Great Gatsby Novel and Movie Comparison

637 Words2 Pages

When movies are made from novels, they most likely aren't as well performed and written as the original books, although there are some exceptions such as Forest Gump. As evidence, I believe Baz Luhrmann's production of The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920's was not performed at its best. Baz Luhrmann did well with the special effects; however, he didn't do well in portraying the characters, the symbols and the setting.
The special effects Baz Luhrmann decided on using, were spectacular he chose some of the most perfect music and three dimensional visuals. Luhrmann did a wonderful job when choosing the music for the movie's scenes and the soundtrack. He chose one particular song that went with the themes, scenes, and plot of the movie. This song was “Young and Beautiful” by Lana del Rey and was played throughout the movie while the tune and beat changed according to the scene. He also chose “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody,” “100$ Bill,” and “Into The Past”. I believe choosing these songs served well for Luhrmann because it attracted the younger, more modern audiences to the movie when hearing a song they know of or like. Luhrmann's three dimensional scenes were also spectacular. For example, the scene when Myrtle Wilson was struck by Daisy, driving Gatsby's car, they made the glass shatter outwards and showed her corpse flying towards the screen. This scene was very graphic which intrigued the audience. Luhrmann had perfect ideas as to what to use when it came to special effects, making the movie very comparable and in some perspectives better than the novel.
The portrayal of the characters in Luhrmann's edition of the movie weren't as well portrayed as special effects. I believe Luhrmann didn't take...

... middle of paper ...

...er and more colorful with the shimmering touch of silver and gold accents.
Ultimately, some may say Luhrmann did an amazing at making the film just as wonderful as the novel however, in my opinion he didn't fulfill my expectations. As well as not portraying characters, symbols, and setting in coition to the book, a few of the scenes failed to relate. For instance, as written in the novel, “Myrtle Wilson... knelt in the road,” when she had been struck, Luhrmann decided to have her laying down. Luhrmann also decided to change her clothes so you could see the wound on her chest as in the book it said they had to remove her dress. In conclusion, The Great Gatsby filmed in 2013, had no comparison to the novel written by F. Scott Fitzgerald in the 1920's. Luhrmann's 2013 edition failed at making the characters, symbols, and setting portray as well as the special effects.

Open Document