So I finally got around to seeing The Great Gatsby and I could see it again and again and again. I heard so many bad reviews, (the production is overblown and takes away from the story). I got plenty of story and I enjoyed every lavish costume, every magnificent jewel and every overblown set. It was a feast for the senses. Does that make me shallow? Maybe it just makes the film critics arrogant and unable to enjoy any movie that isn't sad, "real" and has Meryl Streep in it. I bet they really liked it, but can't admit it! Everyone played their part and I totally bought in. I thought they were great.
Carrie Mulligan was devine. I loved every detail about her. Her Tiffany jewels were extraordinary and that little pixie haircut showed off the most amazing headdresses and scarves.
Tiffany lent them jewelry and silver from their archives. The use of pearls made my heart skip a beat. Look at that hand jewelry, tiara and the gorgeous pearl necklace below. Leo looked the best I've seen him in years. Toby McGuire was so believable as the naive friend and narrator. Joel Edgerton was the villain and he angered you.
The roaring 20's was a time of great prosperity right after the World War I. Jazz was breaking though and dancing consumed the nation. People were out of control, letting their hair down so to speak after such rationing, death and destruction. The women had just earned the right to vote and women felt freer than ever. Hemlines were up and they cut their hair short. Prohibition was in full force and gave parties and night clubs an air of danger and reckless rule breaking.
If you would like to see more of the Tiffany jewelry, click here for a look at Tiffany's windows in New York.
I can't even imagine dressing like this everyday. The dresses were unbelievable. Incredible detail. All the men were dressed by Brooks Brothers and if you go into their stores, they have all the suits for sale, even the pink one. Rich, sophisticated and decadent are the words I would use to describe the characters, except Nick. Nick was sweet, naive, trusting and loyal. The sets were a visual feast: the houses, the rooms, the furniture, the scenery, the cars, the jewelry and the clothes. An Art Deco explosion. You can see how beautiful the movement was when captured in it's own time. The party scenes were over the top and not my cup of tea, but I enjoyed seeing them. I loved the billowing curtain scene at the beginning of the movie, when you meet Daisy. I've seen so many opulent mansions by the sea that belonged to the tycoons of yesteryear, and they have all had the wall of floor to ceiling doors that open up to the water. I have imagined this scene at each of them. I also loved that Gatsby gave all those parties in hopes that Daisy would go to at least one. He longed to be back in her life, but wanted it to be by happenstance, not showing how eager he was. How his house faced hers, yet the body of water stood between them. I felt Nick's awkwardness and how uncomfortable he was in the hotel scene. It ends sad, bittersweet and you just want to shake your head at the waste of it all (but I didn't cry, I just felt melancholy). I read the book in high school and I'm going to read it next. I think you have to have more life experience to understand and "get" the books you read in high school. When your 15 or 16 you can't identify with the characters and story lines
as much as you do now. I've just added this movie to a list of my favorites.
2 comments:
what a wonderful review, its great that you so enjoyed yourself! it seems the bigger the productions the more the critics trash things, its refreshing how much you enjoyed it :-)
I agree, it was a feast for the senses. I also think these classics are worth re-reading as we get older. I totally hated grapes of wrath in school, it was torture to read it, but as an adult I really found it to be fantastic. i should re-read gatsby too.
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