The Great Gatsby

This is the most faithful film version of Scott F. Fitzgerald's famous novel. However, I feel other versions, although not necessarily as true to the book, have captured the elusive character of Jay Gatsby more successfully.

Told through the Eyes of Nick Carraway (Paul Rudd) the film follows the book fairly closely with less rearranging of the material than the Ladd, Redford or DiCaprio versions.

Obsession is a tricky quality to treat sympathetically on the screen. But that is exactly what Jay Gatsby displays in his pursuit of Daisy: the love he lost and thinks he has found again.

Toby Stephens as Gatsby just seems too squared away to be harbouring a 5-year obsession, which he will go to any lengths to satisfy including openly stealing another man's wife. He carries off the self-made man to a point, but he doesn't project that almost indefinable, enigmatic quality that is the key to Gatsby's character. He and Paul Rudd also project a similar style - the different look of Leo DiCaprio as Gatsby and Toby Maguire as Nick was a better counterpoint in Baz Lurhmann's 2013 film.

The other three sound versions had a major star in the role. Where you would think a lesser-known actor could inhabit the role more comfortably without reference to his star quality, the opposite seems to be true. Both Alan Ladd and Leo DiCaprio delivered a complex, enigmatic Gatsby.

Only Robert Redford's star power may have worked against him. His persona also seemed too solid and sensible to let his emotions totally take over his life. However, charisma was no problem for Redford.

Although Gatsby is an enigma - Daisy is also a mystery. Whereas Fitzgerald had words to describe her, an actress playing Daisy must project what it is that Gatsby sees in her. Daisy is attractive, but fundamentally weak and simply wants to run when confronted with the traumas in her life. Nick Carraway sees right through her.

I think Cary Mulligan in Baz Lurhmann's film caught those qualities, as did Betty Field opposite Alan Ladd, Mia Farrow gave her a neurotic edge, while Mira Sorvino plays it low-key here, masking Daisy's indecision - it's a thoughtful performance.

The production of this movie is adequate for the story, and it is probably the best version to see first, because all the others bring something else to the table beyond a straight interpretation of the book.

Stick with the Redford/Farrow version if you want to see a good movie. Sorvino looked lost the whole time and her portrayal of Daisy made me wonder if she'd ever read the book. However, Toby Stephens made an excellent Gatsby and did a bang-up American accent, but he alone couldn't save this movie.

Sorvino, Rudd and Donovan are very good; Sorvino, in fact, is excellent, better than Farrow in the 1974 version. But Toby Stephens is badly miscast as Jay Gatsby; there's no sense of romance to him, no yearning; he has none of Gatsby's strengths NOR his weaknesses. He looks like a cigarette ad.



But the real problem here is to reveal Gatsby's background much, much too early; he should remain mysterious to us for longer than he does. The production lacks the richness required, and ducks away from important scenes; it's sentimental instead of wryly wistful, and doesn't capture the period very well.

The Great Great Gatsby remains to be made. We're left with a lost silent version, the elusive Ladd version (which is quite good) and the good, but not outstanding, version from 1974. This one is just a footnote.

Being a huge fan of the original classic novel, I was very disappointed and at times also found myself getting bored during this TV film.

As many other people I was "forced" to study THE GREAT GATSBY in school. After having read it over a dozen times it has now become one of my favourite books. It is such a beautiful and multi-layered work of art. So needless to say it is horrific to watch the way a great novel can become extremely shallow on screen.

The Redford/Farrow version of THE GREAT GATSBY is ten times better then this film which feels at times like a cheap soap opera with cheesy music that does nothing to complement the mood of the film. Everything just looks and feels very tasteless and unreal in this adaptation: the sets, costumes and even the characters.

The major problem I had with this particular version was Toby Stephens portrayel of Gatsby. He looked most of the time like a grinning fool. One good thing about his portrayel compared to Robert Redford's, is that Stephens underlines the darker, more sinister side to Gatsby's personality. However, I thought it was painful to watch him play Gatsby.There was no depth, charm or sparkle in his performance. Whereas Redford truly transformed himself into Gatsby.

Mira Sorvino was okay as Daisy. I thought her voice was perfect: "full of money", but her performance was not one of her best and at times it seemed like she was just reading out lines from a script.

Paul Rudd as Nick Carraway did the best job out of all cast members portraying his character . In my opinion he is very enjoyable to watch and is able to capture some of the mannerisms of Nick.

Martin Donovon as "the polo player" is completely out of character. He is nothing like the novel describes Daisy's husband as. Surely the head of casting could have found someone with a bit more depth!!!

ONE GOOD THING about this adaption is its faithfulness to the novel in terms of storyline. The main plot has not been altered as much as in the the 1970's version with Farrow/Redford. That is why I would recommend this to student's studying the novel. However, the older version has captured fully the atmosphere of the times represented in the book and also the characters are played by a much, much, much, much more talented and suitable cast.

Read the book or see the older version. This is just a waste of your time if you are not a big Fitzgerald fan.

4/10

Ok, some of these people giving comments about this movie obviously never paid attention to the 1974 version. For one thing, this adaptation is actually interesting. The 1974 version was totally boring, mostly because the actors/actresses showed no enthusiasm at all. And I believe this version is just as close if not closer to the book as the 1974 version. This new adaptation is much more enjoyable than the old.