Daisy, Daisy … Jay Gatsby is half-crazy, all for the love of you.
Drill down into the many mysteries surrounding Jay Gatsy, the hero of F. Scott Fitzgerald‘s great American novel, and you’ll find at their source Daisy Buchanan – and that beguiling green light at the end of her pier.
As the latest incarnation of Daisy in The Great Gatsby, which opens wide today, Carey Mulligan is more than up to the heart-stealing task. Both Gatsby and viewers will find this Daisy enchanting.
The British actress sprang into public notice with her lead performance in 2009’s An Education, for which she won a BAFTA and was nominated for both an Oscar and a Golden Globe. In my review of the film, I said of Mulligan’s performance: “In this breakthrough role, the actress stuns us with a range that goes from dimpled schoolgirl to oh-so-sophisticated teen to Audrey Hepburn look-alike to disillusioned-but-wiser adult. Mulligan makes a lasting impression.”
Other film reviews in the Chronicle‘s archives which specifically feature the work of Carey Mulligan include Wall Street: Money Never Sleeps, Never Let Me Go, Drive, and her sorrowfully unforgettable turn in Shame. For those wanting to seek out more of this captivating star’s earlier work, also check out our reviews of Pride & Prejudice, When Did You Last See Your Father?, Public Enemies, and Brothers. Next up for Mulligan? The female lead in the Coen Brothers’ newest film, Inside Llewyn Davis, which premieres this month at Cannes.
This article appears in May 10 • 2013.
