The Great Gatsby is highly regarded as a literary classic, and is even required in many high school curriculums. The book was originally written in 1925 by American author F. Scott Fitzgerald. A movie was made in 1974 and the most recent movie was made in 2013. Nick Carraway, a war veteran from the Midwest, moves to East Egg, Long Island in the summer of 1922 across the bay from his cousin and her husband, Daisy and Tom Buchanan, who live in West Egg, and next to a millionaire Jay Gatsby. East Egg is a suburb comprised of people with “new money”. While they are very wealthy, they do not have the social connections associated with West Egg, where people with “old money” live. Gatsby is an extremely wealthy man, although no one is sure how his
…show more content…
Even though his version is an exact replica of the novel in terms of the plot, that is where the replication ends. Snider says, “it is almost zero percent faithful in terms of theme, character, and impact” (Snider, 2013). While Luhrmann has a great storyline to work with, after all it is a timeless classic, whereas in the novel Fitzgerald emphasizes the emptiness and shallowness of extravagant lives of the wealthy, but Luhrmann practically drains the humanity out of his characters. Nick appears to be void of personality, and remains so passive that even by the end of the film, we don’t seem to know much about him. Daisy is a giddy airhead, and Gatsby, portrayed as an obvious schemer, seems almost like a caricature. In addition, the chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Gatsby, and Carrie Mulligan, who plays Daisy is bland and devoid of any …show more content…
According to Reinstein (2013), “just because a film looks like it was dipped in 18-karat gold doesn’t mean it’s rich in quality”. The 3-D effects are overwhelming and seemed to detract from the storyline, rather than complimenting it. Even during the simpler, more serious scenes the oversaturation and intense editing made it feel fake and nothing like the classic tale that is the Great Gatsby. The music throughout the film is unsettling because it doesn’t match the time period or setting. The 1920’s were booming with jazz and ragtime. However, this hip-hop inspired soundtrack is oozing with R&B and rap artists, such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and with a hint of electronic dance music it seems out of sync with the
Even though his version is an exact replica of the novel in terms of the plot, that is where the replication ends. Snider says, “it is almost zero percent faithful in terms of theme, character, and impact” (Snider, 2013). While Luhrmann has a great storyline to work with, after all it is a timeless classic, whereas in the novel Fitzgerald emphasizes the emptiness and shallowness of extravagant lives of the wealthy, but Luhrmann practically drains the humanity out of his characters. Nick appears to be void of personality, and remains so passive that even by the end of the film, we don’t seem to know much about him. Daisy is a giddy airhead, and Gatsby, portrayed as an obvious schemer, seems almost like a caricature. In addition, the chemistry between Leonardo DiCaprio, who plays Gatsby, and Carrie Mulligan, who plays Daisy is bland and devoid of any …show more content…
According to Reinstein (2013), “just because a film looks like it was dipped in 18-karat gold doesn’t mean it’s rich in quality”. The 3-D effects are overwhelming and seemed to detract from the storyline, rather than complimenting it. Even during the simpler, more serious scenes the oversaturation and intense editing made it feel fake and nothing like the classic tale that is the Great Gatsby. The music throughout the film is unsettling because it doesn’t match the time period or setting. The 1920’s were booming with jazz and ragtime. However, this hip-hop inspired soundtrack is oozing with R&B and rap artists, such as Jay-Z and Beyoncé, and with a hint of electronic dance music it seems out of sync with the