Friday 31 May 2013

Great has been the response to Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s flamboyant rendering of a revered American tale about the emptiness of abundance. Not so great has been the volume of flak it’s copped since The Great Gatsby premiered at Cannes Film Festival.

The star-studded 3D carnival was mainly reported as being a dud adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s source text.

With scathing reviews such as “there won’t be a more crushing disappointment (in 2013)” (Rolling Stone) and “spectacle in search of a soul” (Wall Street Journal), many ignored the favourable responses Gatsby also sparked.

The fifth film version of Gatsby opened on May 30. We can see for ourselves if the negative emphasis of most media coverage was warranted. One accusation against Luhrmann can be instantly clarified, though. Those branding him as unfaithful to Fitzgerald’s novella must be referring to the movie’s tone or depth, because the original storyline is intact.

While set amid New York affluence, in the Roaring ‘20s, Gatsby remains a poignant fable. Our era of aspiration, airbrushed reality, and obsession with buying happiness, seems purpose-built for the tangled unravelling of wealthy, mysterious Gatsby (played by Leonardo DiCaprio). The tragic impact of his extravagant yet barren life continues to skewer the persistent delusion many have of manufacturing ‘the perfect life’.

The greatness of Luhrmann’s Gatsby may be debated. Not so Fitzgerald’s sophisticated critiques about living for self.