The Great Gatsby: Baz Luhrmann's 2013 Film

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The Great Gatsby
F. Scott Fitzgerald has been considered a perfectionist when it comes to creating his pieces, leading to his writing containing heightened details and intense vocabulary compared to novels of his time. This novel involves a young, poor man named Jay Gatsby who meets a rich girl and falls in love with her. Because of his lack of money she declines so he spends his life making money to win her back. When Gatsby becomes rich she has married and will not be able to love him. Multiple films have been created to reenact this great piece of literature. Due to the text-persistent details throughout Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film starring Leonardo Decaprio F. Scott Fitzgerald would prefer this movie over the 1974 version directed by Jack …show more content…

The 2013 film version was quite similar to the novel in scene containing the Wolfsheim meeting. Nick knew very little of his wealthy neighbor Jay Gatsby at this point in the plot. Only the words of gossipers gave any hint of the beginnings of such an interesting and mysterious man. Later, Gatsby invites Nick out to lunch in town where Nick is introduced to a friend of Gatsby’s named Meyer Wolfsheim. Nick meets Gatsby in a very dark and cellar-like restaurant where he spots Gatsby speaking to a small Jewish man, laughing and joking with him. Upon walking up to the pair at the table Gatsby says “‘Mr. Carraway, this is my friend Mr. Wolfsheim.’” The trio then begins to speak and Nick notices the shadiness of Wolfsheim and the way he seems to scan the room waiting for something bad to happen or appear. Luhrmann’s movie stars Amitabh Bachchan as Wolfsheim and, if carefully watched, it can be noticed that he looks around nervously, similar to the text. This part is highly important as it shows the illegality and dangerous side of the profession that Gatsby is a part of, the bootlegging business. Later, when Buchanan announces the crimes that Gatsby commits you can look back at this scene and see how director Luhrmann foreshadowed the darkness with the playing of this scene. The way that Wolfsheim carries himself is important to see that Gatsby has another side, one of darkness. I believe …show more content…

One argument from the opposing side would be the music choice throughout the 2013 movie as the soundtrack includes modern music, opposed to choosing music from the time. These supporters believe that the change in music makes the movie seem too current and not time accurate. While I can see their ideas I strongly disagree as the music was focused on the symbols and behind-the scenes meanings behind the actions. For example, when Nick walks into the speakeasy behind the barber shop in the 2013 film version, the song 100$ Bill by Jay-z begins playing. The song was produced specifically for this movie and is a story of the rise of Jay Gatsby if the lyrics are properly interpreted. Fitzgerald would have preferred this type of music for this scene as it deepens the real story behind Gatsby and the type of place that they are meeting in, one filled with corruption and crime.
There have been several renditions of the novel The Great Gatsby originally created by author F. Scott Fitzgerald, some of the most popular being the 2013 film produced by Baz Luhrmann and the 1974 film by Jack Clayton. If Fitzgerald were to still be alive and have viewed both flicks I believe that he would have preferred the 2013 version as it has stronger details and a deeper connection to the novel. When watching this movie you can see the FItzgerald flare of heightened details

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