>>> When I think about the parties in 'Gatsby', they are always happening in the other room, or outside the window, on the lawn, while we are inside, observing intimate moments and private thoughts.
>>> I've enjoyed Baz Luhrmanns films, but I would rather have seen him use 'Strictly Ballroom' as his precedent, rather than 'Moulin Rouge'.
Totally agree. The story was narrated by Nick, and Nick was not into the parties. He was an outsider to the world of the moneyed East coasters. He didn't dive into that world, but trod carefully around it.
Baz's films have gone down since Strictly Ballroom, even as his budgets and lavish production designs (by his wife, Catherine Martin) have gone up.
I'm reserving final judgement until seeing the film, but my fear is that Baz has blindly bought into the party scene like Gatsby. Gatsby threw those parties and thought everyone was his friend. In the end, we discover that Gatsby had no friends.
Coach Bob knew it all along: you've got to get obsessed and stay obsessed. You have to keep passing the open windows. (John Irving, The Hotel New Hampshire)
Updated On: 5/27/12 at 11:58 AM