“You can’t repeat the past.” Nick Carraway, played strikingly by the doe-eyed Tobey Maguire, says to his neighbor and friend Jay Gatsby—who answers with the famous line, “Can’t repeat the past? Why of course you can!”
Turns out it really isn’t that simple and easy to repeat the past, no matter how devilishly detailed one may wish to arrange things. Which is, of course, what Gatsby attempts to do with each lavish party that he gives. Alas, if it were only so simple.
But for a man who wishes to repeat the past, he is certainly selective about the parts that he wishes to repeat. There are parts of his deep and dark past that he would do anything not to repeat, and in this we see the dexterity with which Baz Luhrmann’s movie is a terrific adaptation of the Fitzgerald classic that succeeds not only as a work of cinema but also, wonderfully, as proof of the novel’s greatness.
This is Hollywood at its finest: presenting the glitz and glam of 1920s Manhattan, one is awe-struck by the sights and sounds of the Jazz Age even as it is contrasted to the teeming poverty within the bowels of the city itself. All the solid themes of the book that include old money vs. new money, regret and remorse over poor choices of one’s youth, being a victim of circumstance, pining for that which is not to be, denial and desire, misplaced longing, deceit and betrayal, and of course, the pursuit of the great American dream are all contained and portrayed skillfully and entertainingly in this spectacular rendition. Oh, and did I mention love? That too.
Prepare to get on an amazing roller-coaster with every party that you are privy to at Gatsbys, and prepare for a most entertaining ride. Along the way, you’ll also make the acquaintance of one of Bollywood’s big names—Amitabh Bachhan—as a creepy gangster in a cameo role.
DeCaprio, you have arrived, certainly, and I’ll bet good money that this might be as defining a role for your legacy, perhaps even eclipsing your Titanic one. Bravo, all around!
