By Owen Reyes · Originally reported by Richard Horgan (2013) · Wayback archive →
In mid-May 2013 the 66th Cannes Film Festival opened with Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby, and Deadline’s Pete Hammond filed a review-cum-coverage piece that other critics — Alonso Duralde at TheWrap among them — found uncomfortably close to studio-marketing tone.
Then
The 2013 Cannes opener screened to mixed-to-negative critical reception. Luhrmann’s 3D adaptation of Fitzgerald — starring Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan, Tobey Maguire, and Joel Edgerton — had divided reviewers. Pete Hammond’s Deadline piece read more favorably than the prevailing critical consensus warranted. The structural criticism that Hammond’s awards columns operate uncomfortably close to studio marketing was a recurring concern.
Now
The Great Gatsby (2013) eventually grossed $353 million worldwide on a $105 million budget and earned Best Costume Design and Best Production Design Oscars. Critical reception has moderated; the film has acquired a substantial cult following. Pete Hammond has continued at Deadline as the trade’s chief awards columnist for the entire interval. Baz Luhrmann’s subsequent slate has included Elvis (2022). Leonardo DiCaprio has continued as one of the dominant film stars of the post-2013 decade.