Considered one of the greatest American novels of all time, The Great Gatsby has been a staple of the public school system for decades. Nearly everyone has read F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic tale of love and deception in the roaring '20s, but the book has failed to translate into a memorable movie adaptation. The closest attempt was the 1974 version starring Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, which didn't quite live up to most people's vision of the novel.
Now, director Baz Luhrmann is trying his hand at the property, and he's doing it in 3-D. That might sound a bit peculiar for a movie that lacks action and is set in the '20s, but this debut trailer for the film makes it all come together. Using gorgeously crafted CGI to recreate New York City in 1922, The Great Gatsby looks like a visual feast complete with vibrant colors, impressive shots, and beautiful women.
Anchoring it to reality are the performances from Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, and Carey Mulligan, each of which seems genuinely faithful to the original novel. DiCaprio, in particular, looks to be the perfect choice to play the mysterious and enigmatic Jay Gatsby. This is a highly-sexualized, highly-stylized version of the novel that defined a generation, but it also looks like the most faithful adaptation yet.
We'll see how it turns out when The Great Gatsby gets released on December 25.
