One should approach a new film with an open mind, but it’s very hard to do so when it has been preceded by the sort of hype that has accompanied The Great Gatsby. And it’s not just the hype but the other threats to the open mind which include the famous source novel (one that people know about even if they haven’t read it), the previous film versions, and the reputation of the new film’s director.

As one who believes that an adaptation should say something new about the antecedent fiction, I’m set a serious challenge by Baz Luhrmann’s Gatsby. I admired his relocation of Romeo and Juliet (1996) to Venice Beach, California, for its daring in relation to time and place while maintaining a strict adherence to Shakespeare’s play; and I enjoyed the wild eclecticism of Moulin Rouge (2001), while drawing the line at the bloated idiocies of Australia (2008). So what’s new about his Gatsby?