The Great Gatsby: Baz Lurhmann's Film

The Great Gatsby is based upon wealth in the “Roaring 20’s”. The novel itself contains not a single dull moment of the narrators experience in the East, as it reflects people’s aspirations corrupted by greed and money. In addition, the romance between characters can help relate the readers to the novel. The film does a great job capturing almost all the aspects of the novel; through colors and themes. It gives the viewer a clear understanding of how shallow characters get mixed up into complex

‘The Great Gatsby’ was written in the early 20th Century during the period known as the ‘Roaring Twenties’ or ‘the Jazz age’. It was a time where money was

In 1925, F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote the novel, The Great Gatsby, that is now known as a classic. The Great Gatsby describes the society of the 1920s and tells a timeless story that transports readers into a different era. The story takes place in New York City which, during the Jazz Age, was dripping with outlawed alcohol. It concentrates on a specific love affair of Daisy Buchanan and Jay Gatsby. Fitzgerald incorporates issues of the time period such as race, women’s roles, the makeup of a family, and even homosexuality. Despite the immense popularity and recognition of the film today, during Fitzgerald’s life, he sold less than twenty-five thousand copies (Donahue). Nick Carraway serves as the narrator of the story and establishes himself as a remarkably honest man for the situation he is put in. Though he is a figure of moral character, he is fully immersed in several circumstances where no matter the decision he chooses, there will be consequences. Nick Carraway narrates the novel The Great Gatsby,

In the film of The Great Gatsby, based on the novel, Director, Baz Luhrmann shares the elaborate tale of the infamous Jay Gatsby. Taking place in the era of the 1920’s, also known as the roaring twenties, Luhrmann is able to bring the film to life by constructing breathtaking scenery creating a glamorous environment full of ecstasy in order to make the modern day audience get a feel for what life in that time period would have been like today. Though the story is about the main character, Jay Gatsby desperately trying to rekindle the spark he once had with his past love Daisy, Luhrmann infers that this is more than just another film about hopeless love. Throughout the film Luhrmann there is much evidence that reveal the overall theme of the story. Through the overdramatic characters, who seem oblivious to consequences of their actions, as well as the events that take place toward the end of the film, Luhrmann looks to show the audience the destructiveness of money, wealth, and the American Dream. As the film concludes, the narrator, Nick Caraway, solidifies that the purpose of telling the story of The Great Gatsby is to reveal how hopes of achieving the American Dream can corrupt and degrade the human spirit.

Movie adaptations are widely produced in our modern cinematic world. Many book lovers criticize movie adaptations, proclaiming that it kills the spirit of the story, misses out on critical key themes, and eliminates the reader's and viewer’s imagination. The Great Gatsby movie, directed by Baz Luhrmann and released on May 1st, 2013, is a film adaptation of the book The Great Gatsby, written in 1922 by F. Scott Fitzgerald. The time lag between the movie and the book made some things unacceptable in our society. These changing societal proprietorship motivated Baz Luhrmann to alter the movie to be more suitable for current viewers. Consequently, there are many differences to be found between the book and the movie adaptation, which ultimately led to Luhrmann's movie being critiqued many times by the book’s fans, saying it was nothing like the actual book. Despite the fact that the movie adaptation of the Great Gatsby book follows the overall plot, it fails to show the racism, sexism, and abuse some of the characters withhold. The movie also fails to show the significance of the American dream, the condemnation of the lifestyle of the very rich, and it also annihilates reader’s imagination.

We look back in history in order to learn from our mistakes and to help society progress in the present and in the future. “The Great Gatsby” was written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. Fitzgerald wrote this piece during the 1920s after WWI and it perfectly replicates the time period. The narrative captures the essence of the Jazz Age by depicting characters, showing power struggles and by defining the societal conflicts of the time. The novel tells us about different influences on the 20’s such as the Prohibition Act, the success of Wall Street, and aspects of the American Dream. “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald possesses the social constructs and ideas of the Roaring Twenties.

Many dream to have extravagant life style and to keep their past lock up and away from the eyes of the public. In Fitzgerald's avant-garde work, The Great Gatsby reveals the Roaring Twenties a time were the world was coming back to normalcy after World War I. Time period were woman redefined themselves, jazz blossomed, and mob illegal operations increased. James Gatz is driven by love to transcend and become Jay Gatsby in order to win the affection of Daisy Buchanan. Gatsby's over the top parties attracted great amount of rich and pompous people that came without invitation and rarely talk or thank the host. Fitzgerald use of party scenes helps reveal that a clean background, a good reputation and a lavish life is most valuable to people in order for them to retain their social status in society .

The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is a novel about a rich socialite, Jay Gatsby, who tries to win back his love, Daisy Buchannan. Nick Caraway, Daisy’s cousin, is the narrator who brings the reader through the time of the roaring twenties to tell the story of Jay Gatsby. The 1974 film of The Great Gatsby, directed by Jack Clayton, follows the detailed storyline closely by mirroring it, but also adds and takes away some aspects of the story. There are many comparisons that can be made as well as contrasts through the actor, scenery, music, and script choices for the film.

     The booming parties in Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby reflect life in America during the 1920s. Gatsby displays his prominent fortune by throwing grand parties. From next door, Nick Carraway witnesses the scene of Gatsby’s fabulous summer parties:

The Great Gatsby is a phenomenal movie with drama and romance. It is every bit as exciting as the book by F. Fitzgerald. The parties are spectacularly projected as an extravaganza. Many themes and messages are given throughout the movie, so sit back with a relaxed mind. Enjoy the touch of the lively jazz ages that the director Baz Luhrmann produces. He creates a tremendous setting with the old fashioned antique like clothing.

The novel The Great Gatsby is a story that takes place in the 1920’s. The story

The great Gatsby film done by director Robert Markowitz is alike to the story in many ways that it is not. Gatsby’s funeral in the movie version of 2000 is in many ways just the same as the book. Although there are things that are similar there are many many things that differed as well. Things such as the meeting between Nick Carraway and Tom Buchanan after the funeral, In the book it states “ one afternoon late October I saw Tom Buchanan, He was walking ahead of me along Fifth Avenue… Suddenly he saw me and walked back, holding out his hand.” This part is very important because Tom in telling Wilson about Gatsby is the reason for Gatsby's death even though many others can argue it may have been Daisie's fault for not taking the fall herself

It’s the newness that Luhrmann seems to bring to his movies, most notably Moulin Rouge and Romeo + Juliet, that grabs the attention most immediately. In calibrating our expectations for Gatsby, it’s interesting to look at the last classic work he adapted, the 1996 Leo DiCaprio/Claire Danes feature based on the Shakespearean play. A lot of adaptations of Shakespeare’s work try to do what Luhrmann does, reimagining the story in a contemporary setting, and they’re met with varying degrees of success. Even stranger is Luhrmann’s word-for-word retention of the Shakespearean dialogue, resulting in a bizarre juxtaposition of old language and new technology and surroundings.

The 2013 drama/romance movie, The Great Gatsby, is the second movie adaption made based off the novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in 1925. Co-written and directed by Baz Luhrmann, this film received both glory and criticism upon its release. The Great Gatsby is well known for its “Gatsby era” as well as the love encircled between money and power. Without the glitz and glam of this story in conjunction with the forever love Jay Gatsby, a millionaire known for his magnificent parties, holds for Daisy Buchanan, The Great Gatsby would not be as acclaimed of a story. Baz Luhrmann makes sure to emphasize these characteristics throughout the film through his use of symbolism, irony, and imagery.

A major theme in the movie was wealth. Gatsby was known for throwing extravagant parties and everyone in New York would attend. His parties were elite and people like movie stars, gangsters and politicians would attend his fantastic parties. Not only did these parties represent wealth but they represented the American dream. Women who attended the parties wore provocative clothing cut their hair real short and drank openly. These were things women wouldn’t even imagine doing 20 years ago. Everything was going great in America and people believed they could do anything.