Baz Luhrman always knew how to put on a show. The director from Down Under dazzled our eyes and our hearts with his own personal vision of Shakespeare’s “Romeo + Juliet” in 1996 bringing the story of the two doomed lovers in a modern setting, adding drugs, guns, and pop music. He also mesmerized us with the flamboyant, decadent, breathtaking love story of his 2001 “Moulin Rouge!”, where he got Nicole Kidman and Ewan McGregor singing brand new versions of pop classics. His world is the one of a musical, where pure theatrical elements come to life, giving us an intimate experience within a Hollywood production.
Luhrman’s come back has been advertised in any possible way and as the world was waiting to see his take on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s classic “The Great Gatsby” we knew that another unconventional soundtrack was about to come together. The film may lack of that raw passion and love we were used to experience in his work but the real great thing after the art deco sets and the Prada vintage dresses from the 20’s is the music. Talking about jazz music Fitzgerald once said, ‘the racy, adventurous feel of that music’, so Luhrman and longtime collaborator and executive music supervisor Anton Monsted decided to fuse traditional jazz with modern-day hip-hop, and with Jay-Z on board this retro-modern songs came to life with some eclectic covers as well.
Corruption, power, and money are all there with Jay-Z’s opening track “100$ Bill” before Beyoncé and Andre 3000 cover “Back To Black” by Amy Winehouse. “Crazy In Love” by Mrs. Carter is performed by Emili Sande and has a fun jazzy arrangement and If you think that those heavy beats from will.i.am and Fergie are out of space you have to change your mind as they surprisingly reflect the colorful and lavish parties held by Gatsby. Nevertheless, deeper and more emotional performances are provided by Jack White with his melting U2 cover or “Love Is Blindness” and Lana Del Rey’s with “Young And Beautiful”, the melancholic recurrent motif during the film. The XX contribute as well with “Together”, a slow motion ecstatic moment while Gotye’s “Hearts A Mess” is a six minutes haunting and elegant trip.
The finale is courtesy of one of the greatest voices in contemporary music, Sia. Her “Kill And Run” did not make it in any scene and you are left wondering why… She gives pathos with an enchanting performance that displays her magical control of the voice, bringing the whole soundtrack to its height. Another formidable woman, Florence + The Machine gives a theatrical performance with “Over The Love” and ultimately this album manages to balance its strengths with its risky experimentations. “And I like large parties. They’re so intimate. At small parties there isn’t any privacy.” This is the quote that sums up this soundtrack that may not be as shivering as the ones of Luhrman’s previous masterpieces but it sounds innovative, daring, at times dramatic when evoking Fitzgerald’s traditional world through jazz, Brian Ferry Orchestra’s “Love Is The Drug” is the evidence of this, and at times shabby; just like every good party.