(05/09/2013 10:00 PM AMC Atlantic)
In the 1920s, shortly after the end of the First World War, the nascent America greeted it as a powerful victor for the first time In its own era, science, technology, industry, commerce, art, education and culture are unprecedentedly prosperous. In this decade, Coolidge, a Republican, was elected president with the campaign slogan of "Order and Prosperity" and was re-elected. Soon after taking office, he said, "The top priority for Americans is doing business." In this decade, Chicago's gang leader Al Capone Relying on his own wine business during the Prohibition period, he made a fortune and turned his hands into the clouds and rain in the entire Midwest. At this time, he was imprisoned in San Francisco's Alcatraz Island prison in 1931 for almost ten years; this In ten years, the well-known Chaplin released the films "Circus" and "Gold Rush". There is no need to wait many years later. He undoubtedly became synonymous with silent films at that time; this ten years, Charles Lindbergh drove the "Spirit of St. Louis" single-engine aircraft across the Atlantic, flying from New York to Paris, incredible realization of the human dream of flying across the ocean in the industrial age. When he landed in Paris, there were 150,000 Parisians waiting for him enthusiastically at the airport; this decade, the 18th Amendment to the Constitution passed in the name of morality declared a nationwide prohibition of alcohol. This legislation on morality is meaningless. It backfired only brought endless gangster wine business, ubiquitous illegal bars and the total corruption of the local judicial system; this decade, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania gave birth to the first commercial radio station KDKA in history, and jazz became this era. The strongest vocals, Louis Armstrong and other jazz masters have appeared in large numbers; this decade, Henry Ford sold 15 million Ford Model T cars, and the standard oil company that was split 10 years ago has once again established countless companies across the country. For gas stations, Dow Chemical has its own trademark and has become one of the few large chemical companies in the United States.
A decade of crazy rants where everyone is rushing forward. Many years later, people mention it again. The summary of the greatest and most self-fulfilling prophecy is only Fitzgerald's elegy novel "The Great Gates". Compare". Even today, nearly a hundred years later, it is still brought to the screen by director Baz Luhrmann. The film is extremely extravagant and luxurious: costumes, jewelry, sets, banquets, and even Gatsby's bright and shining yellow sports car, all remind the audience of the crazy and enjoyable jazz age. Maybe Fitzgerald didn't realize it himself, but all the later generations have seen the inevitable disillusionment of the Great Depression in the prophetic version from the descriptions of drunken gold and feasting, so that today, people are still impressed.
If it’s just a harbinger of annihilation that has been seen in everyone’s carnival feast, the original film cannot have such a profound impact, because it aims to ask the question: "What is the American dream?" Leon Gatsby, the protagonist played by Nardo DiCaprio, undoubtedly represents the most direct spiritual appeal of that era: I will continue to work hard to earn more money and obtain a higher status. Through my own efforts, I will be as fast as possible. From a nobody to somebody. Then take everything that I own to go back to the past, to recover everything that I couldn't get back then. All the dance parties, feasts, bands, fine wines, and hustle and bustle in his mansion are all aimed at retrieving everything he lost in Louisville five years ago, not only Daisy, but also all the five years he lost in his future. Those assumed five years of happy life that never even happened. For the obsessive and almost paranoid Gatsby, time is best to stop: the past five years has never happened, he returned to Daisy with his wealth and achievement status, and restarted everything from five years ago. As for Now Daisy and Tom already have a daughter, and Gatsby never even cares or even thinks about what to do. He was so obsessed with his past and refused to let go, that when Nick asked intuitively: "You can't repeat the past" (You can't repeat the past), Gatsby was instinctively suspicious. Answer: "It is impossible to repeat the past? Why? Of course! I will make everything back to what it should be! She (Daisy) will see it!" (Can't repeat the past? Why of course you can! I' m going to fix everything just the way it was before. She' ll see). In his world, everything is for the shining green light of his mansion across the water at Daisy's residence at night.
In fact, Daisy's superficial indecision is not even worth adding more beaks, because her Tom is such a person who grew up in such an environment. Even Daisy herself can’t be ignorant of her situation and Tom’s affair. She looked at herself and Tom’s daughter and said, “I’m very happy to be a daughter. I hope she’s a fool. To a girl For children, the best thing in the world is to become a beautiful little fool" (I'm glad it's a girl. And I hope she'll be a fool — that's the best thing a girl can be in this world, a beautiful little fool.). His natural thoughts and material desires for all the material wealth he possessed made him essentially indistinguishable from Tom. For example, Nick’s indifferent view of Tom and Daisy after Gatsby’s death: "I can’t forgive him or like him. But everything he did seems reasonable to them: everything is very indifferent. People are confused. Tom and Daisy are indifferent people. They mess up everything and then retreat to their wealth and insensitivity or whatever keeps them together, leaving the mess for others to clean up."
Statements such as "Gatsby fell in love with a bitch, and he was destroyed all his life" is also very questionable. Gatsby is like Brother Pony. "I endured for three years. I just want to wait for a chance. I want to fight for my breath. I don’t want to prove that I’m great. I want to tell people: I must take what I have lost. After all, the perseverance oath of "come back" is touching. It's just that if a person does not let go of all the things he has experienced, no matter how great Gatsby's later achievements, if his success and self-realization must be restored by opening the scars of the past. If Daisy, who had already not belonged to him, came to prove it, what was destined in front of him would only be a dead end. Because the things that happened in the past have really happened so irrefutable and indefensible, the only option other than acceptance is to forget. The sad thing about Gatsby is that he can't do both.
Gatsby exhausted all his efforts to create a brand new self and realized the American dream, and he even changed his name personally. What he hides from Daisy is that he refuses to believe that he is doomed to accomplish nothing because of his humble background. Any method that can make oneself obtain wealth and achievement, even if it is illegal, will not hesitate. At Gatsby’s funeral, only a few people including Nick, Gatsby’s father and pastor appeared. Almost everyone stayed away for fear of having anything to do with Mr. Gatsby, who started his business by selling bootleg alcohol and organized crime, even if not long ago. They all drank, sang, danced and reveled all night in Gatsby's mansion. People praise wealth and achievements, but without exception, they face the funeral and avoid them. Gatsby's father came to mourn his son when he heard the news of his son's death. He told Nick in Gatsby's magnificent mansion that I am proud of my son's achievements.
Returning to the original question: "What is the American dream?" The old President Roosevelt delivered a speech entitled "Citizens of the Republic" in Paris in 1910. In the article, he said: "The important thing is never those who point fingers around. Not those who comment on the failures of others, nor those who accuse others of how they can do better. The glory belongs to those who really stand in the arena: their faces are covered with dust, soaked with sweat and blood; they are brave and fearless. ; They make mistakes and fall over and over again, because the road must be accompanied by blows, and even so, they are still struggling to do it; they understand their persistence and focus; they dedicate themselves to a noble cause; in the best case, they eventually Tasted the great victories and achievements; in the worst case, even if they failed, at least they also fell great, because those indifferent and timid souls who never knew victory or failure from beginning to end are far from being comparable to them ". For more than two hundred years, generations of immigrants have come here to get rid of the old world of the past. Passing by the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, under the Golden Gate Bridge in San Francisco, and on the Port of Long Beach in Los Angeles, all people who come here to live here believe that no matter how poor and humble they are from their origins, as long as they rely on their hard work and unremitting pursuit, One day we will always get everything we feel we deserve: wealth, status, respect, love. Everyone who lives here is like Gatsby, "Believe in that green light, that perfect future that is fading away from us year after year. We can’t catch him before, but it doesn’t matter: tomorrow we will run faster , Stretch our hands farther, there is always one morning when we are struggling to move forward, sailing against the current, and constantly being pushed toward the past."
As the original text of the first chapter of the novel said, “Gatsby himself was in fact safe and sound in the end. It is just the muddy dust that once swallowed Gatsby and discovered after waking up from the dream. The sorrow of reward and the fleeting joy lost interest." (Gatsby turned out all right at the end; it is what preyed on Gatsby, what foul dust floated in the wake of his dreams that temporarily closed out my interest in the abortive sorrows and short-winded elations of men). Gatsby is indeed very great, very remarkable, but he should have been extra careful to think clearly about what he is pursuing tirelessly day and night.
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About the Update
storyline of each part of the
film : The film basically follows the context of the novel, and many details are also expressed Came out. Very few content was deleted (for example, Gatsby's last buried in the rain only his father, Nick and others appeared), but basically did not affect the viewing experience. As the original party said, this story is well adapted and not messed up. The rhythm editing of the first half of the movie is a little messy. After the hotel conflict, the rhythm is very comfortable.
In terms of actors:
Xiao Li was officially promoted to a male god. As soon as he appeared on the stage, the background fireworks rang out. When he raised his wine glass and smiled at you, the audience exclaimed. Male god! Spider-Man Tobey Maguire played very well, and a classmate and I liked it very much. The only kind man who survived in the film! Carey Mulligan's acting skills are good. The problem is that she turned too fast. Maybe the middle part described her too well, and it was slightly abrupt when she finally left indifferently. The original novel handles this well. Maybe the movie is limited in space.
Original soundtrack:
It’s too full, Jay-Z really wants to work hard to make this soundtrack, which is like cooking and trying to adjust the taste, but the ingredients are too heavy. The first half should focus on the jazz soundtrack style, basically only through the trumpet. The inexplicable Rap soundtrack is slightly different from the style, but the second half is better. The ending song of the XX soundtrack is really good. Heart abuse.
Baz Luhrmann’s directorial style,
Australian director Baz Luhrmann’s work still has the influence of previous works, such as "Moulin Rouge" and "Romeo and Juliet": a director who is particularly ruthless with color, scenery and costumes. The film has many places. The look of musical.
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