors. It may not be what stalwart novel fans expect or desire, but that doesn’t mean it’s unsuccessful. With its heart rooted in DiCaprio’s solid performance, Gatsby is a visual delight. There may be excessive frosting, but it’s a treat nonetheless.