The Great Gatsby Movie And Book Comparison Essay

The 1925 novel, The Great Gatsby, written by F. Scott Fitzgerald, rose to fame as an American classic and has become a staple in scholastic literature. Success in a novel’s film adaptation requires the film to remain true to the novel. Various renditions of the novel have been created, of which the best adaptation is the highly acclaimed 2013 Baz Luhrmann interpretation, starring Leonardo DiCaprio. It offers a modern variation and flair, whilst remaining true to the book, setting it apart from previous adaptations.
Various instances of paraphrasing and verbatim text are found in the film, an important aspect in preserving the novels verity. Excerpts from the novel are used numerously as in the scene at The Plaza Hotel. Similarly the film opens with a monologue that is taken loosely from the novel’s narration by Nick Carraway as he talks with a psychiatrist. Designed to set up the framework of the story, Luhrmann very cleverly intertwines old with new by introducing the story with verbatim phrasing in a new scenario. The monologue

Luhrmann’s interpretation of the work by adding rap music and modern techniques to create Gatsby’s mansion gave an added appeal to the original work. The rap music although unconventional for the given time period, matched the upbeat and fast paced aura of the film. It gives insight to viewers of character’s emotions and intensifies the drama in accompanied scenes. The music, recorded by award winning artists, melds the genera’s of Jazz, Hip hop, Alternative rock, and Baroque pop together, and has been nominated for awards including World Music Award for World’s Best Album and American Music Award for Favorite Soundtrack. Gatsby’s fantasy mansion was also a creation of modern computer-generated imagery (CGI), inspired by Oheka Castle, La Selva, and Beacon Towers. The bigger than life mansion was a work of pure imagination, something Luhrmann could not replicate or find in real