The Great Gatsby (the movie)

The Great Gatsby – Baz Luhrman

I read “The Great Gatsby” way back when in high school and wasn’t impressed. But I know there are a lot of people out there who love this book. So I gave it some time, read it again, and was slightly less unimpressed. OK, it’s a pretty good book, but still, so what? So I let some more time pass, and read it again. And again. With each subsequent reading, “The Great Gatsby” improves as a novel, but the overriding sense I take away is “what’s the big deal?” However, I am completely blown away by the Baz Luhrman film adaptation of the novel. It brings the novel to life in a way that just doesn’t translate for me on the page. This isn’t quite a movie review, but here is what I take away from “The Great Gatsby” the movie that doesn’t come across for me in the novel.

“The Great Gatsby” tells a story of transition, a blending of multiple worlds. Both the past and the present, the haves and the have-nots, the hope for the future and the dashed dreams that lurk just around the corner, both those from the past and those yet to come. Gatsby lies at the intersection of all those transitions, functioning as the heart, soul, and embodiment of all those conflicting expectations. The myth precedes the man, and the myth attracts every follower except the ones who matter most. Nick is the only person ever invited to one of Gatsby’s legendary parties, and he is invited because he provides a direct connection to Daisy, the woman who Gatsby loves. Living in a combination of past hopes and future dreams, Gatsby unknowingly finds himself trapped in a fantasy world. Only Gatsby the legend actually exists, for nobody knows the man. When reality crashes into Gatsby’s painstakingly constructed existence, the impact is both resounding and unnoticeable. The legend of Gatsby slowly drifts away, forgotten, but Gatsby’s world shatters.

The movie superbly illustrates the conflicting worlds of the legendary and actual Gatsby. The glitzy, glamorous, gaudy parties are too over-the-top to be believable, adding to the myth of Gatsby. Contrary to the parties, the valley of ashes lies between Gatsby and the city, the two places where the myth of Gatsby holds the most traction. The valley of ashes visually and physically represents the poverty so desperately suppressed in Gatsby’s myth. Everything connects to the valley of ashes, whether though broken and deceitful relationships, business transactions that reinforce hierarchies of power, or just the act of passing through poverty without seeing. But that’s what T.J. Eckleburg does. The forgotten glasses on the billboard sit above the valley of ashes, watching everything.

Yes, there are a lot of annoying cinematic effects that distract from the movie rather than contributing to the visual representation of myth vs. reality, but this movie is amazing. One of my other favorite parts of the movie is a quote Nick repeats a few times, saying that he finds himself “both within and without.” Within and without what? He is drawn into the myth of Gatsby, finding himself within the legend, but he is without means to participate in the myth. He is central to the tangled circle of relationships, but maintains an outsider perspective. He is within and without in so many ways, as is everyone else. I love the visual representation the movie offers on the world of Gatsby, emphasizing the imbalances and dichotomies that come with living through a constructed self rather than actual reality (although reality is not without its own difficulties). Now I have to read the novel again to see how the lessons come through in the book after watching the movie.