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Written by Administrator
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Mar 01, 2010 at 02:56 PM |
 Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the nouveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.
Romance and mystery are timeless, but the clash between wealth and poverty seems as timely as today’s news about unemployment and executive bonuses, so F. Scott Fitzgerald’s 85-year-old novel The Great Gatsby is both timeless and timely.
The classic novel is the PeoriaReads! pick for this year, and besides various events at the Peoria Public Library and Common Place, the Apollo Theater on Friday, March 12 will screen one of Hollywood’s most memorable adaptations, 1974’s version with Robert Redford as the title character.
Paramount’s lush, colorful film version also stars Mia Farrow, Sam Waterston, Bruce Dern, Scott Wilson and Karen Black in her Golden Globe-winning performance. The Jazz Age story revolves around a mysterious millionaire who crashes Long Island’s upper-class society and hosts lavish parties for the rich while he pines for an impetuous and immature married woman.
Soon, the Roaring Twenties are exposed as a time of new wealth and old habits, as lust, jealousy and infidelity collide in a tragic climax.
With a script by filmmaker Francis Ford Coppola and a score by Nelson Riddle, the film benefits from superb acting and able direction by Jack Clayton. The novel previously was filmed in a 1926 silent version starring Warner Baxter, in 1949 with Alan Ladd, and a made-for-TV movie on A&E in 2001.
Other PeoriaReads! activities are detailed online at bigreadpeoriareads.org
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