The Great Gatsby
His smile was one of those rare smiles that you may come across four or five times in life. It seemed to understand you and believe in you just as you would like to be understood and believed in.
“She was extended full length at her end of the divan, completely motionless, and with her chin raised a little, as if she were balancing something on it which was quite likely to fall.” This description of Jordan Baker from F Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby has stuck with me since I read the book in my 11th-grade English class. Yes, this was a beautiful description of how Jordan looked like she was posing for a photo. However, I always imagined something different. This tall, affluent woman walking around with her chin raised, reminding everyone, especially the less wealthy Nick Carraway, that she was superior.
Baz Luhrmann’s 2013 adaptation of The Great Gatsby was met with much criticism. It would take almost a decade for his work to be appreciated, with his 8-time Oscar-nominated Elvis Presley biopic, Elvis. However, I’ve only ever seen his adaptation of Fitzgerald’s work in full. I’ve watched clips of the former films, but something didn’t seem quite right with any of them. They all felt like something you would find on the shelf of an old video rental store, and you would only check it out because the movie you were actually looking for wasn’t available.
Despite what critics may have thought, Luhrmann’s adaptation was the only one to truly bring Gatsby and his out-of-this-world facade to life. Although it’s not the first time I’ve covered a film based on a book, The Great Gatsby is one of the most famous books ever published. If I wanted to analyze the storyline and the characters, it would be a much better use of my time to write a newsletter about the book. For the movie, I’m more interested in how Baz Luhrmann brought the pages of F Scott Fitzgerald’s novel to life and, unlike the other adaptations, made it look truly extraordinary.
A Little Party Never Killed Nobody–Except Jay Gatsby
I stole this heading straight from Tumblr. It was a joke that circulated around that website a lot, referencing the song that plays in the film during one of Gatsby’s parties– “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody” by Fergie– and the fact that Gatsby’s elaborate parties ultimately did end in his death. One thing Baz Luhrmann does often is combine the past and the present through his music choices. In Elvis, he used Britney Spears’ 2004 single “Toxic” for a scene set in the 60s. In his modernized Romeo + Juliet, he uses “Young Hearts Run Free” by Candi Staton, released in 1976, despite Shakespeare’s original play taking place in the 14th century.
Sometimes, this can feel jarring and disorienting, but I respect Luhrmann’s decision because it creates a way for the viewer to feel a part of the story that they otherwise might feel disconnected from because of how long ago it took place. When I watched The Great Gatsby in my English class after we finished reading the book, no one in my class knew what it was like to be alive in the 1920s, but I can guarantee a good portion had heard Jay-Z’s “No Church in the Wild,” before, which Luhrmann uses to introduce us to the thriving state of Manhattan in 1922.
With “A Little Party Never Killed Nobody,” aside from its obvious foreshadowing, its fast pace and upbeat production bring Gatsby’s party to life. It makes it fun, exciting, and, Luhrmann’s favorite, chaotic. Had they used music from the 20s, the party would not have felt as lively. It especially works because the scene cuts between the party and a quiet scene of Jordan and Nick going off to the study, where Owl Eyes tells them he doesn’t believe Jay Gatsby exists. The mystery of Gatsby swirling through the air of the study, combined with all the commotion going on downstairs further builds up anticipation for when we finally do meet Gatsby.
Gatsby? What Gatsby?
Gatsby is an extraordinary character, even if everything he tells the other characters is a complete lie. However, the other characters are just as crucial, and the biggest challenge when bringing Fitzgerald’s novel to life is honoring them, especially during their first introductions. What I like about Nick is that in Luhrmann’s film, Nick is not just talking to the audience like he is in the book, but he is telling the story of Gatsby to his therapist.
“The city seen from the Queensborough bridge is always the city seen for the first time”-Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby.
There have been many arguments about whether or not Nick Carraway is a reliable narrator, but I believe that the addition of the therapist supports he may not be telling the truth. He wouldn’t be the first person to lie to his therapist, especially since enhancing the story and painting himself as an innocent bystander will make him look innocent. Making the character introductions so theatrical works because we are meeting them through Nick’s perspective and embellished storytelling. When we meet Daisy for the first time, she is in her living room with Jordan Baker.
While the other films had pretty simple introductions of Daisy, Luhrmann dramatized her first appearance on screen. Daisy is lying on her couch with Jordan Baker as white curtains are soaring through the air. We then see her hand flashing a large engagement ring, reaching over the couch before she rises and faces her cousin Nick. He describes her as “the golden girl,” and the scene seems to confirm this. It feels very Marilyn-esque, but I also believe the white sheets represent the pureness and innocence of Daisy, the kind that only someone as wealthy as she could possess.
However, Gatsby's introduction is the most important part of the film, and Luhrmann does not disappoint. Before we meet him, the camera moves through the crowd, cutting to various partygoers who all reveal a different rumor they heard about Gatsby. It builds up the excitement and soon Nick is talking to Gatsby without him or the audience knowing it. We only hear Gatsby’s voice and see his hands until he introduces himself to Nick by turning to face him, holding up a drink, and saying, “You see, I’m Gatsby,” as fireworks explode behind him, framing his face.
This shot became a popular internet meme back in 2013 when the film premiered, and I can understand why. It’s truly the best shot in the film, and while I hate to keep knocking the adaptations that came before Luhrmann’s, the others couldn’t hold a candle to the way we met Jay Gatsby in the 2013 film. I would also credit this scene and this performance altogether to how outstanding Leonardo DiCaprio is. When Leo is doing a film, he is never acting as a character; he is becoming that character.
An Elaborate Disguise
That’s what Baz Luhrmann created that none of the other films did–an elaborate disguise. He used his directing style, which I previously described as chaotic in my Elvis newsletter, to create this out-of-this-world lifestyle that feels fake because it is. It’s all a part of Gatsby’s facade. In an early scene, when Nick is describing the thriving state of 1922 NYC, Luhrmann creates an illusion that makes the viewer feel as though we are on a roller coaster. A small red plane flies through the sky before the perspective shifts to first person, and now it appears we are passengers in this plane that is quickly soaring down the side of a skyscraper and plummeting to the ground.
“Jay, they’re a rotten crowd. You’re worth the whole damn bunch put together,”-Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby.
Luckily we stop just above a crowd of Wall Street workers, as Nick Carraway looks up with a smile. Another crucial scene in Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby comes when Gatsby is driving to the city with Nick in the passenger seat of his yellow Rolls Royce. Gatsby is speeding out of control and swerving around other cars as he tells a made-up story about his life to Nick. By the look on Nick’s face and his narration, we can tell his head is spinning, trying to keep up with Gatsby’s elaborate lies. Having Gatsby steer his car like a race car driver keeps the audience in the scene, experiencing the chaos with Nick.
Luhrmann also did an incredible job with two very important scenes where Gatsby’s true colors shine through. The first time Gatsby sees Daisy again, Nick invites her over for tea, not telling her that Gatsby will be there. The once confident Gatsby, who threw elaborate parties at his house hoping Daisy would one day show up, is now so nervous he can’t contain himself. Waiting for Daisy to arrive, Gatsby spends his time nervously fidgeting as Nick’s clock loudly ticks, building up tension. He then leaves the house, only to return soaking wet at Nick’s door due to the heavy rain outside.
Luhrmann excelled at showing us how much seeing Daisy again meant to Gatsby and how obsessed he was with making sure everything went perfectly that he ended up sabotaging it. Ultimately, things do go well when he reconnects with Daisy in this scene, but most importantly is this is the first time it becomes clear Gatsby’s whole persona is “an elaborate disguise.” Someone who claims to be such a big deal, throwing extraordinary parties and living such a life of luxury, seems to crack very easily under pressure.
We see this side of Gatsby again toward the end of the film during the scene when Gatsby pressures Daisy to tell Tom that she never loved him and she’s running away with him. The group of friends travels from Tom and Daisy’s house to the Plaza Hotel on what seems to be the hottest day of the summer. I remember analyzing this scene in my English class and disgusting how F Scott Fitzgerald intentionally used the heat of the day to increase the tension between all the characters.
I believe Luhrmann brought this to life flawlessly. I felt the same amount of tension and anxiety watching this scene as I did reading it. We see Gatsby physically sweating and becoming impatient before he attacks Tom for exposing the true cause of Gatsby’s wealth. This leads us right into what happens after this intense scene. Everyone drives home, and Gatsby accidentally hits and kills Tom’s mistress, Myrtle, with his car and keeps driving, only to later reveal it was Daisy driving, but he took the fall so she wouldn’t get in trouble.
“They were carless people; Tom and Daisy. They smashed up things and people and then retreated back into their money and their vast carelessness.”-Nick Carraway, The Great Gatsby.
The final meeting of Nick and Gatsby takes place at sunset as if the sun is literally setting on Gatsby’s story. Nick now knows the truth about his friend, and while he doesn’t know about Gatsby’s inevitable death, it still feels like a goodbye. Gatsby is still claiming he’s running away with Daisy, even though Nick knows this is unlikely to happen. Soon after, Gatsby goes for a swim in his pool. It looks so empty compared to earlier in the film when it was surrounded by guests. It’s here that Myrtle’s husband shoots Gatsby.
For me, this scene far exceeds the way it was done in previous Gatsby films. It was a more dramatized version of the 1976 ending, this time, giving Gatsby a final line as he stares across the water at Daisy’s house and whispers her name before falling into the bloody pool. Even in his dying breath, Gatsby is still yearning for Daisy. Later, Luhrmann sets the scene for Gatsby’s wake, which includes Nick’s attempt for Daisy to come to the funeral the following day. We see how Nick’s heart breaks for Gatsby, and at one point, he even falls asleep on the staircase above Gatsby’s coffin.
Luhrmann uses this scene to solidify the moral of the story. Nick is the only one who was ever really there for Gatsby, because the others could never really except him into their clique. Hundreds of people attended Gatsby;s parties because it benefitted them to be at what seemed like the coolest party in town. It made them feel a part of something special, which in turn made them feel special. However, none of them showed up for Gatsby when he died. No one was there for him when he could no longer provide them with something. Not even Daisy.
Gatsby was willing to die for her, and she couldn’t even be bothered to visit him when he did. That’s why I admire this scene so much. As Gatsby lies alone in his coffin, with only Nick by his side, we cut to a scene of Daisy leaving her home with Tom and their daughter, realizing she never loved Gatsby like he loved her and she never had any intentions of leaving her life behind for him. As Gatsby lies alone in his coffin and empty house, we realize the life and persona he created were all one big illusory dream.