With the opening of the latest version of The Great Gatsby, I decided to watch the 1974 version of the film.
One, it starred Robert Redford. Hubba. Two, it was free. Hubba-hubba.
It was a Sunday afternoon and I’m usually pretty tired after a busy church morning, so I dozed off during the film.
But when I woke up, the plot hadn’t advanced much.
Frankly, the ’74 version of The Great Gatsby was slow, a bit boring and lacking any real emotion.
Other adaptations are:
The Great Gatsby (1926), a silent film, directed by Herbert Brenon and starring Warner Baxter as Gatsby, Lois Wilson as Daisy, and William Powell. This film is considered “lost.” (Isn’t that sad?)
The Great Gatsby (1949), directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Alan Ladd as Gatsby, Betty Field as Daisy, Shelley Winters, Macdonald Carey, Barry Sullivan, and Howard Da Silva.
Wonder if this version is on Netflix. Maybe YouTube?
And, a 2000 version starring Toby Stephens, Mira Sorvino, Paul Rudd and Martin Donovan.
But now the 2013 version is out.
The trailer looks vibrant and wild, almost over-the-top with color and characters.
But isn’t that what the Roaring Twenties were all about? Over-the-top?
DiCaprio plays rich, eccentric playboys well.
Toby Maguire seems to be the perfect Nick Calloway.
The costumes look extraordinary if not a bit modern.
Will I see the movie? Yikes, I don’t know.
It’s just interesting to me that F. Scott Fitzgerald’s thin little book has so profoundly impacted literature and now film.
Is the book that wonderful? Are the underlying social comments so intriguing? Are there no other stories to tell?
Why this book, again? Five movies on The Great Gatsby! Wow!
Some times I think it’s easier to retell a story because the foundation has been laid.
Previous films worked out the plot, the screenplay, the filming.
A new writer and director can build off of that to create a higher, broader, bigger view of the “same ole story.”
The story is not new to us. But the filming and staging is new.
Besides, it’s fun to visit the ’20s again.
Why go see The Great Gatsby in 2013? To see how far they take the ’20s decadence? To see the costumes? To hear the music?
To watch DiCaprio and Maguire? To see how Carey Mulligan plays Daisy Buchanan?
Often, if we know the story line going in, we can focus more on the characters and events of the story themselves.
But in the end, I’m pretty sure Gatsby will die. Daisy will be ruined and Nick will wander off, pondering life.
What about you? Will you see The Great Gatsby? If so, why?
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Rachel Hauck is a storyteller. She is on deadline. “Better get to work, girl.”
Her latest, Once Upon A Prince, is “brilliant,” according to Rel, of Relz Reviewz.
Vist her at www.rachelhauck.com
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