By Sophie Hollis,
Staff Writer
Typically, the thought of English class reading assignments leads to groans of protest. Few students look forward to staying up late and hunting for themes in anticipation of a quiz.
“The Great Gatsby,” however, is a book that brings to mind some more pleasant thoughts: “I love it,” Reynolds High School English 3 teacher Emily Satterfield said. “It’s a new book every time I read it.”
Added Reynolds senior Agnes Jallah: “I appreciate that the curriculum includes it.”
Viewed as a classic by teachers and a delight among many students, it is no wonder that many people are looking forward to the release of the new Gatsby movie, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan.
[youtube id=”TaBVLhcHcc0″ width=”600″ height=”350″]
So far, the movie has been acting like a tease. It was originally going to be a summer hit of 2012 before it sank back to Christmas 2012. Then, the release date was pushed again to May 2013. It opens tonight (May 10) across the country. Click here to see when Gatsby is playing at your favorite Triad theater.
Besides frustrating release-day fakes, the movie has built up a lot of hype. With such a timeless story from F. Scott Fitzgerald and a star-studded cast, students are bursting with excitement.
“It’s a pursuit-of-happiness story,” Jallah said.
Satterfield said that it looks like “a lot of money” went into making the production. English teacher Stephanie Walters agreed: “It will at least be eye-catching.”
Gatsby has been made into a movie twice before, with one big-screen version in 1974 starring Robert Redford and one TV movie in 2000 starring Paul Rudd. Most English teachers at Reynolds show all or part of the film to go along with the reading of the novel.
“I didn’t think it was as good as it could be,” Satterfield said about the ’74 version. Part of the problem was that the narrator’s voice was lost, she said, and although Satterfield said she isn’t a Maguire fan, she expects him to do well in the role of Nick Carraway.
Redford and Rudd played Gatsby in the two earlier versions. DiCaprio gets his shot this time.
“The relationships between the characters were altered some,” said Jallah, regarding the Redford version.
Perhaps this latest version of the film will please audiences, critics and English teachers and students alike.