May. 26, 2012 at 12:27pm with 4 notes
moviespop culturemusicthe great gatsby
I know everyone read Gatsby in high school, probably, but it’s still one of my favorite books, and I’m not fussy about it — I can get down with Gatsby-inspired this & thats (bars, clothes, video games)…but I have to admit, I was nervous about the Gatsby movie. Part of me didn’t even want to watch the trailer because Leo’s not how I imagined Gatsby, and so I was just going to avoid the situation altogether, and then one of my friends who also loves the book sent me his thoughts on the trailer and I figured… fine. And immediately, the first second hit, and “No Church in the Wild” started, and I was like “WHAT. IS. HAPPENING.” It was so far from anything I could have expected that I’m not even upset. Is that Jack White covering a U2 song? Doesn’t the aesthetic feel like a cross between Desperate Housewives and Revenge? That guy looks like Schmee from Hook. This crazy drunk lady needs to stop yelling so dramatically. Why is Peter Parker slicking his hair back like that?? Is there a reason I’m not seeing more of Isla Fisher? What’s up with that car? And so I watched it again. This time, I hated the narration, which felt like it was coming from Seth Cohen, and couldn’t handle the dancing, and the music just felt silly.  And then I thought about it again… and maybe it’s better, maybe it means something different, something more, when you juxtapose everything that is The Great Gatsby with everything that is “now.” I’m assuming the movie will have period-appropriate music, but if it doesn’t, that might actually be better… a blend of old and new; a way to make the themes translate. Or it could be just kind of absurd. I guess the trailer did its job, though, because I’ll definitely be seeing it.

I know everyone read Gatsby in high school, probably, but it’s still one of my favorite books, and I’m not fussy about it — I can get down with Gatsby-inspired this & thats (bars, clothes, video games)…but I have to admit, I was nervous about the Gatsby movie. Part of me didn’t even want to watch the trailer because Leo’s not how I imagined Gatsby, and so I was just going to avoid the situation altogether, and then one of my friends who also loves the book sent me his thoughts on the trailer and I figured… fine.

And immediately, the first second hit, and “No Church in the Wild” started, and I was like “WHAT. IS. HAPPENING.” It was so far from anything I could have expected that I’m not even upset. Is that Jack White covering a U2 song? Doesn’t the aesthetic feel like a cross between Desperate Housewives and Revenge? That guy looks like Schmee from Hook. This crazy drunk lady needs to stop yelling so dramatically. Why is Peter Parker slicking his hair back like that?? Is there a reason I’m not seeing more of Isla Fisher? What’s up with that car?

And so I watched it again. This time, I hated the narration, which felt like it was coming from Seth Cohen, and couldn’t handle the dancing, and the music just felt silly. 

And then I thought about it again… and maybe it’s better, maybe it means something different, something more, when you juxtapose everything that is The Great Gatsby with everything that is “now.” I’m assuming the movie will have period-appropriate music, but if it doesn’t, that might actually be better… a blend of old and new; a way to make the themes translate. Or it could be just kind of absurd.

I guess the trailer did its job, though, because I’ll definitely be seeing it.

  1. clairerobertsonmusic reblogged this from ericazucco
  2. ericazucco posted this