柔羽芳心 .

2009-05-12 11:56:38Momo~

The Great Gatsby~Robert Redford

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I just finished watching this movie in English class last Friday. We also read the book (one of the best I've read; highly recommended). The movie was exceptionally faithful to the book, could claim some good performances, was visually stunning, and had some great moments. On the other hand, it had some dismal performances and dragged at points.

I was surprised to see Sam Waterston as Nick. I can only describe him as excellent. He was the perfect choice for Nick, and brought through every emotion right on the mark. Equally impressive was Robert Redford as Gatsby. Oddly enough, He gave a marvelous, valiant performance that could evoke sympathy from even the most heartless person. I'd never seen a Mia Farrow movie , but my friend is a big fan of "Rosemary's Baby" (I tell her it's because she, too, is hellspawn) but I disliked her portrayal of Daisy from the start. I found that I came to hate it more and more as the film went on. I'm guessing she saw the character as one-dimensional, because she gave the most shrill performance I've ever seen. (For another shrill mockery of a classic character, see Winona Ryder's annoying Abigail in 1998's "The Crucible.") She emphasizes the flighty bimbo that Daisy lets everyone see, but completely left out the sensible and vulnerable woman inside, leaving one to wonder if actress Katherine Helmond based her performance as Jessica Tate ("Soap") on Farrow's Daisy. I was one in a large crowd that thought Bruce Dern was insanely miscast as Tom. He doesn't fit the book's description at all(watch how it seems odd for Daisy to call him "brute" in the dinner scene), instead looking like a seedy used-car salesman who happened to hit it big. (If you've ever read the book "Matilda," he's the spitting image of the father!) Nonetheless, he is, at the very least, good in the role. Lois Chiles is enjoyable as the sizzling Jordan, although the movie's Jordan differs from the book's. (The book gave me the distinct mental image of the nasal, society-licking Gloria in 1974's "Mame.") Karen Black leaves something to be desired as Myrtle, but Scott Wilson is one of the cast's best as her husband George. He becomes almost terrifying toward the end as his character grows more and more desperate. (Check it out when he suddenly appears at the Buchanan breakfast table near the end. He just seems to materialize there, like Jason or something. Hilarious!) Roberts Blossom is on par with Waterston, Wilson, and Redford in his short appearance as Mr. Gatz, Gatsby's father. Watch for his best moment, the heartbreaking funeral scene in which he recites his the schedule his son lived by as a child.

The movie itself is good, but not great. It seems like something intangible is missing. It's hard to describe. (The one I can note is the important dinner scene near the beginning, which is far shorter than in the novel.) But there were two scenes in particular that really hit the spot. The pivotal hotel room scene (or, as it became famously known at school, "Chapter 7," where "everything blew up"), with tempers running high and alliances changing rapidly, was film making at its best. Also, this scene is probably Farrow and Dern's best in the movie. It pulls off the tense, explosive mood without a hitch. The other was the scene near the end where George shot Gatsby. If you know what's going to happen, you can take the time to note how the mood for this one scene is being set up as early as two or three scenes before it, slowly building. The long shots of Gatsby floating in the pool on the air mattress, the way he kept turning and calling Daisy's name, the "calm before the storm" air that the whole thing gave off...I watched thinking, "this is brilliant." And when this peaks, you'll find yourself several minutes later, still sitting there with your mouth open.

Everyone should read the book, especially if you see the movie, this way you can get what's missing. (I hear a TV-movie version, with Mira Sorvino as Daisy--hopefully she'll do it justice--is in post-production for broadcast this year.) And, misses aside, this is a movie that deserves to be seen.