Review: Director Luhrmann proves he can film a great ‘Gatsby’

Posted on May 17, 2013

Having never read F. Scott Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” means I was able to go into the latest adaptation from director Baz Luhrmann (“Romeo + Juliet,” “Moulin Rouge”), without no preconceptions and honestly very little knowledge about what the story is actually about. Having now seen it, I would have to imagine this is the most flashy and flamboyant adaptation, because simply no one does flashy and flamboyant better than Luhrmann.

Luhrmann doesn’t set out to satisfy purists, but those fearing a vivisection of a beloved classic will probably be surprised just how faithful the director (who also co-wrote the screenplay) was to the original text.

I don’t usually expect to leave a summer film thinking a lot, but it’s been days since I saw “The Great Gatsby,” and I’m still enthralled with Fitzgerald’s story, his characters and the ideas he put to paper nearly 90 years ago. If that’s not proof of a successful adaptation, I don’t know what is.

The film is rated PG-13 for some violent images, sexual content, smoking, partying and brief language.

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