Movie adaptation on "The Great Gatsby"

 Hello readers...

This is the assignment of sem -2  of paper no.1 that is the 20th century literature.I had taken the topic of movie adaptaion.First of all by approaching to the movie adaptation of "The Great Gatsby " ,we should take a look at the original work of F Scott Fitzgerald and take an overview of the story.

The Great Gatsby is a classic American novel written by F Scott Fitzgerald. It is a novel best described as a Satire on the American ideals of the 1920s. The novel has been set up in the time of early 20th century in the American society where people least cared about each other. The societal devices of greed, betrayal, poverty, desire and satisfaction are collectively depicted by the three strata of the American society of the 1920s.

The Great Gatsby is written in first-person limited perspective from Nick'spoint of view. This means that Nick uses the word “I” and describes events as he experienced them. He does not know what other characters are thinking unless they tell him.The American Dream is one of the major themes in The Great Gatsby. The life of Jay Gatsby himself is an embodiment of the American Dream, as he's a poor farm boy who changes his name and reinvents himself to become wealthy and successful, at least financially.

The ambience created by the story is set up in America of the post-war economic evolution. The story is in the form of a narration. The narrator is Nick Carraway, who has returned from his long stay in the East. He is a born, rich character who inherited wealth from his ancestors.

Jay Gatsby is Nick’s neighbour. Nick watches the lavish parities Jay Gatsby hosts every evening but attends one of the party after Jay invited him. The lavish parties at Mr Gatsby’s place depict how carefree the American lives were in the time that led them to attend strange parties with strange people. The fact that Mr Gatsby hosts parties every evening tells us the tale of an American Dream.

Mr Gatsby has an unforgettable past that decays his will to live irrespective of his wealth and luxuries. This character building by the author tells us how materialism can never dominate desire.

The other important characters of the story are Tom Buchanan and Daisy Buchanan. They are related to Nick Carraway and very mysteriously acquainted with Mr Gatsby. It is with the help of these characters that the author brings the vivid picture of the American society in the 1920s.

Many readers have critically acclaimed the Great Gatsby but absorbingly praised by more of them. It is called as the best American novel that showcases America in its raw and naked form. This is why the title of an American dream is synonymously is used as a theme for the story.

The reason for it being called an American dream is that it shows the perfect picture of the society of America where wealth was every soul only dreams and materialistic possesions attracted elite attention. The story is very simple if you might incept but highly impactful with the reason of true possessions of life.

The Great Gatsby has been adapted into cinema many times because of its extraordinary interpretation. The most recent adaptation was in 2013, with Baz Luhrmann and Leonardo Decaprio as the directors and screenplay writers. Leonardo was also the lead in the movie as the character of Jay Gatsby.

With a higher value of literary significance, The Great Gatsby is widely read by generations of book lovers. It is also taught in higher studies to grasp the literary significance it holds. It is a book one must read to have realizations of the real values of life.

The book has an impactful ending where the readers can witness how the past curbs the future and how the future is nothing but a result of past aspirations.

F Scott Fitzgerald, through his most popular literary piece- The Great Gatsby, gives a vivid peek into the interrelations among the born rich, earned rich and the poor people of the society. The great American dream of the said time makes the readers question if materialism is power?

🎥The movie adaptations🎬

There are particularly four movie adaptaions on the original novel which are as follows :

1.) The Great Gatsby(1949)

The first big adaptation of The Great Gatsby came in 1949, just as the book was becoming more popular . So this movie, made by Paramount Pictures.

This film isn't as accurate to the book's plot as later adaptations it focuses more on Gatsby's criminal enterprises, makes Jordan more significant, and ends with Nick and Jordan married. This film is also harder to find since it's older and not readily available on streaming services like Netflix. 

Basically, this film is worth finding if you want an excellent visualization of Gatsby himself but aren't as worried about the surrounding production or other characters and you like old movies and film noir. But for most students, one of the later adaptations will likely be a better choice.

 

2.) The Great Gatsby(1974)

The 1974 version of The Great Gatsby (sometimes referred to as the "Robert Redford Great Gatsby") was Hollywood's second attempt at adapting the novel, and by all accounts everyone involved was working a lot harder to do the book justice. It has cast big name actors like Robert Redford and Mia Farrow. 

However, some critics noted the expensive scenery somewhat takes away from some of the authenticity of the book for example, in the scene where Daisy and Gatsby reunite, the weather is sunny instead of rainy.

Despite these blips, Coppola's screenplay is much more loyal to the book's plot than the 1949 version. However, the movie fails to channel the energy and passion of the novel, and so can fall flat or even become dull.

Redford received mixed reviews for his performance. He crafts two characters the suave Jay Gatsby and the hardscrabble Jay Gatz which some reviewers like and others find a bit heavy handed. 

Sam Waterston is great as Nick Carraway. He captures a lot of Nick's naïveté and optimism, but isn't given as much to do as more recent versions of the character. Mia Farrow's portrayal of Daisy has become our culture's image of this character.

All in all, this is a mostly faithful adaptation of the book with beautiful sets, costumes, and some good performances. Especially compared to the more raucous 2013 version, this is probably the closest movie we have to a page-to-screen adaptation of Gatsby. This version is available on Netflix streaming.

 

3.) The Great Gatsby(2000)

This movie is decently accurate, but because of its shorter run time, there are some cuts to the plot. It also has a few odd additions, like Daisy coming up with the name "Gatsby" instead of Gatsby himself.

I would consider watching this if you want a film mostly accurate to the book that also moves along more quickly, since it has a shorter run time. It's also a good choice if you want to see some great characterizations of Nick and Daisy.

Teachers, this might be a good choice if you want to show a version of the film in class but don't have two and a half hours to spend on the 1974 or 2013 versions.

 

4.) The Great Gatsby(2013)

This one is likely the Gatsbymovie you are most familiar with. Directed by Baz Luhrmann, this Gatsby has the eye-popping visuals, dancing scenes, high energy and In other words, this 2013 adaptation has all of the energy and enthusiasm the previous two adaptations were lacking.

However, there are some pretty big plot diversions here. For example, the movie uses a completely different frame Nick is a bitter, institutionalized alcoholic looking back at the summer he spent with Gatsby, rather than just a disenchanted former bond salesman like in the novel. Also, Tom Buchanan is much more overtly villainous, since we see him bluntly telling George that Gatsby was the killer and the man sleeping with Myrtle.A lot of the imagery is also quite over the top. 

Still, despite the plot diversions and sometimes heavy-handed imagery, many praised Leo DiCaprio and Carey Mulligan's turns as Gatsby and Daisy, respectively. Jordan, played by Elizabeth Debicki, is also fantastic arguably the best on film so far. Instead of fading into the background of scenes.

The 2013 movie is good to watch if you want an extra high-powered version of the Jazz Age extravagance and are curious about a more artistic adaptation of the novel.

 

🔎Comparing the Great Gatsby Movies to the Novel💡

The novel The Great Gatsby is to compare the book with one of the movie adaptations.since you get to write about both the book and a movie version of Gatsby. I had constructed this comparing form of the movies and the original novel.Inshort i had made an overall  point by comparing both  to make it manageable.I had zoom in on a particular aspect, like comparing Daisy Buchanan in the book to Daisy in the movie, or look at just a few of the symbols. 

Thank you...