There is no excuse for the producers and directors not to have seen how stupid it was to link the movie of the 1920's with the music they chose. It is what has kept me from purchasing the movie.
shareI agree it is a blight on the film but I think it can be overlooked with some effort
shareI disagree. I thought it pointedly showed that though the dates may change (1920's/2014), things really don't change. People still party now just like back then. Gatsby's parties were no different than what one might expect at a wealthy rappers party. Black, white, 1920, 2014, makes no difference. I found it made the film more relatable to today's youth too and may have enticed them to see a story with more substance than the reality shows and 'Jackass' movies that are foisted upon them as 'entertainment' today.
shareI'm really suprised at how many people can't appreciate something different. I liked the music and thought it was clever. I guess this is the same reason I loved Romeo+Juliet and Anna Karenina and the new Dracula show. I can appreciate a different spin on a classic. The same thing over and over again is so boring. This was unexpected and I really enjoyed it.
shareIf you want authentic 1920s music in an authentically costumed production with a fascinating story, go watch Boardwalk Empire.
They got it right, Baz Luhrman didn't.
That was my point, I didn't want authentic, I liked that it was different.
shareWhy wouldn't one want an authentic adaptation? Is there something unique about the novel that would allow for inauthenticity? I've read it many times, and its a period piece, therefore authenticity is a prerequisite.
You may like it, but the film was a failure because it pandered to people like you.
I'm a civilian, I'm not a trout
I can't agree. This is a film that goes out of its way to be a period piece, with lavish wardrobe, props, etc. Yet the music isn't even remotely reminiscent of the 1920's.
Its possible to create new and innovative adaptations of certain material, 'Romeo and Juliet' is a fine example. But when a film is a period piece at its essence, then using absurdly out of place music is a big problem.
This wasn't about trying to be creative, it comes off as an effort to put young and ethnically diverse people into movie seats, for material that they would otherwise have no interest in.
Soundtrack=epic fail, and this film has become a laughing stock mostly because of it.
I'm a civilian, I'm not a trout
But when a film is a period piece at its essence, then using absurdly out of place music is a big problem.
This wasn't about trying to be creative, it comes off as an effort to put young and ethnically diverse people into movie seats, for material that they would otherwise have no interest in.
Me too, to my total surprise!!!
sharedoes anyone ITT even know about Watch The Throne? the album completely fits the themes of oppulence
shareI don't dislike the music on its own, but just what the heck does it have to do with the roaring twenties?
Watta ya lookn here for?
I wonder how many of you think the theme song to Boardwalk Empire is horrible too?
shareI think they did a wonderful job with the music. I never once noticed it to be over the top. Normally I'm not a fan of the music in this film but I think Baz did a wonderful job in integrating it.
NPR also did a detailed interview as to the music choice for this film, and I think he properly justified it.
http://www.npr.org/2013/04/30/180098344/first-listen-music-from-baz-luhrmanns-film-the-great-gatsby
This book is my favorite novel of all my high school books (I hated Catcher in the Rye the most btw) so I think they did a wonderful job overall.
Rap music is perfectly fine in a movie set in modern times. But when "cut and pasted" into a story set in the year 1922, it's so inappropriate as to be ridiculous. What's wrong with Hollywood producers who can't or won't give us historical accuracy? A few years ago, The Importance of Being Earnest---which should have been a decent movie---was ruined by silly scenes of a proper Victorian girl getting a tattoo. Now, we have The Great Gatsby similarly contaminated by anachronistic music. What's especially sad is that Hollywood always feels the need to dumb down their material, as if they consider us all to be idiots who won't know the difference. Well, but most of us DO know. To play rap music against the backdrop of a 1920's storyline---AND a classic novel of the Jazz Age---is just an insult to the audience's intelligence.