From and Inspired By: The Great Gatsby
Today’s songs are not featured in the actual film, but in the trailer, an amazing preview that premiered a couple weeks ago.
The plot of The Great Gatsby, directed by Baz Luhrmann and starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire and Joel Edgerton, goes like this: Nick Carraway, a Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby’s circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
Luhrmann became famous for his anachronistic use of music, with songs by Madonna, Nirvana and Elton John, among others, playing over 1890’s Paris in Moulin Rouge!
The first song we hear in the Gatsby trailer is Kanye West and Jay-Z’s No Church in The Wild (featuring Frank Ocean), a track I was familiar with since I’m a pretty big Kanye fan. I love the first lines:
Human beings in a mob
What’s a mob to a king?
What’s a king to a god?
What’s a god to a non-believer?
Then the soundtrack changes into Love is Blindness, a song made famous by U2, now in the voice of Jack White. I’ve never been a huge fan of the Irish band or the former White Stripes frontman but I’ve been hooked on this song ever since I watched the trailer for the first time.
Hi Fernando, I like Baz’s anachronistic use of music, but at times it doesn’t work for me in this trailer. I do like ‘Love is Blind’ though, and though the trailer didn’t really wow me, I’m still curious to see the film. I’m still hoping to read the book by then too.
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I would like to read the book beforehand as well 🙂
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Nice selections. The trailer put me on the fence for this one…I’ll probably just see it because it has DiCaprio. I liked the first song when I heard it in the trailer, even though I no longer am a fan of Jay Z. And I LOVE both U2 and the White Stripez, but for some reason I haven’t heard of that song…you could say I “still haven’t found what I’m looking for”, haha. 🙂
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Thanks! I’m actually really excited for this movie. Luhrmann’s Moulin Rouge is one of my favorite movies and I love the cast. Hope the actual movie has a soundtrack like this, it would be so cool.
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That was supposed to be Stripes.
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The Great Gatsby is one of my favourite books and I’ve avoided all previous adaptations to prevent the name being tarnished. I think I can trust Baz to deliver something amazing though, especially if the trailer is anything to go by. I think Mulligan is perfect for the role!
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Well, I don’t know abouth the role as I haven’t read the book or seen any of the previous adaptations but Carey is certainly talented. Let’s hope she, Baz and the rest of the cast deliver.
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