The Great Gatsby

By Harry McPhaul

          The Great Gatsby was truly a well done film based off a classic book.  I did not read the whole book although it was a part of one my high school English class requirements but I could enjoy the film.  From the parts that I did read I found the book to be confusing and difficult to comprehend.  The film does a great job in making the story more understandable without it losing some of the deeper elements.

          I was able to pick up on these aspects but could not think of what exactly they represented.  For instance, the significance of the green light that docks across the bay from Gatsby where Daisy lives.  In the film they eventually state that it was supposed to symbolize Gatsby’s dreams and hopes in the future that he would occasionally reach out toward and that he connected those things with Daisy.  This was one part that made the film more enjoyable.  They actually took the time to explain one the key points to whole story.

          This film would not have been as finely done without a superb acting ensemble.  Leonardo Dicaprio gave another one of his better performances and I have begun to expect nothing less.  He was able to portray Jay Gatsby exactly how I would have pictured him down to every smile or inflection in his voice.  Tobey Maguire I felt gave the best performance.  His ability to create Nick Carraway as this young adult in a big city who is looking to build his life on his own was fantastic.  His acting in this film seemed overshadowed by that of Dicaprio but after letting the movie sort of sink for a few days I can see the importance of having Maguire play Carraway.  The acting was one aspect that made this film likeable, another was the music.

          Going into the film I thought that they would choose to play the music of the time (1920s) during Gatsby magnificent party scenes.  They ended playing music that we would consider for a party.  After speaking with Tyler Darke after the film he explained to me that they chose to do this because to the party goers in the film this was what their music would have sounded like.  It made it easier for me to connect with them because I could actually imagine myself there with the relatable music.

          I felt the fashion and music were under rated components to this film.  The acting however was not.  It was a cast that had great chemistry together.  I would nominate Tobey Maguire and Leonardo Dicaprio for best actor and best supporting actor.  It was a film that I would recommend you see. I would give it an 8.5/10