The Great Gatsby was one of the most awaited book adaptations in recent years. Film is based on the book by Francis Scott Fitzgerald of the same name. Despite the fact that the film received very controversial reviews, it is definitely a very high quality work. Plot, decorations, actors’ play, music are simply magnificent.
The film tells us about Nick Carraway, a graduate of Yale University, who stays in the resort, where he is being treated from alcoholism. He tells about a man named Gatsby, whose fate brought him to New York. It is difficult for Nick to talk about it, and the doctor suggests him to tell this story on paper.
Nick begins his narrative with a memory about how he moved from the Midwest to New York and rented a house in West Egg on Long Island in 1922. Nick visits the luxurious estate of Tom and Daisy Buchanan. Daisy is Nick's cousin, and her husband Tom once played polo at Yale, and now enjoys the wealthy life. In this house, Nick meets Jordan Baker, friend of Daisy, the famous golfer. Jordan tells Nick that Tom has a mistress in New York.
Meeting with the latter, Myrtle Wilson, the wife of an unsuspecting mechanic George, Tom rents an apartment in the city. Tom invites Nick to that apartment where he also meets Catherine, Myrtle’s sister, and the McKee couple, Myrtle’s friends. The night ends with a broken nose of Myrtle, who has irritated Tom mentioning the name of Daisy.
Nick becomes the nearest neighbor of Jay Gatsby, a very rich man, known to carry out the great parties in his giant mansion every Saturday attended by hundreds of people. Soon Gatsby’s chauffeur brings Nick a formal invitation to one of these parties. Gatsby is a mysterious person; there are many rumors regarding the amount and source of his enormous wealth. No one of the guests Nick meets does not even know how Gatsby looks like. During the party, a man starts conversation with Nick about Gatsby. Then he turns out to be Mr. Gatsby.
Gatsby likes Nick and soon they become friends. Nick is very surprised when Jay Gatsby tells him the story of his life and dizzying success; however Nick reacts to these words ironically.
Gatsby has a secret and Nick does not understand why Jay Gatsby cares so much about it. Gatsby introduces Nick to his partner businessman named Meyer Wolfshiem, and asks him to confirm the words of Gatsby about his past.
During one of the parties Jordan Baker tells Nick that Gatsby gathers a huge number of guests in the hope that Daisy, his former lover, accidentally stops by. Through Jordan Gatsby asks Nick to arrange a meeting for him and Daisy. Nick promises to do that, and the meeting with Daisy is held - the situation is awkward at first, but then everything goes according to the plan.
Nick learns details about the life of Jay Gatsby: Gatsby bought his luxurious home just in front of Buchanans (their house is on the other side of the bay) on purpose. All of his life has been longing for the top, because five years ago he being a poor officer got scared of Daisy’s refusal as she was the daughter of rich and noble parents.
The true story of Gatsby is that he was born in a poor family in the Midwest, grew up in dreams where identified himself with the Son of God. Teenager James Gatz (real name of today wealthy Gatsby) left home. The accident helped him to meet a millionaire. Jay saved him from death. As a reward, he was brought up - saved millionaire taught him many things. Unfortunately, after the death of a millionaire his family inherited everything, but Jay was already fully prepared. By early summer, all the media were reporting only about a secret rich man and his fabulous parties.
After the meeting with Daisy, Gatsby changed. There were no more noisy parties. Journalists started hunting Jay’s mistress, but without any result. Gatsby wants to get the relationship with Daisy out of the shadow. In order to do this one day he visits the house of Buchanans where he is trying to convince Daisy to break up finally with Tom.
Tom Buchanan, in anticipation of the looming conflict, invites everyone - Daisy, Tom himself, Nick, and Jordan - to go to the Plaza Hotel.
Gatsby is already at the Plaza Hotel trying to persuade Daisy to talk with Tom and admit that she never loved him, but Daisy is staggering. Tom, seeing Daisy’s doubts, accuses Gatsby to be a bootlegger, and Tom’s words that Gatsby is not from a noble family morally let Jay down. Tom feels that he won. Tom decides that Daisy and Gatsby go back together in his car, and he, Nick, and Jordan go in another car.
At this time, George Wilson brawls with his wife, suspecting her of cheating on him. She runs out of the house and dies under Gatsby’s car, driven by Daisy. The car drives away. Those driving behind Jordan, Nick, and Tom notice the dead. Tom recognizes her as his mistress. George is distraught. He is obsessed with the idea that the driver of the vehicle, who killed Myrtle, was the one with whom she had an affair. Tom says widower that this car belongs to Gatsby.
George Wilson finds and kills Gatsby in his pool and then commits suicide. Nick rings Gatsby friends, but none of them comes to the funeral. Tom and Daisy leave.
In the resort Nick finishes the memoir. Ending with the last sheet, Nick with a pencil adds to the name "Gatsby", the word "Great".
Baz Lurman, director of the movie, has already proved his love to grotesque and decoration, for example, Romeo+Juliet (1996), Moulin Rouge! (2001). And The Great Gatsby was not an exception. The Jazz Age is depicted here in all the gloss and celebrity with addition of glamorous sides of wealth.
In the first movie that brought fame and success to Luhrman Romeo+Juliet he decided Leonardo DiCaprio (at that time young and handsome boy) to play the leading role of Romeo. This time the director offered the role of Gatsby to older and more experienced DiCaprio, and again the decision was right. Leo did the job brilliantly. That is how we imagine Jay Gatsby from the book: successful, smiling, desperate, and vulnerable. That is how DiCaprio presented Gatsby to us. And it will be fair to say that it was magnificent artistic work.
In this film the tragedy of the whole generation, as well as the tragedy of one man and his desperate love, is uncovered. False expectations of Jay Gatsby played a cruel game with him. He became an ideal example of American Dream, the boy without anything, pour officer, he gained everything: wealth, respect, reputation, jealousy of his colleagues. But no one knew that all of this was done in the name of love, in the name of the only woman who was valuable for him. It was Daisy (Carey Mulligan), dream and aim of all Jay’s life, vain girl who was not ready for such sacrifices and such feelings. In the end Gatsby gave up everything he had, including his life, to her.
The Great Gatsby is a perfect film to watch in order to reevaluate his/her life goals and price we have to pay for them.
Works Cited
The Great Gatsby. IMDb.com. IMDb.com, Inc., 2013. Web. 09 Oct. 2014. <IMDbhttp:// www.imdb.com/title/tt1343092>
