THE GREAT GATSBY

REVIEWED BY CHARITY BISHOP

Our rating: 3 out of 5

Because of: language, violence, adultery

Rated:

I have never been fond of F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel. From a reader's perspective, I can see why it has become considered a classic, for it has all the flavor and romantic sentiment to appeal to a wide audience. It is just the story that I dislike, and therefore no adaptation is ever going to win my true approval, but this one is better than most.

Struggling Wall Street businessman Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston) has come to the country for the summer and taken up a charming little house just across the lake from his distant cousin, Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow). Having not seen one another since they were children, the two instantly hit it off, but Nick is not convinced that her marriage is a happy one. Daisy's husband Tom (Bruce Dern) keeps a mistress on the side and is quite proud of showing her off at vulgar parties in New York. The "other woman" is Myrtle Wilson (Karen Black), the unhappy wife of a local mechanic and petrol station manager. Her simpleminded husband George (Scott Wilson) is completely unaware that he is a local laughingstock. In order to bring some joy into her dismal existence, the flighty Daisy attempts to interest Nick romantically in her best friend and professional athlete Jordan Baker (Lois Chiles).

Next door to Nick's little house is a large and ostentatious manor owned by the mysterious Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford), who throws lavish parties and rarely makes appearances at them. When Nick is sent an invitation to one, his host calls him in for a glass of sherry and invites him to take a drive the following afternoon. The two become engaged in an unlikely friendship, and when Jay asks Nick to invite Daisy over for a few hours in the afternoon, the good-natured young man has no reason to disapprove. It soon becomes apparent that Nick and Daisy have a history not remotely forgotten, and their rekindled relationship will bring devastation to the lives of everyone who stand in their wake.

Ultimately a story about self-exploration, long lost love, and infinite tragedy, The Great Gatsby has no moral redeeming value except a clear depiction of how immorality can ruin lives. Tom is content to chase every skirt that passes by but has a moral objection when his wife becomes involved in an affair. No one seems overly concerned about fidelity and even Nick, the most upstanding of the group, keeps his mouth shut when it comes to the romantic entanglements of his extended family. This is perhaps the only adaptation to ever capture the characters in such a way that you become fond of them, particularly Gatsby. Redford is brilliant in the role, making him enigmatic, perplexing, and fascinating, as well as an incurable romantic. Waterston comes across as a laid-back and somewhat confused young man who doesn't quite know what to do with himself, and Mia Farrow has never been more beautiful or heart-wrenching.

Because the film is discreet, it never forces its audience to wallow in the mud of adulterous content, but instead implies it. Daisy and Jay spend long hours together, mostly spewing sentimental musings and exchanging the occasional kiss. There is some cavalier talk of lovers and being "made love to." Tom and Myrtle are all over one another, but it never progresses beyond embraces and kisses. Two women dance together at a party, and their lingering glances signify something more than friendship. There are mild profanities, two abuses of GD, and one of Christ. Talk revolves around someone being run over by a car; we see a broken headlight and blood spattered across the hood. Someone is shot and killed in the pool, with bloody results. A man slaps a woman across the face, bloodying her nose. 

Alcohol flows in fantastic amounts, leading to general drunkenness and disorder at parties, where the camera leers at swinging skirts and flying feet as couples dance the Charleston. There were times when I marveled at how exquisitely shot the production was, full of beautiful muted colors and glorious images of Farrow's glassy-eyed remembrances, but some of the shots are not that flattering to the actors. If you were fond of the book, this is the best adaptation to remember it by, but as a general story that you can feel good about, it's not the one. The production goes on about a half hour too long and leaves its audience with an emotion akin to sorrow for the utter destruction people wage on one another's lives.