"New York, 1922. The tempo of the city had changed sharply, the buildings were higher, the parties were bigger, the morals were looser and the liquor was cheaper."
It took me ages to work out how to start this post. I mean, it's The Great Gatsby - and Gatsby takes on a vocabulary of its own. But DARLING THIS WAS SO FREAKING FABULOUS may encapsulate my feelings for it suitably. Because really, it was.
Don't be fooled by some of those critical reviews, because there is nothing not to love about Gatsby. The glamour, the extravagance (not to mention those INCREDIBLE parties - so very, very jealous).... it's all a dream world. One simply can't help falling in love with it all.
I saw the film last weekend, and I swear the whole time my mouth was open and eyes were fixated to the screen. At one point, I even had to restrain myself from jumping up and dancing in the aisle (this was in the scene of one of Gatsby's grand parties, of course). And because you should all know how fabulous it is too, here's a list of eight things I love about The Great Gatsby...... Xxx
1. The music
Don't deny it - the soundtrack is gold. And since it's edited by Jay Z (God), it's kind of expected. Lana del Rey, The XX, Kanye, Will.I.Am, Beyoncé..... I love how Baz Lurhmann incorporated modern day songs into the film, with very 1920s twists. Genius.
2. The costumes
The clothes alone make me want to travel back to the 1920s! So, so extravagant. I loved that Miuccia Prada designed over 40 of the costumes - a very stylish move on Lurhmann's part, I believe. You might have recognised Daisy's glittering
'chandelier dress' from Prada's SS10 collection - the dress is made of hundreds of hanging crystal droplets, connected by a series of tiny hoops. Yes, the costumes were definitely a highlight!
3. Leonardo DiCaprio
It's worth seeing the film just for Leo. He really is an amazing, amazing actor. I think he did a wonderful job transitioning from the mysterious-neighbour to the cool-guy-with-a-really-flash-car to the besotted-lover. He did really well in letting Gatsby's little bits of insecurity slip through his magical mask throughout too. Yep, big snaps for Leo!
4. New York City
The fact that it was set in such a cool city added major bonus points. If anything, you didn't get to see enough of New York in the '20s! Partying in an inner-city apartment, speeding over the Brooklyn Bridge and sneaking sublime views of the city was all cool cool cool.
5. The PARTIES
How can one forget all those extravagant parties??? Like I said, they made me want to jump up and start dancing in the aisles. Fortunately to save the embarrassment of my friends, I was able to restrain myself. But oh the MUSIC and the DANCING and the never ending flow of champagne and glamorous-looking people! Why can't all parties nowadays be like Gatsby's?!?!
6. The houses
Gagh, major, major envy for these people's homes. The mansions! The swimming pools! The gardens! The enormous gold gilded rooms! Can I please come and live in Gatsby's house now? Please?
7. Gatsby's undying love (swoon)
I've heard some people say that the whole love story thing is unbelievable. Half of me agrees and half of me disagrees. But all I can really think about is how ADORABLE Gatsby's undying love for Daisy is. Oh to be Daisy Buchanan. The way Gatsby would do absolutely anything for her (the flowers, the parties....), the way he stared into her eyes, what a gentleman he was to her..... you can tell I'm a romantic, can't you? Gatsby has raised my 'boyfriend standards' to sky high new levels. I won't settle for anything less than Gatsby.
8. Its uniqueness
You have to admit that this wasn't just like any other film. Even the filming technique was very modern and different to any other I had seen..... the visuals and characters almost looked fake, don't you think? At first, I wasn't so sure I liked it. But as it went on, I realised that it was actually very cool. Very 21st century. Thumbs up to Baz for doing something a little different!
And below, my favourite little clip of the film.......
Have you seen
The Great Gatsby yet? What did you think? I really would love to hear all your comments and what you all thought of it!
K xxx
