The Great Gatsby (2013) Movie

[arfink]

I've been reading the reviews. And looking at the previews. And every time I read about it, my heart sinks a little more, and I start to feel sick.

 

Why? Who could have possibly thought this was a good idea? It's not period-accurate, it's merely evocative. It takes out all the substance of the book to replace it with mindless sex and parties. Sure, the book had both of those things, but it also had a STORY, and the movie apparently eschews the story for mere spectacle.

 

And they took a 20's themed movie, set in what is always called the "Jazz Age" and made a soundtrack for it that is composed of dubstep and hip hop. WHYYYYYY? IS JAZZ NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR A JAZZ AGE FILM? WHAT THE HECK!!?

 

They filmed it in 3D, for reasons even casual viewers cannot fathom. And not very well either.

 

I grant that the film itself has a lot of visual appeal, but is it really The Great Gatsby when the story isn't there?

[CatholicsAreKewl]

I've been reading the reviews. And looking at the previews. And every time I read about it, my heart sinks a little more, and I start to feel sick.

 

Why? Who could have possibly thought this was a good idea? It's not period-accurate, it's merely evocative. It takes out all the substance of the book to replace it with mindless sex and parties. Sure, the book had both of those things, but it also had a STORY, and the movie apparently eschews the story for mere spectacle.

 

And they took a 20's themed movie, set in what is always called the "Jazz Age" and made a soundtrack for it that is composed of dubstep and hip hop. WHYYYYYY? IS JAZZ NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR A JAZZ AGE FILM? WHAT THE HECK!!?

 

They filmed it in 3D, for reasons even casual viewers cannot fathom. And not very well either.

 

I grant that the film itself has a lot of visual appeal, but is it really The Great Gatsby when the story isn't there?

LOL that sounds horrrible. I bet they're casting famous rappers for the lead roles as well. 

[Basilisa Marie]

NO NO WAIT WAIT IT'S OKAY LET ME EXPLAIN.  I haven't seen the movie yet, so bear that in mind. 

 

Okay so, the thing Baz Luhrmann (the director) does is infuse modern stuff into old stuff.  Have you seen Romeo + Juliet? That's the one where he uses the original Shakespeare dialogue and slaps it onto a modern setting (swords are guns, etc).  I think it's really cool, it helps a modern audience really get into the old stuff.  He also did Moulin Rouge.   So what he's doing by getting all kinds of (rather spectacular) modern musical artists in on the score is to get modern audiences to appreciate the "feel" of what it was really like.  Jazz music doesn't evoke the same feelings for us as it did for those in the 1920s...but hip hop and dubstep and rock do.  In the 20s, jazz WAS the party/club music.  Some of the artists have actually written new songs for the movie, and they pull out the symbolism in the book.  Jay-Z raps about yellow things symbolizing wealth, Florence and the Machine sings about the Green Light of hope and fantasy and envy ("I can see the green light, I can see it in your eyes").

 

So at least, that's why they do the modern music.  I haven't seen the film yet, so it might still suck, but the review I've read comment more on the 3D being jarring and the music being weird than anything of substance about the movie itself.  Seems like it might be one of those love it or hate it movies. 

[CrossCuT]

I've been reading the reviews. And looking at the previews. And every time I read about it, my heart sinks a little more, and I start to feel sick.

 

Why? Who could have possibly thought this was a good idea? It's not period-accurate, it's merely evocative. It takes out all the substance of the book to replace it with mindless sex and parties. Sure, the book had both of those things, but it also had a STORY, and the movie apparently eschews the story for mere spectacle.

 

And they took a 20's themed movie, set in what is always called the "Jazz Age" and made a soundtrack for it that is composed of dubstep and hip hop. WHYYYYYY? IS JAZZ NOT GOOD ENOUGH FOR A JAZZ AGE FILM? WHAT THE HECK!!?

 

They filmed it in 3D, for reasons even casual viewers cannot fathom. And not very well either.

 

I grant that the film itself has a lot of visual appeal, but is it really The Great Gatsby when the story isn't there?

Im reading the book right now and you post made me sad.

[Era Might]

I haven't read the book (I've read the beginning of it, actually). But I saw the new "Brideshead Revisited" they made a few years ago and hated it...they completely missed the point of the story and turned it into a love story. Wouldn't surprise me if they mess this one up too.

 

As far as using Hip Hop in the movie...that's probably mainly about marketing. Movies have to make money. And maybe it's not meant to be a literal adaptation (IDK, just guessing).

Edited May 10, 2013 by Era Might

[Lil Red]

i :love: Baz Luhrmann. i also liked his interpretation of Romeo+Juliet. I have worn out 2 cds of that soundtrack :hehe: 

[arfink]

I do not deny, I like the soundtrack very much, as a standalone work. I have been listening to it already.

 

But I think for Gatsby fans this one may prove to be a bit jarring. I dunno, I could be wrong. We shall see.

[CatholicsAreKewl]

NO NO WAIT WAIT IT'S OKAY LET ME EXPLAIN.  I haven't seen the movie yet, so bear that in mind. 

 

Okay so, the thing Baz Luhrmann (the director) does is infuse modern stuff into old stuff.  Have you seen Romeo + Juliet? That's the one where he uses the original Shakespeare dialogue and slaps it onto a modern setting (swords are guns, etc).  

I immediately thought of this tbh. It's the same director?

[CrossCuT]

NO NO WAIT WAIT IT'S OKAY LET ME EXPLAIN.  I haven't seen the movie yet, so bear that in mind. 

 

Okay so, the thing Baz Luhrmann (the director) does is infuse modern stuff into old stuff.  Have you seen Romeo + Juliet? That's the one where he uses the original Shakespeare dialogue and slaps it onto a modern setting (swords are guns, etc).  I think it's really cool, it helps a modern audience really get into the old stuff.  He also did Moulin Rouge.   So what he's doing by getting all kinds of (rather spectacular) modern musical artists in on the score is to get modern audiences to appreciate the "feel" of what it was really like.  Jazz music doesn't evoke the same feelings for us as it did for those in the 1920s...but hip hop and dubstep and rock do.  In the 20s, jazz WAS the party/club music.  Some of the artists have actually written new songs for the movie, and they pull out the symbolism in the book.  Jay-Z raps about yellow things symbolizing wealth, Florence and the Machine sings about the Green Light of hope and fantasy and envy ("I can see the green light, I can see it in your eyes").

 

So at least, that's why they do the modern music.  I haven't seen the film yet, so it might still smell of elderberries, but the review I've read comment more on the 3D being jarring and the music being weird than anything of substance about the movie itself.  Seems like it might be one of those love it or hate it movies. 

 

My boyfriend, who knows way  more about the film world than I do, told me this same thing. However I have never seen Romeo and Juliet ... Im sure I will sooner than later though  :rolleyes:

[EmilyAnn]

I love The Great Gatsby and I love Baz Luhrmann's films, so I'm actually super excited to see the movie. I also think it's important to recognise that a film adaptation is just that: an adaptation. Literature and film are very different mediums, and sometimes the best adaptations are those that recognise that rather than trying to be replicas. 

[Guest Raz]

Baz Luhrmann is the man and his use of music in his films is one of his staple characteristics as a filmmaker. I'm very excited to see this movie. If anyone hasn't seen Romeo + Juliet or Moulin Rouge I would HIGHLY reccommend them, they are truly beautiful and moving and Baz's use of powerful modern music plays a huge role in achieving that high level of emotion he gets.

 

You wouldn't necesarily want to use a camera from the 20s to film a movie set in the 20s, so why should one be constrained to using music from that time period? In the filmmaking world these are all just storytelling tools. Filmmaking is the one rare form of art that allows us to combine artistic techniques and styles from every other artform (painting, sculpting, music making, photography, writing, acting, everything!) in order to tell our stories. This is why movies are hands down the most accessable artform and the most popular throughout the world.

[HisChildForever]

I'm seeing Gatsby tomorrow and I'm super stoked. It's going to be fantastic. People who are this bent out of shape over it need to put their energy elsewhere. You don't care for it? No problem, there's like a zillion Gatsby movies, take your pick and enjoy.

 

Edit to add - I'm talking about the critics, not anyone on Phatmass.

Edited May 11, 2013 by HisChildForever

[arfink]

I'm all for an artsy film. But sexing it up is not my idea of a good time.

[MarysLittleFlower]

I haven't read the book (I've read the beginning of it, actually). But I saw the new "Brideshead Revisited" they made a few years ago and hated it...they completely missed the point of the story and turned it into a love story. Wouldn't surprise me if they mess this one up too.

 

As far as using Hip Hop in the movie...that's probably mainly about marketing. Movies have to make money. And maybe it's not meant to be a literal adaptation (IDK, just guessing).

 

I was going to watch the BR movie but heard the same thing and didn't, thankfully. The  miniseries is good though :) it stayed true to the book, I think.

[GeorgiiMichael]

After getting back from the movie tonight, there was no dubstep in the score whatsoever. It might have been on the "soundtrack" (which I haven't heard yet) but I feel like that would better be described as a "music inspired by the film" than a true soundtrack, but again, I haven't actually listened to the CD. 

 

It should be noted that The Great Gatsby, as a work of both literature and film, isn't about the time period it's set in, so much as it's a commentary on those who live as if there are no consequences to their actions. It's a work that shows us our culture, and how screwed up it is. That's why there are high schoolers that are hating slogging through the book right now for their English class. That's why the music both in the film, and on the soundtrack, aren't jazz. Jazz isn't the same to us now as it was to people in the 1920s. It's "classy" music. It's stodgy. It isn't cool. We wear our rose colored glasses when looking at the 1920s, and we see the fashion, and we hear about the stock market and the economic success. But we forget the lawlessness, and the revelry, and the debauchery. We forget that the line that F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote at the close of the novel isn't just true now, but was true then:

 

 

They were careless people, Tom and Daisy--they smashed up things and creatures and then retreated back into their money of their vast carelessness, or whatever it was that kept them together, and let other people clean up the mess they had made.

 

And if someone needs to use rap and club music on the soundtrack in order for us to get that, then so be it. Because The Great Gatsby isn't about the 1920s. It's about the consequences of living as if there are no consequences. 

 

I also wouldn't call it "sexed up", Arf. There might be scantily clad women dancing, but that's nothing new, and was definitely part of that culture. It helps tie in the debauchery of the 1920s and connect it to the debauchery now. It helps in the goal of the musical score, to show us ourselves.