It’s nice to know that Baz Luhrmann’s adaptation of The Great Gatsby is going ahead, with an impressive headlining cast to. Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby, Carey Mulligan as Daisy and Tobey Maguire as the narrator Nick Carraway. What is interesting is that the film will be shot in 3D. An interesting decision, and not one which is as of yet wholly convincing or necessary.
The novel is all about extravagance and the over zealous lifestyle these very rich people live, but how in the end it all just becomes a meaningless, unstable surface for their own personal struggles and secrets, and for that alone Luhrmann is a spot on decision as director. His films are nothing but overblown extravagance and his foray into Fitzgerald could see him look towards his back catalogue as well as get under the skin of the novel’s themes. So even as it stands it will be and is meant to be over the top, and whether the 3D will add to that or is needed to make it over the top is debatable. It’s just an extra distraction from what is at the core an incredibly dramatic story.
I mean Luhrmann isn’t the man I could see needing 3D to make his films more spectacular but who knows, maybe it will just be subtle only adding dazzle to the spectacle. Also the film is preparing to shoot in August in Australia, and will shoot at Fox Studios Sydney where films like The Matrix and Moulin Rouge! were shot. Of course extensive set building will have to be done to replicate the New York setting but there is no reason why that shouldn’t work.
Many Australian unions are pleased that a big film like this is heading back to Australia, hoping that it will bring some gravitas back to the struggling film industry. The film will have a 17 week shooting period through August, waiting for DiCaprio to finish J. Edgar, prepping for a 2012 release date. Looking forward to this already: classic, brilliant novel with DiCaprio and Mulligan directed by Luhrmann. Must see. (The Playlist)
