The Great Gatsby - Thoughts On The Film

I wrote a review of this novel way back last year (which you can read here) where I said that the Luhrmann Adaptation was to be released (last) December - Boy did they move that date! It came out here on Thursday and on Friday to celebrate the end of my degree I went to see it - in 3D no less!

First off I'll just say that I hate Toby Maguire  can not stand him in anything, so this film was always going to be a challenge for me as he is cast as the protagonist Nick Carraway, and...he wasn't good, I'm sorry if you're a fan, but really his confusion and awkwardness throughout just made him so unnatural to me. I know Nick was the perpetual outsider in the novel but, ugh, I don't know, I just felt like he was there only to support Jay and Daisy, whereas in the book, that's the first feeling you get, but then Nick becomes a main character in his own right through his way of thinking and his calm understanding. I know that it's hard to turn that kind of character into someone big on-screen, but Luhrmann found a way to convey Nicks thinking through his typing up his memoirs, and he still wasn't believable for me. I just think different casting could have improved the film so much, in terms of Nick anyway.

Leonardo Dicaprio as Jay Gatsby, was pretty darn perfect. I didn't think anyone could get away with saying "old sport" so many times in 140 minutes, but he did! And he did it without being repetitive which is surely enough to merit praise in it's own right. For me, Dicaprio just nailed the act of the cool slick city gentleman, simmering with desire and complicated thoughts under the surface. Within his mysterious first few half appearances, you just knew the character was going to be the man you'd read about - and that's all I wanted. I also really loved the way Luhrmann kept taking us back to that green light and cementing in that hope that kept Gatsby going, it was such a nice way to implement his desire without giving him unnecessary dialogue or making him in anyway un-Gatsby through thoughtful monologues or anything twee like that.

Daisy was Daisy. Carey Mulligan played her well enough but she always was the least important character in the novel, it was Gatsby's infatuation of her that was important, not really the character herself.

The other lead females did well enough though Elizabeth Debicki was just beautiful as Jordan Baker, but she kind of lacked that spunkiness from the novel that makes her so memorable.

Isla Fisher as Myrtle was quite despicable as she should be, but again lacking. I think it's because so much was missing, smaller story lines were taken out so that the film could focus on this "bromance" between Carraway and Gatsby, which to me was not even one of the most important themes from the novel. I know that books are not always one sided and we each take from them what we will, but I just don't know what made Luhrmann and Craig Pearce, who was the other screenwriter, take this friendship to be the most important thing to show on screen.

Not that all of this means I didn't enjoy the film; far from it, it was good, it just wasn't a great adaptation. Probably the best thing about this film is just watching it, because Luhrmann as many know makes theatre production of films, and what better show to put on then one of the American Dream - the books ultimate theme. This gorgeous setting of a changing city free from prohibition and out to loose morals have a damn good time was just perfect for him to blow up on the big screen. The film truly is a visual delight, and especially in 3D, where you truly feel the magnificent splendour of a Gatsby Party. Another great thing about Luhrmann is the way he mixes modern music into these tales of long ago, (I'm sure we all remember Romeo's entrance to Radiohead's Talk Show Host *shivers*) and this is done well in Gatsby. The soundtrack is on-point and makes you wonder what else could possibly of been played during Gatsby's parties if not Beyonce overs or Kanye West.

Go and see this film, see it if you haven;t read the book and you'll probably come away more satisfied than if you have, but even then, it's still worth a watch just t better imaging that world where men and girls came and went like moths among the whisperings and the champagne and the stars.

Jane Eyre (2011) Film Review

I have wanted to see this version of Jane Eyre for...a long time. When it came to cinema's I think it was during a "low-funds" point, so I never got to see it there, and since then I've looked for it all over the internet (I even got a useless Netflix account) to absolutely no success  so when I finally got the DVD this year for Christmas, I was very pleased indeed!

The film in a word, is lovely. Everything about it. And for once, I really feel like this is a story about Jane. In every other adaptation the focus of the story seems to be on Bertha, or Adele, or Blanche and Rochester etc, but this one is all about Jane. There's not as much focus on her childhood, none of Mr. Reed dying or lots of instances of cruelty, that part of the story is compressed into a few moments with not much dialogue  but enough emphasis to give the story a backbone. In fact the film doesn't even begin with Jane's childhood, we see instead her heartbroken escape from Thornfield the morning after her "wedding" as she desperately tries to outrun her thoughts.

Michael Fassbender's portrayal of Edward Rochester is beautiful. He plays the broken man who has finally found a connection in his lost world so well, and he isn't a cocky Rochester which is great because liking him as a character is so much easier. He's just kind of desperate, and he seems like the one more attached in the relationship which gives Jane the power, an asset she has in print that makes her one of my favourite literary heroines; she doesn't realise just how strong she is. (It also doesn't hurt that he's downright gorgeous, seriously.)

As for Mia Wasikowska herself who plays Jane, just; bravo to the casting department because she is perfect. Quick and smart, and she brings a braveness to the role that always comes through in the novel but I have yet to see on screen. Her scenes with Fassbender are beautiful, and she is so unguarded around him that the relationship seems heavy and natural, a real force, rather than an infatuation as I've seen it appear so many times before.

The chemistry between Jane and Rochester on screen is just mesmerizing. This is probably one of  the most, dare I say it...*sexy* adaptations of a classic. The scene after Rochester's bed is aflame is beautiful, the way they react to one another is so powerful, it's really beautiful to watch. Also when Jane is gone from Thornfield and living with the Rivers, she hears Rochester calling for her from the air, it's like she can feel his spirit; so beautiful to watch.

As for the rest of the cast, they're just as wonderful. Dame Judi Dench as Mrs. Fairfax is great, and Jamie Bell is a convincing St. John (There's even a sneaky appearance from Georgiana Darcy!)

Overall, just a beautiful film, and one I can see coming very close behind my beloved 2005 Pride & Prejudice as favourite classic adaptation. If you've not seen this version yet I definitely recommend you do so.

On The Road - Thoughts On The Film

I've written quite a few times now about how excited I've been for the 2012 adaptation of Jack Kerouac's 1940's classic On The Road, well today I finally got to see it!

I think I read somewhere that this adaptation by Walter Salles was "respectful" and I totally agree. I got a really good feeling from the film right from the start from the use of old country songs and the background music which is primarily lonely jazzy bass and fits in perfectly with the era. Sam Riley (Who you may have seen in the Joy Division biopic Control) as Sal Paradise was, I thought, a really great casting choice. Like the character of the narrator in Palahniuks Fight Club, the film adaptation for this novel had to have one thing: a really great voice. We read the novel in "Sal's" voice all the way through and thankfully we get to watch the film in the same way; narrated by the gravelly old-world tones of Riley.

I also thought Tom Suttridge as Carlo Marx (Allen Ginsberg) was wonderful and so endearing! He was perhaps one of my favourite things about the film and his interactions with Dean (Garret Hedlund) were just as wacky as I'd imagined. At the start I thought Hedlund himself was maybe a little overdone as Dean Moriarty but by the end I was convinced he was the perfect choice for Dean and his portrayal was excellent.

So many people have criticized Kristen Stewart lately due to her affair with Snow White & The Huntsman director Rupert Sanders, and have taken that criticism with them while watching this film which is I think what has marred reviews on her performance. Stewart plays Mary-Lou, Moriarty's 16 year old wife. She is naive and in love and like all the other characters in the book is just looking for the wonder in life, and at doing that I think Stewart does well in the role. She, like Marx was portrayed very endearingly and I thought she was very likeable in the role, in fact I think I liked the film Mary-Lou more than the novel one.

It took around an hour for me to really feel like I was submerged in the story but at many points I smiled fondly at the pages coming alive in front of me, and at seeing characters in action who I have known for years in paper forms. Overall I really enjoyed the film. At 2 hours and 15 minutes it can be a bit of a heavy watch but as I said so enjoyable and definitely respectful. If you love the book I don't think you'll be disappointed.