Historical Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

1887 Words4 Pages

D’Andre Davis-Taylor
Ms. Fennell
CHY 4U1
30 December 2013

The Great Gatsby: Review and Historical Analysis
The word visually stunning could be used to describe the 2013 Baz Luhrman directed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel The Great Gatsby. Speaking of the director, I enjoyed his portrayal of the lavish lifestyle and carefree party like attitude in such a beautiful visual experience. The way in which the party scenes were filmed in the movie made perfect sense compared to the source material and were something I have never seen done by any other directors in a live action film. Another positive for me about this film was the soundtrack. When I first started watching the film I expected to hear old time music prevalent in the 20s. I however was pleasantly surprised when I learned the soundtrack was compiled by Jay-Z and featured many tracks I enjoyed featuring him either alone or accompanied by another musical guest. While Jay-Z is not exactly an accurate representation of the music of the 20s, the soundtrack adds a modern flavour over the previously mentioned beautiful backgrounds and architecture. The story however is where the movie at times falls flat. When stripped down to basics it is nothing more than a generic love story with a few twists added in for extra kick. The characters in the same vain can be very bland and not make you care much for them due to their backstories not being deeply explored. The only character that I found to be interesting was Jay Gatsby because of the mystical aura that surrounds his character at the beginning of the movie that leads you to want to uncover more of this ever mysterious man. All in all the visuals clearly outpace the story in this adaptation but the character and...

... middle of paper ...

...cs in America: Anti-miscegenation Laws). So it can be seen that the race relations in the Great Gatsby were in fact accurately portrayed.
In conclusion the Great Gatsby 2013 film adaptation is a piece of work that will be remembered for its stunning visuals not a gripping storyline. However this forgettable story is somewhat salvaged by the characterization of Jay Gatsby who shines through as someone to watch the movie just to see. The movie is quite split when it comes to the historical accuracy. Topics like Fashion and modes of transportation are not accurately represented while topics like race relations and the setting of New York City in the roaring 20s are excellently and accurately portrayed. In my opinion this movie with its masterful visual direction and the deep character Gatsby is a movie worth seeing. Who knows you could have a totally different opinion.

Show More
Related

  • Analysis Of 'The Great Gatsby'

    897 Words  | 2 Pages

    Jay Gatsby’s funeral is a small service, not because that 's what was intended, but because no one bothered to show up. Nick wanted to give Gatsby the popularity he desired, even in death, but only three people were present in the end. Gatsby’s father, Henry C. Gatz, shows up unexpectedly from Minnesota because he heard about the news in the papers. He believes that the man who shot his son must 've been mad, that no one in their right mind could commit such a horrible act. Daisy and Wolfsheim, the people closest to Gatsby in the book, do not attend. This exemplifies that it was always about wealth and social status for them, including Tom, and they never genuinely cared for Gatsby. Nick held up hope,

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby:Literary Analysis

    1226 Words  | 3 Pages

    Think about being separated from the one you love. You thought this person would be in your life forever and always. You may have spent days and weeks thinking and planning your future together, but then one day they disappear from your life. That person has moved on, and chose to live a life that no longer including you. It would be assumed in most cases that the love of your life is no longer the person they were before, so should you stick around and try to win them back? In the case of Gatsby and Daisy, Gatsby did not realize Daisy would be different, and although he still thinks he is in love with Daisy, is he in love with her for who she is now, or the idea of everything she used to be the answer may shock you, and this is all due to the unreal expectations he has for her to fill. Because Gatsby is not in love with who she is at the time they are reunited. Instead, he is caught up in the idea of who she used to be. The actions of Gatsby, how he talks about her, and the relationship between Gatsby and Daisy once they are back together again show who Gatsby is really in love with, and that is the old Daisy.

    Read More

  • Plot Flaws in The Great Gatsby

    840 Words  | 2 Pages

    The Great Gatsby, by F. Scott Fitzgerald, was a novel that epitomizes the time in our history known as the roaring twenties. It was a time of great extravagances and frolicsome attitudes. The novel also revealed the darker side of this time with its underlying themes of greed and betrayal on the part of many of the characters. The novel as a whole seems to be a very well thought out piece of literature with little or no flaws. However, if studied a bit harder several defects can be spotted. These include such things as shifts in setting, sequence manipulation, and shifting of narrators.

    Read More

  • Differences Between The Great Gatsby Movie Vs Movie

    935 Words  | 2 Pages

    Is the book always better than the movie? While many may disagree, in these circumstances, yes, yes it is. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is an “elegiacal romantic novel” that takes place in the roaring twenties, where spirits run high and life is an illusion of wealth (Canby). The 1974 Hollywood film version of The Great Gatsby fails to depict this complex elegance and superficiality of the twenties. While it is difficult to include every detail of the novel in the movie, it is important to depict the overall tone and message of the story. Devoted readers look forward to film adaptations of their favorite novels, but The Great Gatsby film fell short of their high expectations.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: The Great Gatsby

    1638 Words  | 4 Pages

    Some individuals make drastic changes, but with a story as iconic as The Great Gatsby, it is key to remain faithful to the original. Small changes are unavoidable and welcome, as long as they do not change the meaning of the text. When it comes to approaching film adaptation John Harrington elaborates on this idea and argues that,

    Read More

  • Essay Outline On The Great Gatsby

    923 Words  | 2 Pages

    Thesis: How does F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, The Great Gatsby, compares the American Dream in today's generation and back in the 1920's-30's? What did the American Dream really mean and why? So why did this issue happen? Do you think America can change in the future? What is the american dream really about? When did the phrase: ‘american dream’ started? Have you ever wondered what the 20s and 30s were like back then? How can this so called dream ever bring hope to our country? These are all the questions I would like to know myself. I’ve found three online sources & one source from the novel that can help explain about the 20th century, the Gatsby novel, today's generation, and about Mr.Gatsby from the book.

    Read More

  • Literary Analysis Essay On The Great Gatsby

    624 Words  | 2 Pages

    When it came time where he published The Great Gatsby and got his wife, Zelda,

    Read More

  • Movie And Book Comparison Of The Great Gatsby

    779 Words  | 2 Pages

    As the case with most “Novel to Movie” adaptations, screenwriters for films will make minor, and sometimes drastic, adjustments to the original text in order to increase drama and to reach modern audiences. Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 film interpretation of The Great Gatsby followed the 1925 classic great plot quite accurately, with minor deviations. However, Luhrmann made some notable differences to the characters and settings of The Great Gatsby in order for the story to relate to the current generation and to intensity the plot

    Read More

  • Great Gatsby Movie Vs Book

    770 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, The Great Gatsby, and Baz Luhrmann’s movie adaption can hardly be compared but the film somewhat stay true to the text. Luhrmann’s movie was fun to watch but it should have had more originality to it from the

    Read More

  • Film Analysis: The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald

    1469 Words  | 3 Pages

    In conclusion, Baz Luhrmann's version of the film adaptation to The Great Gatsby was in fact very successful and faithful to the novel. The casting was indeed almost perfect because most of the actors such as Toby Maguire (Nick Carraway), Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio), Carey Mulligan (Daisy Buchanan), Joel Edgerton (Tom Buchanan) and Jason Clarke (George Willson) all portrait their character wonderfully as described in the novel. The sceneries were great because it was very descriptive compared to the scenes in the novel. The use of Computer Generated Imagery technology was perfect because it highlighted the sceneries making it very vivid, realistic and pleasurable to the eye. The costuming used in the film was very creative, wonderful and perfect because it suited each of the characters class, personality, and it also suited the time period of the 1920s.

    Read More

  • The Great Gatsby Movie And Movie Analysis

    874 Words  | 2 Pages

    The novel The Great Gatsby is a classic and when any classic is remade into a movie it is easy to find great things as well as flaws. The movie does compare to the book quite a bit. The main plot of the story is not changed, as well as the big scenes within the book. In the novel Nick moves to west egg which is where he meets Gatsby this is true in the movie as well. Nick then helps Gatsby reunite with Daisy by having tea. One of my favorite scenes from the movie is when Gatsby sends over hundreds of flowers and floods Nicks house with them. This was exactly how I imagined it when reading the book. The movie does a great job at depicting Gatsby nervousness when Daisy is coming for tea; he leaves the house and walks in the rain drenching his self. The movie holds true to the novel with this scene. The movie and novel compare as well with Daisy running over Myrtle and Gatsby taking the blame. I feel that the director wanted to keep the authenticity of the great writing so he kept the important details and brought the story to life. The novel and movie do have many comparisons but like any remake the novel contains more detail.

    Read More

  • Differences Between The Great Gatsby And Daisy Buchanan

    513 Words  | 2 Pages

    Movies can enhance the experience of a story, but they aren’t always completely accurate to the book. The movie, The Great Gatsby, by Baz Luhrmann, is a good representation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel; however, there are quite a few differences between the two. Some differences include; the portrayal of the characters, the importance of symbolism, and events that were either added or taken out of the movie.

    Read More

  • Textual Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

    947 Words  | 2 Pages

    F. Scott Fitzgerald was one of the most compelling twentieth century writers, (Curnutt, 2004). The year 1925 marks the year of the publication of Fitzgerald’s most credited novel, The Great Gatsby (Bruccoli, 1985). With its critiques of materialism, love and the American Dream (Berman, 1996), this dramatic idyllic novel, (Harvey, 1957), although poorly received at first, is now highly regarded as Fitzgerald’s finest work (Rohrkemper, 1985) and is his publisher, Scribner 's most popular title, (Donahue, 2013). The novel achieved it’s status as one of the most influential novels in American history around the nineteen fifties and sixties, over ten years after Fitzgerald 's passing, (Ibid, 1985)

    Read More

  • Is The Great Gatsby Relevant Today

    461 Words  | 1 Pages

    The Great Gatsby is still a relevant novel today through discrimination of races, materialism, and society and class. The characters in The Great Gatsby show these type of elements throughout the novel. These types of elements are still shown around the world today but differently than the past. The Great Gatsby is still a good and relevant example of today’s modern society.

    Read More

  • Film Analysis Of 'The Great Gatsby'

    921 Words  | 2 Pages

    “The Great Gatsby” isn’t a classic novel anymore.“The Great Gatsby" is a superficially alluring film, capturing little to none of the depth created in the original novel by, Scott f. Fitzgerald. Don’t get me wrong, Baz Luhrmann’s take on “The Great Gatsby” isn’t an abomination. Every single scene is sincere and candid. However I would stop and consider what Fitzgerald, whose prose contained so much grace, controlled with such elegance, would have thought of the film: the way in which Luhrmann exerted so much energy along with time on visual effects and use of 3D, completely distracted the watcher from the book and films true core: the feelings and relationships between the characters.

    Read More

More about Historical Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

Open Document