How Does Luhrmann Present Gatsby's Death

The scene I’ve chosen to analyze is Gatsby’s death. Luhrmann’s vision of the most tragic part of the of this story adds dimensions never seen in the original written version of the story. Luhrmann makes the bold choice of making hope the last thing Gatsby has. The clip starts with Daisy picking up the phone and shows Gatsby exiting the pool while a telephone ringing in the background. Gatsby then looks across the bay towards Daisy’s house with a look of happiness and hope. Before the butler can tell him who’s calling, Mr. Wilson shoots Gatsby. Gatsby examines the wound while looking out towards Daisy’s house. He whispers his last word “Daisy” before falling back into the pool. The scene is bittersweet because the audience knows Daisy is going to leave Gatsby to be with Tom, and Gatsby is going to die. But we find solace in the fact the Gatsby doesn’t know this and his assumption the call is coming from Daisy makes his death less tragic. The scene ultimately generates feelings of confusion,

happiness, hope and sadness.
Lurhmann’s use of sound adds confusion as to what is going to happen and a creates a feeling of hope. The sound of the telephone is the most prominent sound of the entire clip. Luhrmann does this to draw attention to how significant the call is. Gatsby’s entire future is based on this call. If it’s not Daisy on the other end he has lost his only purpose and to Gatsby death would be better than a world where he can’t be with Daisy. In the background you hear the muffled dialogue of the butler saying, “Gatsby’s? I know Mr. Gatsby will be very happy that you’ve called”. This dialogue confuses the viewer because we assume the butler is talking about Daisy. When it’s actually Nick on the other end of the call. The dialogue gives the viewer the idea maybe Gatsby and Daisy will end up together despite what happens in the book. But this is cut short by the echoing of a gunshot. The sound is somewhat startling to cut off any thoughts the audience has about a happy ending. The last significant piece of audio is Gatsby’s last word, “Daisy”. This brings the viewer solace in knowing Gatsby’s final thoughts were about the only thing that mattered to him. DiCaprio almost whispers this line which brings a sense of peace in a scene of mostly chaos.
The cinematography in this scene is orchestrated in a way that focuses primarily on Gatsby and his emotions throughout the scene.

Luhrmann switches between closeups and mid-shots for Gatsby. When Gatsby hears the telephone ring Luhrmann uses a closeup to show Gatsby’s happiness and hope that Daisy is calling. Luhrmann then uses a mid-shot to rack focus and show us Wilson in the background, letting the audience know that this will not be a happy ending. The next closeup is on Gatsby’s chest as he examines his wound. Then it switches to an almost extreme close-up of Gatsby’s face to show his confusion as he stares out towards Daisy’s house. This shot is held for several seconds to show the changes in Gatsby’s emotions. As he whispers his final line he almost smiles before falling back into the pool which, once again, leaves the viewer in a state of emotional confusion. We are sad because Gatsby is dead, but are happy that he died feeling that his life had a purpose in

Daisy.
The last significant element is the special effects. Luhrmann utilized CGI throughout the film to create an almost dreamlike state where the viewer becomes lost and disoriented in the extravagant world of the 1920’s. This shapes the viewer’s understanding of what New York is like for Nick. But during the last scene Luhrmann slows down the CGI and uses it in a way that is more visually appealing. The effect that makes the scene is when the camera appears to be flying across the bay towards Daisy’s house. This happens when Gatsby first hears the phone. It cuts from Gatsby’s face to a shot that makes us feel as if we’re gliding across the water towards Daisy. This shows that Gatsby feels like he’s about to be with Daisy forever. The same effect is reused immediately after Gatsby is shot except the camera is farther away from Daisy and the gliding is slowed down. As Gatsby says his final word and falls back into the pool, the camera quickly pulls away from Daisy. This particular effect shows us exactly how Gatsby is feeling and enhances this feeling for the viewer. The other effect is the coloring added to the scene. Luhrmann intentionally makes the pool and DiCaprio’s eyes a more greenish color. The color green plays a significant role as a motif in The Great Gatsby symbolizing Daisy, who, in some sense, represents the American Dream. Luhrmann’s choice shows us that he understands the essential themes behind The Great Gatsby and was able to make Fitzgerald’s words come to life.