The Great Gatsby recreated through film
Baz Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby has a star-studded cast including Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire and Carey Mulligan. Grace Isford 15′
Grace Isford ’15
Although The Great Gatsby was published nearly a century ago, director Baz Luhrmann’s recreation of the novel through film has made F. Scott Fitzgerald’s roaring twenties world come to life for modern audiences.
The movie chronicles the opulent life of New York’s wealthy residents through the eyes of Midwestern war veteran Nick Carraway, shortly after World War I . Nick becomes infatuated with the vicarious life of his affluent neighbor, Jay Gatsby. Nick’s cousin, Daisy, turns out to be Gatsby’s long lost love and she quickly becomes entwined in his lavish social scene.
Baz Luhrmann skillfully recaptures Fitzgerald’s intricate characters and complicated love triangle. He makes the much-loved novel seem fresh through the use of dramatic film cuts, music, and wardrobe choices. Luhrmann even heightens suspense by shooting the movie in 3-D. Fitzgerald’s riveting storyline paired with Luhrmann’s embellished filmmaking will engage viewers of any age.
Despite the film’s allure, concerns remain with the differences between the movie and the literary classic. Convent of the Sacred Heart American Literature teacher Dr. Cristina Baptista studied F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel in graduate school and taught it to her students this past year. She has concerns about the film’s skewed depiction of the book.
“In the filmmaker’s hands, the story has become 45-degrees or so shifted from a morality tale warning about the emptiness of the Lost Generation and the desperate search of human connectivity to a tragedy of obsessive love and how it destroys people,” Dr. Baptista said.
Luhrmann has also been criticized for his use of twenty-first century hip-hop music.
“I thought the book was better than the movie,” sophomore Sheila Moran said. “The hip-hop music was a bit out of place.”
However, perhaps the biggest difference is narrator Nick Carraway’s depiction as morbidly alcoholic. Dr. Baptista believes this disparity jeopardizes the film’s storyline.
“No matter how in-line with the novel the rest of the film may be, the entire credibility of the story becomes shattered when our story-teller may possibly not even be in his right-mind,” Dr. Baptista said.
Just over a century shy of the novel’s publication, The Great Gatsby is a must-see for any fan of the novel, drama, or romance. The film transports the viewer to the extravagant life of the 1920’s and makes an historical era exciting. However, the film also illustrates the era’s profligacy and is not appropriate for younger viewers. Overall, The Great Gatsby’s captivating story line and renowned cast, which includes Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Tobey MacGuire, make it a strong contender for one of the summer’s best movies.
“The Great Gatsby was amazing,” sophomore Emily Sabia said. “You should definitely go see it.”
– Grace Isford, Staff Writer
