Not quite...but maybe

I'm an enormous fan of '30s Hollywood/LA - the iconography, the cynicism, the heavy glamour - not least when coupled with a bit of doomed romanticism (this) or just doom (Chinatown, Day of the Locust, They Shoot Horses Don't They?).

So I were very excited when I heard about this, but... Hmmm.

The biggest disappointment here were the extreme clunkiness of the dialogue - all the more so when you think of the beauty of Fitzgerald's prose. Second was the fact it didn't get the essence of '30s LA across, as it were so studio-bound and the exteriors didn't look Californian at all, save a for a few shots outside what were obviously Paramount studios. Where was the sun-drenched stucco and the streets lined with 20-foot palms?

Matt Bomer is handsome as the dawn, no doubt, but what I'd like to say is a uncannily perfect interpretation of a man numb with grief is actually more a case of pretty vacant.

The (flawed) 1976 film has a hushed beauty about it that makes you feel like you're watching a dream, but this version seemed closer to comatose. HOWEVER! I'm going to give the next episode a go on the strength of Lily Collins's performance as Cecilia - what a revelation! I can only assume she got that talent (and most certainly that beauty) from her mother, whoever her mother is.