‘The Great Gatsby’: A Truly Great Day!
On December 3rd last, forty-six
fifth year students made a most enjoyable and educational trip to the Irish
Film Institute in Dublin. All are studying F.Scott Fitzgerald’s ‘The Great
Gatsby’ as their single text for Leaving Certificate English 2015. This will be
the first time since 2001, the inaugural year of the current examination format
that higher level students have elected not to study a Shakespearean work as
their single text. It is thus a landmark of sorts for Loreto, Navan. Never fear
though, Shakespeare has not been abandoned completely! Either ‘Othello’ or
‘King Lear’ is being taught as part of the comparative studies instead.
The screening of Baz Luhrmann’s
2013 production of ‘The Great Gatsby’ was the focal point of the ‘expedition’
but the vast majority of students also opted to dress in the style of the 1920’s
when invited to do so by The IFI. Some
chose the glamorous, thoroughly modern flapper-girl look, recreating the
youthful optimism of the ‘Jazz Age’ to perfection. Others opted for the more
conservative and understated elegance of colonial-style dressing: more akin to
‘Downtown Abbey’ reserve than to the razzle-dazzle of the New York jazz club. (Pictorial
evidence attached!)
Before the screening, one of the
IFI’s Education Officers addressed the group; congratulating it for the
accuracy of its sartorial efforts and delivering a short lecture on both the
social context of the film and the stylistic features of its director, the
aforementioned Baz Luhrmann.
The directorial presence of Luhrmann
(whose previous works include’ William Shakespeare’s ‘Romeo and Juliet’ and
‘Moulin Rouge’) is unmistakable in almost every scene of the film. Indeed some
may regard this omnipresence of the director as somewhat intrusive: the film
is, at times, more Luhrmann’s ‘Gatsby’
than Fitzgerald’s! It is simultaneously a gorgeous and opulent feast for the
eyes and paradoxically, a gaudy riot of vulgar and exaggerated
technicolour. There are certain shots
which are almost cartoon-like in appearance. There are those, of course, who
would claim that this is exactly as Fitzgerald intended! The deliberate
anachronism of the contemporary soundtrack is similarly admired by some,
criticised by others. Yet it certainly serves as an effective aural link
between the hedonism of the ‘Roaring Twenties’ and the very recent excesses of
the pre-recession Western World.
There are solid but unexceptional
performers by all the major players. (Leonardo Di Caprio, Carey Mulligan, Toby
Maguire.) Luhrmann’s critics claim that
Luhrmann himself is always the star of his own shows! Some changes have been made to
both the plot and to the characters –Nick’s narrative is delivered to his
psychiatrist who encourages him to write as part of his therapy! Gatsby’s
father does not appear at his funeral and Wilson is so filthy and stupid as to
be almost entirely unworthy of our sympathy! Myrtle is more bawdy than
voluptuously seductive.
There are solid but unexceptional
performers by all the major players. (Leonardo Di Caprio, Carey Mulligan, Toby
Maguire.) Luhrmann’s critics claim that
Luhrmann himself is always the star of his own shows! Some changes have been made to
both the plot and to the characters –Nick’s narrative is delivered to his
psychiatrist who encourages him to write as part of his therapy! Gatsby’s
father does not appear at his funeral and Wilson is so filthy and stupid as to
be almost entirely unworthy of our sympathy! Myrtle is more bawdy than
voluptuously seductive.All told, the film lacks the political bite of the novel! The Daisy-Gatsby love story is primary and any political allegory is secondary if not entirely absent! F.Scott Fitzgerald’s novel is a marvellous and witty satire of 1920’s America – a bitter indictment of the concept of the ‘American Dream’. Luhrmann may purposefully have chosen to play down this element of the novel – commercial necessity usually trumps artistic endeavour in Hollywood!
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Did any of this affect the
pleasure of the outing? Not a jot! We revelled in the attention on Dame Street:
bystanders literally gaping as they witnessed dozens of ‘flappers’ and
‘aristos’ making their way to the screening on a cold and drizzly winter
morning! The soup and sandwiches which
were served to us in the IFI’s ‘members only section’ were beautifully presented
but alas not entirely relished! Apparently the sandwich-fillings were
authentically 1920’s- style fillings. We didn’t enjoy them! Mrs. Ryan-Widdis
made a noble attempt to disguise our ignorance as feminine daintiness (typical
of the genteel Loreto girl). However, no such ethereal feminity was in evidence
as we dived into the more contemporary and no doubt plebeian offerings of the
nearby ‘Spar’! A girl must eat...even on a bus!
Many thanks to Mrs Ryan-Widdis
who organised the trip and to both Ms Delaney and Mrs Ryan- Widdis who
accompanied us on the day. Both were in
1920’s attire. Ms Delaney was so unrecognisable in her blonde bob that she was
not identifiable even to her own students! (Amusing anecdote deliberately
omitted here!) Somehow there is no pictorial evidence of our teachers. It would
seem that they are rather more reserved than the rest of us! Thanks also to Ms
Marsh and Mrs Ryan who made the trip possible and who were there to admire us
before our early morning departure!
Finally a word of congratulations
to both Lisa Murray and Tara Walsh who won prizes for most
independently-sourced and original costumes on the day. ‘The Great Gatsby’: a
truly great day!
Allie Hughes, 5th
year
Eppie Guinane, 5th
year
