By Laurie Coker
After making a decent splash in theatres this spring, The Great Gatsby starring Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey McGuire makes its way to DVD on August 27th in Warner Brother’s special feature –filled combo pack which includes Blu-ray, DVD, and Ultraviolet. In a real spectacle of cinematography, music, casting and costuming, The Great Gatsby split critical opinion and audiences nearly down the middle. I, however, actually liked it (except perhaps the musical score) and for someone who taught the F.Scott Fitzgerald novel for years and who never thought any other man but Robert Redford should be Jay Gatsby, I’d say that has to count for something.
Directed by Baz Luhrmann (Moulin Rouge! and Romeo + Juliet) from a screenplay by Craig Pearce, The Great Gatsby gives us DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby and Carey Maguire as Nick Carraway, along with Joel Edgerton and Mulligan as Tom and Daisy Buchanan; Isla Fisher and Jason Clarke as Myrtle and George Wilson; and Elizabeth Debicki as Jordan Baker. I watched the Bluray version this time and on my 47 inch HD TV it looked darn crisp and sound excellent in surround sound, even if I don’t care much for Lurhmann’s musical choices. For a full review of the film click HERE, but I will say, I had almost as much fun watching the special features as I did the film, especially “Fitzgerald’s Visual Poetry” and “Gatsby Revealed.” The Blu-ray Combo Pack and 2-disc DVD Special Edition both include over 90 minutes of special features, including:
· The Greatness of Gatsby
Follow director Baz Luhrmann’ journey to bring the Great American Novel to the silver screen.
· “Within and Without” With Tobey Maguire
· The Swinging Sounds of Gatsby
See how a group of legendary musicians were brought together to meld a sonic masterpiece.
· The Jazz Age
· Razzle Dazzle: The Fashion of the ’20s
· Fitzgerald’s Visual Poetry
· Gatsby Revealed
An exclusive look into the actor’s workshops and rich creative process that went into some of the most memorable scenes.
· Deleted Scenes
· 1926 The Great Gatsby Trailer
ULTRAVIOLET
UltraViolet lets the audience collect, watch and share movies and TV shows in a whole new way, allowing viewers to create a digital collection of movies and TV shows. Services such as Flixster and VUDU allow for instant streaming and downloading of UltraViolet content across a wide range of devices including computers and compatible tablets, smartphones, game consoles, Internet-connected TVs and Blu-ray players.