Movie Review aka Opinion Review: The Great Gatsby

I read The Great Gatsby in 2006. Little did I know the significance of this novel in literature that I discarded it as an unworthy piece of reading meant for the soft heads. Dr. Punam Juneja taught us with an irresistible and palpable passion -the confounded tale of complicated relationships of Gatsby, Nick, Jordan, Daisy, Tom, Myrtle and Wilson. I could neither understand nor see beyond the realms and horizons of my life then. In fact, at that time, I did not deserve to read Gatsby. But I read or rather, I was supposed to read. I killed the novel with my own noble interpretations and presented a distorted review to whoever enquired about it. I am ashamed now of my mistake of misinterpreting Fitzgerald’s portrayal of a budding capitalist country in the Roaring Twenties- its own cultural sophistications, the over ambitious men, the Flapper women and a Jay Gatsby, like his country, upbeat about controlling things-believing himself to be the son of God.

I watched the movie- The Great Gatsby co-written and directed by Baz Luhrmann in 2014. The movie, undoubtedly and prestigiously did  a cent percent justice to the novel, which I happened to re-read a while ago. The flamboyance of the lavish parties thrown by Gatsby, the green light on the Buchanan’s deck and Nick Carraways’ impeccable sympathy for Gatsby are aptly done. And for Gatsby, enlivened by a reliable young Leonardo DiCaprio,  and Nick Carraway, amazingly carried by Tobey Mcguire lives up to the characters drawn in the original.

 The Great Gatsby by Scott Fitzgerald ever etched a mark in literature, a tragedy which spoke of the unceasing hope of a young millionaire to recreate a life that went past him five years ago. He never realized that the past he was looking for in his orgiastic future was, in fact, behind him. He was erroneously  optimistic and eventually died with that erroneous optimism…The Great Gatsby is a must read and a must watch- Recommended!!!