Everywhere I look this week I see The Great Gatsby in people's hands. Why? Because they're like me, scrambling to read the book before they rush to see the movie. And while I'm not a fan of Leonardo DiCaprio I do want to see this movie. I've seen so many previews for it for so long I honestly thought the damn thing was out on DVD already. But this is not why I'm changing up my MO of strictly reviewing books with the occasional movie review and memes. I'm writing this because seeing all these people, who probably aren't avid readers such as myself, actively engaged in reading this classic novel, I wonder how Hollywood can boost the book industry. Without even trying or intending to I'll wager The Great Gatsby becomes a bestseller (again) because of this movie.
So why not create more adaptations of classics? I know we recently saw Anna Karenina, Les Miserables, & Great Expectations, to mention a few. But let's double down and expect more from Hollywood. I know they feel action and CGI is what sells when it comes to making movies. But in the long run I'm willing to bet classic novel adaptations do just as well as action movies. Hollywood would be surprised to know just how much the average movie goer & eventual DVD/Blu-Ray buyer values a good storyline. What better place than the great novel?
When Les Mis came out there was no real rush to buy the book and read it because for one thing it's over 1,000 pages no matter what version you buy and for another the movie was based off the Broadway musical. I'm talking about doing something like 1984, or Catcher in the Rye, or how about remaking To Kill a Mockingbird? The possibilities are endless. I notice screen writers and directors rushing to put current NYT's bestsellers in the movie theaters. I long for more of the classics.
Therefore, even though I can't stand DiCaprio I will see The Great Gatsby (after I read the book of course) and report back. And if it should turn out to be not as great as everyone had hoped? At least it accomplished one great thing; getting hundreds of thousands of people across the globe to read a great American Novel.
So if you're like me and haven't read this book, go do it now! It's only 190 pages roughly. That's two days max. Happy reading!
I'm not a huge fan of DiCaprio, either, but I think he can pull it off as Gatsby. I am, however, very nervous about the movie in general. I won't be running out to see it in theaters. I'll wait to hear what people think of it and then watch it on DVD if it's not too awful. Hahaha!
ReplyDelete