tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post2417674032124908091..comments2024-03-18T17:02:06.917-07:00Comments on DREAMS ARE WHAT LE CINEMA IS FOR...: THE GREAT GATSBY 1974Ken Andersonhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comBlogger29125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-23410821654717357642020-08-31T00:11:55.603-07:002020-08-31T00:11:55.603-07:00Apparently when Ali MacGraw was still to be Evans&...Apparently when Ali MacGraw was still to be Evans' Gatsby, Beatty was considered for everything. He was vetoed for being "too pretty"...especially since MacGraw was pushing for Steve McQueen. And we all know how that turned out.<br />I love Susannah York, and she would have brought some interesting things to Daisy, but not likely with Beatty as Gatsby. They sort of fizzle as a pair in "Kaleidoscope." Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-2630138208740493282020-08-29T18:23:03.388-07:002020-08-29T18:23:03.388-07:00I wonder if Warren Beatty was ever considered. Th...I wonder if Warren Beatty was ever considered. The comic diffidence he brought to every role might have gotten in the way, but Jay Gatsby has some things in common with Bugsy Siegel and that part was arguably the best performance of his career. Mia Farrow was a little too wispy and mannered, but okay as far as I was concerned. Maybe Susannah York as Daisy? I never saw that movie she did with Beatty in the 60's, so maybe they had no chemistry in that one. I think York was the only leading lady of his career he didn't sleep with.<br />Kipnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-39336970682325632772019-10-25T00:15:10.276-07:002019-10-25T00:15:10.276-07:00Good point. Pacing is definitely an issue I think....Good point. Pacing is definitely an issue I think. For me, while I'm able to enjoy the narrative of the film (its one of my favorite books) my problem with the film is that its treatment/depiction of the era is so at a remove ---like looking at a really opulent coffee table book of the 1930s--that I never lose myself in it to actually feel anything(even revulsion) for the characters. Romance wise, it's hard to ever imagine Daisy and Gatsby wrinkling their clothes long enough to have an affair!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-32629826884063033072019-10-23T16:45:23.733-07:002019-10-23T16:45:23.733-07:00Hi again Ken.
I don't think the film's r...Hi again Ken. <br /><br />I don't think the film's romanticism or darker themes were that badly done, but perhaps its pacing is to blame, since that can make an audience forget about the good things as they're watching it. <br /><br />I recently re-watched "For Your Eyes Only", since it has its fair share of fans and some great things about it, but its second act badly drags. If things with "Gatsby" were tightened up a bit (similar to the editing when Tom sees Myrtle's body and is shocked), then perhaps its better elements would stand out more. Chynna Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01857709217067584091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-12281288655970856982019-10-22T03:32:53.382-07:002019-10-22T03:32:53.382-07:00Hi Chick!
Again, a very enjoyable, insightful peek...Hi Chick!<br />Again, a very enjoyable, insightful peek into your memories of this particular GATSBY. Most of the people I've spoken to about the film approach heir response to it in ways similar to your comment: that is, aspect of the film (both good and bad) stick out for them.<br />I don't know that I've ever known anyone moved by the film's romanticism or stirred by its theme of the privileged classes shielded by their money while leaving disaster in their wake (my dad comes to mind, though, he really got worked up over Daisy and Tom's self-centeredness). <br />Like you, I'm a big fan of Sam Waterston, and time has softened my opinion of both Karen Black's and Lois Chiles' performances.<br />And thanks for the info about Gatsby's dad...had no idea of the HOME ALONE connection. Thanks for reading and commenting!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-19559519124420140262019-10-15T22:48:36.152-07:002019-10-15T22:48:36.152-07:00Hi Ken. Since I saw this a couple years ago, I'...Hi Ken. Since I saw this a couple years ago, I'll distill my thoughts in short form:<br /><br />Since I live in Canada, we were never tasked with reading the book in high school, but the movie felt like it was the most literal interpretation of the text possible.<br /><br />Farrow definitely looks the part of Daisy, but from the first minute we see her she already seems like she's fragile and on edge, not really trying to put on a strong front. <br /><br />Lois Chiles gets some grief for her acting in this era, but I thought she was fine as Jordan, seeing how comparatively detached and cool her character was.<br /><br />I didn't really have a problem with Karen Black's performance either (of course a gal like her would revel in material things with Tom paying the tab), though she did really push it in that last bit before she broke her window. <br /><br />I LOVE Sam Waterston from all my "Law & Order" watching. Between this, "Friendly Fire", and "The Killing Fields", I've long thought he had quite a niche at one time playing sideline scribes to the main drama.<br /><br />I like Redford as much as the next guy, but Gatsby requires a degree of splendor and oozing charisma that his easygoing self just doesn't have (much less deliver here). <br /><br />Seeing Roberts Blossom as Gatsby's father was an interesting film parallel for me, since most people my generation know him best as Old Man Marley from "Home Alone", who in the end was reunited with his estranged son. <br />Chynna Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01857709217067584091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-32383275631113607872017-11-19T20:59:15.572-08:002017-11-19T20:59:15.572-08:00That's exactly what it is, a matter of taste. ...That's exactly what it is, a matter of taste. Someone finding a lack, a difference, or alternate appeal to a film is never indicative of a of an objective truth, merely a subjective impression personal taste. More reflective of the individual themselves (what they bring to the film, what they like, their aesthetics) than of the film itself. <br />People who dislike aspects of "The Great Gatsby" are no more correct or incorrect in their assessment than those who like it.<br />Glad to hear Mia Farrow's performance resonated with you.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-71209435251946582472017-11-18T17:24:59.272-08:002017-11-18T17:24:59.272-08:00Strange.I always loved Mia farrow in that film, I ...Strange.I always loved Mia farrow in that film, I think she is by far the best of the cast, with the exception of bruce dern.She delivers a very complex and difficult performance masterfully. She looks rich, beautiful to look at, spoiled, cunning, shallow, neurotic and her voice really is full of money. She reminds me of the parisian heiresses I knew in my youth, fascinating, sexy and subtly depraved, yet unattainable and unpunished.I supposed it is all a matter of taste. I always found Mia farrow one of the most beautiful actresses everAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-50465656613071137712017-08-16T23:35:00.470-07:002017-08-16T23:35:00.470-07:00No problem! I can only laugh at that "Gatsby&...No problem! I can only laugh at that "Gatsby" Corelle dinnerware now.Chynna Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01857709217067584091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-64112493899168708822017-08-13T01:00:10.781-07:002017-08-13T01:00:10.781-07:00Hello Chick!
Oh, gosh...thanks so much for catchin...Hello Chick!<br />Oh, gosh...thanks so much for catching that error (which has been corrected) And indeed, those two exotic "T" names in '70s costume design I do often confuse for one another! Good eye!<br /><br />And you're right, these merchandising campaigns are such an integral part a movie's "sell" in some instances they are far more clever than the films. I think a lighthearted musical and children's movie like "Annie" better lends itself to On-point merchandising (toys and the like) than the kind of stretching they had to do with Gatsby, which is essentially a tragedy sold as a great romance.<br />Boy...do I remember the blitz for "Batman"! It was unavoidable!<br />Thanks again for helping to keep my blog as accurate as I try to make it. All these years...no one else ever noticed that (or just failed to alert me!)<br />Cheers!<br />Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-13697077843151655382017-08-12T22:04:21.516-07:002017-08-12T22:04:21.516-07:00Hi Ken, in this post's magazine covers caption...Hi Ken, in this post's magazine covers caption, you seemed to confuse Theadora Van Runkle with Theoni V. Aldredge. Given their similar names and period pieces in their filmographies, it's definitely an honest mistake. <br /><br />Speaking of Aldredge, 1982's "Annie" is similar to this film in its massive budget and the ensuing merchandising blitz before release, one that in cultural hindsight seemed to only be outdone first by "Star Wars" (in Gatsby's case anyway) and 1989's "Batman". Of course, this practice is standard now, whether they adhere to the film and its soul or not. That said, I like to think even "Annie" got its point and its center down pat better than "Gatsby".Chynna Moorehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01857709217067584091noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-57455774281931341072016-06-07T15:42:40.973-07:002016-06-07T15:42:40.973-07:00Hi Bella
What a beautifully (and amusingly) concis...Hi Bella<br />What a beautifully (and amusingly) concise assessment, and I concur on every point. I particularly like the term "vagueness" as applied to what Farrow does bring to the mix, and with the passing of time, Lois Chiles' beauty truly does seem rather luminescent in this film.<br />I think what we both share is an affectionate association of this film with the time it was made, rather than the time it so prettily (and superficially) attempts to evoke. And with the distance of the 1930s from the 1970s fairly the same as the 2010's from the 70s, I'd say 70s nostalgia is enough of a reason to harbor fond memories of this imperfect but perfectly enjoyable film.<br />Thank you for being a delightful late attendee at this particular Gatsby party!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-61341590867693854862016-06-07T15:20:32.442-07:002016-06-07T15:20:32.442-07:00Very late to this party! But I wanted to comment. ...Very late to this party! But I wanted to comment. I like this movie precisely for the nostalgia of 1974 (yesterday, when I was young), and the pastel prettiness. Redford is very miscast, totally unbelievable as the criminal Gatsby, living on the edge, clawing his way to respectability through his Daisy fantasy and ill-gotten gains. Mia sometimes captures a vagueness that might be Daisy, but she's too shrill and misses Daisy's selfish, calculating ways. Karen Black is completely over the top, but we love her for it. Lois Chiles should never have been more than a beautiful bookend in any movie. Still and all, I will enjoy this when I want a mindless reminder of the way we were. (Sorry, had to :))Bellahttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15776944214996286021noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-28060999937410060812015-09-10T02:50:07.988-07:002015-09-10T02:50:07.988-07:00Hi Frank
Yeah, I didn't like the Baz Luhrmann ...Hi Frank<br />Yeah, I didn't like the Baz Luhrmann version at all. This one has grown on me. But I think what you say about the characters being essentially unlikeable (which they should be...but they should at least have charm) might be behind why Fitzgerald's novel has such a rough go of it on the screen.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-77372031426505391452015-09-07T20:48:44.604-07:002015-09-07T20:48:44.604-07:00I saw the movie but have virtually no memory of it...I saw the movie but have virtually no memory of it. Except the pink and pastel colored suits. I saw the recent Baz Luhrmann version and found all the characters incredibly unlikeable and unsympathetic. Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-7156783651302528612013-05-19T09:28:17.836-07:002013-05-19T09:28:17.836-07:00Remembering this comment, I just had to direct you...Remembering this comment, I just had to direct you to http://randomramblingsthoughtsandfiction.blogspot.co.uk/2013/05/tale-of-vampire-1992.htmlMarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14569732807130090838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-29098945197549313102013-05-09T06:09:43.822-07:002013-05-09T06:09:43.822-07:00Yeah, Tuesday Weld and Jane Fonda for Rosemary. Wh...Yeah, Tuesday Weld and Jane Fonda for Rosemary. While I think Farrow is pitch perfect, I like Weld so much that I would have loved to have seen her under Polanski's direction.<br />I think DiCaprio is an amazing actor, but I swear, I'm with you in waiting for his baby face to catch up with his age. He always looks like a kid playing dress-up. It's not his fault, but I'm never able to get past that.<br /><br />As for Lois Chiles, I think she is an amazingly beautiful woman with a strong screen presence, but she was also incredibly lucky. She really landed a lot of high-profile parts. If Robert Evans' memoirs are to be trusted, she was more ambitious than talented, and it worked!<br />By the way, i cracked up on hearing you say you generally avoid Baz Luhrmann films!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-73006777868514610622013-05-09T04:19:18.012-07:002013-05-09T04:19:18.012-07:00Wow, I didn't know Jane Fonda was Polanskis fi...Wow, I didn't know Jane Fonda was Polanskis first choice for Rosemary! <br /><br />I probably won't see the new Gatsby as I am not the least compelled to see a Leonardo di Caprio movie. He may be a good actor but he looks too boyish to play an adult convincingly, in my opinion. Also, I tend to avoid Buz Luhrman films. <br /><br />I'd much rather watch the 1974 version again for Karen Black and Lois Chiles. Chiles career was a little odd. She was in some big films in the 70's and even in a James Bond but she never became a star.<br />-WilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-28127401982227570152013-05-08T17:16:03.672-07:002013-05-08T17:16:03.672-07:00Aw, thank you very much, Wille!
I don't that I...Aw, thank you very much, Wille!<br />I don't that I'm so adept at describing why a movie doesn't engage an audience, but yours of bellyaching about films has made me pretty good at gauging how a movie doesn't grab ME. :-)<br />Did you ever see the Jane Fonda/Robert Redford film, "Barefoot in the Park"? Before Mia farrow was introduced by Robert Evans, that was Roman Polanski's ideal pairing for "Rosemary's Baby." Redford is still a bit of a stiff, but his chemistry with Fonda always struck me as better than with Farrow. Kind of interesting to ponder, huh?<br /><br />And you should check it out for Karen Black. She is VERY lively in the film and I'm not so sure she overacts so much as i can't make heads or tails of what effect she's going for. Her Myrtle is kind of twitchy (but as it's Karen Black, always fascinating).<br />if you should see the new "Gatsby" film, drop a line and let me know what you think. I might just wait for the DVD. Thanks, Wille!Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-30319386699296280022013-05-08T15:29:52.484-07:002013-05-08T15:29:52.484-07:00Great review, Ken! You always nail it when you des...Great review, Ken! You always nail it when you describe how a film manges to engage the audience or not. I saw the film once long ago and did not feel that I ever had to see it again - for all the reasons you mention in your article.<br /><br />I had not thought of Redford and Farrow being the original choices for "Rosemary's Baby" and how it was just as well it never happened. Redford is handsome but I've always found him to be just as wooden and good looking as Paul Newman.<br /><br />I laughed when you wrote about the dent in the car! The only thing that makes me sort of want to watch the 1974 version of "The Great Gatsby " again is to see Karen Black in it. She usually brings life to the films she's in and I am amazed that she may have overacted here! <br />-WilleAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-23007980489739091142013-02-28T05:38:54.271-08:002013-02-28T05:38:54.271-08:00Ha! Trust me, that comment is all you need when it...Ha! Trust me, that comment is all you need when it comes to Lois Chiles. She is absolutely gorgeous...especially in this film. My response would be identical (and just as brief) if you posted a pic of Julian Sands on your site.Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-20262621027073646762013-02-28T04:17:12.818-08:002013-02-28T04:17:12.818-08:00Lois Chiles, so beautiful *sighs* Sorry I can'...Lois Chiles, so beautiful *sighs* Sorry I can't be more constructive! Great post KenMarkhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14569732807130090838noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-67593657740042993562013-02-28T03:46:55.581-08:002013-02-28T03:46:55.581-08:00Certainly Wilson has a big and crucial role, as th...Certainly Wilson has a big and crucial role, as the astronaut who's afraid to return to space. Particularly good? Maybe not.<br /><br />As the movie takes place in an insane asylum (a point which isn't made clear for some time!) it's got lots of room for wild performances from its very large cast. As I suppose one should expect from the Exorcist writer, the movie cares more about religious issues than I did, so that was a sticking point, but otherwise I found it an interesting story. (Overdetailed summary at the wiki page: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Ninth_Configuration<br />)Allen Knutsonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15616422252030334511noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-71443149544310017202013-02-26T04:25:16.062-08:002013-02-26T04:25:16.062-08:00Hi Allen
Always nice hearing from you and I'm ...Hi Allen<br />Always nice hearing from you and I'm glad you get a kick out of seeing the baby-faces of some of today's veteran actors. Some (like Waterston and Tommy Le Jones), look like mere pups.<br /><br />I had to look up “The Ninth Configuration" on IMDB to even remember that it was a film I had indeed seen when (on cable TV or VHS in the 80s) but I have not a single memory of it. I seem to remember films I hate a lot or love a lot, but if they’ve made no impression, they fall into this memory limbo. I recall that there was a lot of public interest in the film when it was first released because everyone assumed, what with William Peter Blatty's involvement, it was going to be some kind of horror film. But I confess I only saw it once and it apparently went straight out of my consciousness. <br />But you bring up a good point about this film and its all-male cast. I think I have less an aversion to movies without females in them as not particularly liking the way male relationships are portrayed in films. To oversimplify, there tends to be too much emphasis on macho conflict and a subconscious fear of male emotional intimacy. Films with a dominance of male characters feel to me like they lack a certain complexity allowed when a female is written into the script.<br />I think Scott Wilson has a sizable role in “The Ninth Configuration”, is he particularly good? He's given only one emotion to play in "Gatsby." Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2627032459273165000.post-59930947724523813162013-02-26T03:05:43.023-08:002013-02-26T03:05:43.023-08:00Hello Eve! Thanks you very much for stopping by!
I...Hello Eve! Thanks you very much for stopping by!<br />I got around to reading "The Great Gatsby" only as recently as 1998. Had I read the book before seeing this film, I would have been crestfallen at the lost opportunity. You must have been sorely disappointed. It really is all form.<br />Gatsby is one of literature's great dreamers. He reminds me of the tortured characters in Theodore Dreiser's works. But in paying so much attention to recreating the 20's and all the superficial trappings, they emptied the film of the one aspect we who go to the movies can relate to...the hopeless longing for dreams that can't possibly come true. Ken Andersonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04940648971296673233noreply@blogger.com