While watching the 2013 Great Gatsby I was, once again, struck
by the larger than life scenes that are so reminiscent of the book and setting
of the story. The roaring twenties were a time of unprecedented prosperity and
material excess in America, as shown in the story. Everything of that time came
in excess and, for the upper classes depicted, was filled with extravagance.
Reading The Great Gatsby is a task of
wading through rich descriptions and somewhat dramatic language. There is a
feel to the novel that reflects the time Fitzgerald is writing about.
In the film, there are many scenes
that are simply larger than life. You might call them staged or over dramatic.
For example, when Nick first meets Gatsby there is a huge amount of build up to
the final “movie star reveal,” as we called it in class. We are given hints
that the man Nick is talking to is Gatsby to the point that we know who he’s
making a fool of himself in front of. We get a glimpse of Gatsby’s ring, we
hear the classic, “Old Sport,” and we know DiCaprio’s voice. Finally, he
introduces himself, smiles, and fireworks go up behind him as a voiceover
quotes the novel in describing Gatsby’s smile.
Just before
this scene is a montage of the party as Nick experiences it. The viewer is
shown the carelessness and exuberance of the party. The scene comes to a
conclusion as the camera drops down on Nick and Jordan as they dance on the platform
in the middle of the pool, surrounded by other dancers and partygoers. The
party is shown from different levels and different angles as if it were an
elaborate stage. This adds to the show that the parties were described as in the
novel while also emphasizing the fact that the roaring twenties were a time of
excess and “larger than life” living.
I agree with you, there were some exaggerations with the party scenes. Gatsby came off very much like James Bond. I thought he was going to say, " My name is Gatsby, Jay Gatsby", while the fireworks were going off in the background. Although, the 1920s was seen as a non-stop party, this is far from the truth. My grandpa and grandma were lower middle class and was a great provider, but would not spend his money on frivolous materialistic things. People who knew my grandpa called him a penny pincher. During that time, some of my family members were well off but they also talked about the good old days with family and friends, and not the excess parties that we see in the movie. I did like the fireworks and the excitement of the parties, it is better than being at a formal sit down party, but its true to most of life.
ReplyDeletePersonally, I loved the extravagant party scenes, not necessarily for historical purposes but for entertainment value. I felt that these scenes connected with a modern audience, and did not have to remain "faithful" to a 20's party (in music, traditional dress, etc.) to capture the themes or essence of The Great Gatsby.
ReplyDeleteReading and watching The Great Gatsby reminded me of how arrogantly stupid the upper class can be. Gatsby thinks that he can woo Daisy away from her family just by throwing parties. You are right the parties are careless, in the fact that they are a mask to cover up Jay's ignorance of how real life works. Daisy had responsibilities to her husband, as much of a jerk that he is. I think Daisy should have a good roll in the hay just to get back at Tom, but should lay ground rules with Jay. Daisy had a child, the child is the innocent figure in the story. Nick calls Daisy and Tom careless, but was Jay just as careless too.
ReplyDeleteIf there was one thing the 2013 version of Gatsby did right, it was the party scenes. I think it helped show how extravagant their lifestyles actually were. More so than the Redford version. The unfortunate thing of all this is people throwing the Gatsby themed parties. It kind of undermines the actual message of the book/film, since it was not about how great life is with huge parties and things like that.
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