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captioning sponsored by comedy central ( theme song playing ) ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen colbert presents, the c-oh-lbert book club. tonight's selection-- "great gatsby" by f. scotts fitzgerald. ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen! stephen. >> stephen: thank you so much. welcome to the report, ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: welcome back, everybody.

everybody. thank you so much for joining my guest tonight direct the new us. thank you. film adaptation of "the great please, everybody. gatsby" in 3d. ( cheers and applause ). folks, thank you for joining us it's like your homework is coming right at you. here for a huge night, unpress please welcome baz luhrman. departmented on the the "colbert report." as you know, folks, as any who baz thank you for being here. baz, people know you from "romeo watches this show knows, i have and juliette its request rulon a vast and growing media empire. rouge. what tackle the can the gray? so far, i have this show, three you're an aussie, this is the bestselling books, and a very great american story. >> payback, i guess for what you active-- guys have been taking classics ( cheers ) pinterest page. and doing them in hollywood for ( cheers and applause ). years. i am going to have the most >> stephen: exactly. we made an opera out of beautiful wedding ever. "crocodile dundee." ( laughter ) and now the c-oh-lbert book payback time. club. remember the first rule of book >> actually, my own personal experience was i knew it when ii club-- don't read "fight club." was a child. >> stephen: do they teach it now, tonight in strict adherence over there? >> yes, they do. to book club guidelines, i have exactly the same as here. >> stephen: do they translate been drinking chardonnay since it into australian for you guys? 1:00 p.m. ( cheers and applause ). ( laughter ) >> yes. after "rulon rouge" i was

traveling on the siberian express, and had two recorded and our inaugural book is "the book. i can't remember what the other one was, but one was f. scott great gatsby" by f. scott fitzgerald. i chose it in part because fitzgerald, the can the gray. i put it on -- >> stephen: let's talk about there's a new "great gatsby" the other book for a while. manufacture the same way when >> next book club. pit it on and five hours later i woke up and i ) the movie "life of pi" come out, i read the number pi to the >> stephen: you fell asleep during "the great gatsby." and you said i don't know what 500th decimal. spoiler alert? the ( bleep ) has happened. >> spoiler alert-- 2. and i got to make a movie of after that it gets kind of repetitive. that thing. but, folks, it's nost just because there's a movie coming >> this really needs a movie. out. we're also reading "the great >> stephen: why do this now? gatsby" because it's believe to this book came out something be a classic of american like 90 years ago and there have literature. been six movies made of it. the modern library calls it one of the five novels of alm time there was a silent movie made of this thing. >> yes, indeed. and amazon reviewrl "the jakal," >> stephen: why make it again gave it three out of five stars, now and why 3d? >> first of all, -- >> stephen: pick those questions-- pick the one you rating: decent. like. ( laughter ). >> stephen: first of all, i ( cheers and applause ). mean, it is an incredibly modern she's good. a lot of jackal fans here book, and it is useful at any time and any place, and i think tonight. ( laughter )

now, tonight to explore this there should be-- it's like book, i will be joined by pulitzer prize-winning novelist "hamlet." each period and each time needs jennifer egan. and to discuss his movie, i'll its production of hamlet. be talking to director baz and i think in l.a. when we had luhrman, who you may remember, the financial crash, i really for having written william committed in that moment saying right here, right now. shakespeare's "romeo and i've got to try to find a way of juliette." ( applause ) now, of course, since i have known for the past two weeks solving the essential problems that i was going to be stussing of the book, and that is most of this book on television, i have it is internal dialogue inside been preparing. first, by reading it. nick car way's head. >> stephen: i loved the film ( laughter ) , which i really enjoyed and biker the way. >> thank you. >> stephen: i fell asleep definitely did do. during it, and when i woke up i ( laughter ) thought-- ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: thank you. go ahead, yes, yes. but to really bone up on all of >> let me ask this question. that reading of this book that ithink when nick begins this did, earlier today, i compared story he goes in and he didn't notes with oscar-nominated star know who he is or what he is. and he really ends the book-- of "an education," can the drive, and the dry, carey does he want to write? what is it his life journeying mulligan. if to be? what's his relationship with people. jim. >> hello? he starts on his own to find out who he is and what he wants at

( laughter ) the end of book. >> stephen: carey. >> stephen: do people have to thanks for stopping by to talk about the book. have read the book to enjoy the >> my pleasure. movie? >> no, the film needs to stand-- ( applause ) >> stephen: i am loving this in fact, i've met many people now who have seen the filmand story. >> so many people don't read have gone to read the book. anymore sphwhri know. look, when fitzgerald guyed, he it's sad. now, let's talk "gatsby. was buying copies of his own book. >> stephen: because no one was reading it, right? of the. >> just so there were some >> the movie is very true to the book and the human complications are just as painful and sails. he was that forgotten, and the perceptive on the big screen as idea that last week he sold more on the page. and i can't say enough about books in one week than his toby and nick and leah as gatsby entire lifetime, that alone i think is a positive outcome of who is just perfect. the experience of making the film for me >> stephen: when i read ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: you're an artist-- why do you think-- "gatsby" i thought leo pop whose idea was it to cast him? you're an artist who was >> leo. >> stephen: what would you say are the major plot point of accepted in his lifetime. the movie. i'm an artist suspected in my >> all the actions and scenes are the same as they are in the lifetime. book, which you'd know if you are great artists more send after they're dead? read it. >> stephen: i just, you know, >> you know what. i just love how he's constantly i was reading a criticism of can

gats being in a really great the "great gatsby" and he called away, you know. for me, the question valley, f. scott fitzgerald a clown, and of the book he said it was something like shallow. "great gatsby" or the "greatestest gatsby." something hammond the other night that took me by complete i'm going to go the greatest. >> have you read the book? >> stephen: yes. >> stephen? surprise. we had a screening and a very >> displ some of the it. >> how much? >> stephen: none. >> stephen! regal woman came out of the audience i've never met and took >> carey, i work half an hour a me by the hand and said, "i've night four night a week. come all the way from vermont how am i supposed to read this because i wanted to see what did thing? it's a monster! you with my grandfather's book." you have to help me. what am i going to do jennifer of course i went cold. egan is going to be here and be i had never met this perfect all puleitzer and smart talking person. she was wonderful. and i-- you have to help me. and then she said, you know, i think he would be very proud for just tell me the plot of the movie. you're in it. you should know. people have said for so long he >> i know, i'm in the movie. stephen, naturally, i know what happens. >> stephen: thank god! so just please, just tell me can't turn an internal narration enough to fake it. >> all right. into a film. well, my character is daisy it will net get better for me buchanan. >> stephen: daisy, is that the flower? than that moment. the idea that f. scott is that a metaphor. fitzgerald died thinking that >> sure. >> stephen: okay. >> she lives in a big house with book was not cared for, that no

her husband, tom. one wanted to buy tand that it >> stephen: slow down. tom. >> but she is in love with became the great american novel, and they're having gatsby gatsby. parties this weekend, and because, you know, he throws opening here, 20 miles from these big parties, you know, and where he wrote it. it's all too much of a circle. it's spectacular and it's 3d and for me, with all of the effort it's sex and costumes and the and everything that everyone has put into it, it's already a daisy soundtrack, it's baz worgt while journey. >> stephen: well, luhrman, i mean. congratulations. come on. >> stephen: yeah, i know. >> thank you. >> yeah. >> stephen: and then what ( cheers and applause ). >>n: bhen: b happens? um, then, it turns out that gatsby has a secret past. >> stephen: wow! and what is that? >> he is a, um, a movie stunt driver who also drives geft away cars and he gets in trouble with these really bad guys and hammers a nail in thiz head. ( laughter )

>> stephen: carey? >> um. >> stephen: that's the plot of the movie "drive"." you don't know what you're talking about. >> no! >> stephen: carey? >> stephen, i only get my part of the script and you shoot movies out of order. i can never figure out the plot. you shoot the scene and then you break for lunch. is lunch in the movie? i'm too afraid to ask. >> stephen: why don't you just look at the script? >> i can't read. >> stephen: what does this say? >> happy... you. >> stephen: can't read. you seem so smart. how do you learn your lines? >> i don't. they use the same trick as in the talking dog movies. they put peanut butter on the roof of my mouth and when i try to lick it off, they use another voice. i was counting on you tow tell me about the book. i just told ryan seacrest, "the

great gatsby" is a great, and i think bird. >> stephen: is it? >> possible. hey, it's a butterfly. >> stephen: maybe it's a metaphor. let's follow it ♪ butterfly in the sky it's in a book ♪ a reading rainbow ♪ a reading rainbow ♪ a reading rainbow ♪ >> lerks val, of burton. >> welcome to a very special edition of "a reading rein bow." would you like to hear a story about the disliewgz of identity and unfillable void in us all. >> the very hungry caterpillar. >> no, it's "the great gatsby." >> huh? >> the book you were just talking about. it's a searching indictment of self-delusion and material

excess in which the greed of the captioning sponsored by comedy central times completely corrodes the captioned by media access group at wgbh access.wgbh.org very fabric of the american ( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: well that's it dream. >> shut up and tell us what for the report, everybody. happens. >> carey, a book isn't just go thanks so much for coming. and i want to apologize to mrs. bwhat happens. it's about the author's imagination. every word say magic carpet chanton for not having read this waiting to whisk you off to book in high another time or place. but you don't have to take my word for it. read the book! >> >> stephen: he's reet, carey, this whole time we've running away from the book when we could have just sat down and read it. >> you're so right, steen picouldn't have said it better myself. >> stephen: thanks, lavar. >> i still can't read. >> here, try my reading glasses. >> oh, my god. i can see. ( laughter ) ( applause ) >> okay, you two, get the hell out of my rainbow.

♪ ♪ ( cheers and applause ). >> stephen: we'll be right back with ca jennifer egan.

( cheers and applause ) >> stephen: ...into the past. all right. okay. welcome, everybody. now, i'm ready for the discussion, and i hope are you, too, because we are going to

dive in deep, good for the real egghead stuff. i will be analyzings metaphors and similes like they were candy. laugh and discussing foreshadowing as if my life depended on it. ( laughter ) which it may. ( laughter ) and here to help me smar-tificate is the puleetser-prize winning octoberor of "a visit from the goon squad" jennifer egan. ( cheers and applause ) welcome to the c-oh-lbert book club. thank you for being here. >> thank you for having me. >> stephen: could i get a little chardonnay? >> why not. >> stephen: jennifer, why do you think "the great gatsby" ( cheers and applause ) there you go. why would you say "the great gatsby" is the great american

novel? what do you say to us? >> i think it captures something about the american psyche that most of us would recognize, which is a willingness to start over, reinvent ourselves, imagine a new life, and in a way, that dream is a lot of what built this country. >> stephen: who wouldn't want to be gatsby, you know? >> exactly. >> stephen: he's got it all. he's rich. he's face in his own way. he's got a huge house, and everything works out for him until it does not. ( laughter ) >> well, of course he starts as someone else and he creates all of that as a way of trying to the love of a woman he could not win when he was just a poor nobody. there's no question it doesn't work power plant he doesn't get the girl and he gets killed. >> stephen: would it help if he had had a bigger house? ( laughter ) here's what i liked about him-- is that he reached for what he wanted. and didn't let anything get in his way. which brings me to the green light. what-- what is the yean light that he's reaching for?

>> well, the green light to him symbolizes daisy because it's the end of her pier, and he has bought a house directly across from the pier so he could look at it and think about her. >> stephen: is that a metaphor, allegory? what is that? stay symbol? >> it's a very overt symbol. q. overt symbol.of is there. >> it's a symbol called a symbol of daisy herself. the interesting thing is when he actually finally is in her presence again and tells her he's been watching the green light and thinking of her, nick, the narrator, perceived a little disappoint independent in gatsby because suddenly the green light doesn't moeb anything any more. she's right there and fitzgerald writes his count of enchanted objects had diminished by one. in a way, the fantasy itself is the thing. >> stephen: he threw parties to impress her, and got rich to impress her and got the house to impress her dleave herself husband for him, and then she

hits somebody with a car that gatsby, and kills the person, and gatsby covers for her. and she still goes back to tom buchanan, who is a racist who beats women. couldn't you boil this book down to "bitches be crazy"? >> ( cheers and applause ) she not nice, either. she's not nice, either. >>un, he's shooez not perfect for sure. she's limited -- >> stephen: she kills someone. >> but remember-- well, it is an accident. remember, the fact that days secertainly rich and maybe even a little shallow is what draws gatsby to her in the first place. >> stephen: do you think that this book is worthy of the attention it gets? because every high school kid has to read it? should we be forcing this on children? ( laughter ) >> you know, it has a lot of qualities that make it great. one of those qualities i think also makes it appealing as a

high school book it is short. >> yes. i read it during the commercial break. ( laughter ) >> and the thing is upon it's very compressed which really is the job of fiction. and as i said before i think he captures something about what being an american is-- the american psyche, if youlet, which has i think from the very beginning has evolved a willingness to turn one's back on the past and turn it around. >> stephen: it's the quintessential american thing to present yourself to the world as a false image of yourself. ( laughter ) to make people like you but they never get to meet the real you. i wish i could do that. ( laughter ) ( applause ) jennifer egan, thank you so much for joining me. a visit from the goon squad,