The Great Gatsby by Baz Luhrmann: History of Creation

«The Great Gatsby» by Baz Luhrmann
History of creation
This film is based on a book written by Scott Fitzgerald, so speaking about the
history of creation, you need to come to the roots of the history of the creation of the
book itself. and here are a few words about it.The author began writing The Great
Gatsby in 1925 in France. Before the release of the novel, a short story "Winter
Dreams" was written. According to the author, it is like a sketch of a future book. The
writer painstakingly worked on this masterpiece, changing and finalizing the
chapters. Initially, the narration of the story came from Gatsby himself, but then the
writer changed the narrator, since the image of Gatsby was somehow vague and
incomprehensible.
In his novel, Fitzgerald reflected the case of Fuller-McGee, a major New York
broker. He filed for bankruptcy while his company illegally used money from its
auctioneers. The writer lived in a neighboring villa from Fuller, this may explain his
interest in this case, which was actively discussed by all New York
newspapers. There are certainly some similarities between Fuller and Gatsby.
The title of the book also has its own special history. Author changed about 6
times. It is believed that Fitzgerald called Gatsby "great" in order to show his irony
regarding the fate of this hero.
The meaning of the title of the book The Great Gatsby
If we consider the title of the novel by F.S. Fitzgerald, then it can be divided
into two parts:
1. "Gatsby" is the name of the main character of the work.
2. The epithet "great" can be understood from two points of view.
First, Gatsby is wealthy, but his reputation for achieving this wealth is
mysterious. The hero arranges all his festivities for one single girl - Daisy. He tries to
get her attention in this way. From this point of view, Fitzgerald shows his ironic
attitude towards the protagonist. The author acts here in the role of a moralist
Secondly, Gatsby can be considered great because of his biases:
The feelings of the hero are really strong;
He is devoted to his dream;
Gatsby is generous;
In another world, reality, all these traits would make the protagonist of the
novel "The Great Gatsby" a positive character. All these traits are revealed the
moment Daisy rejects him. The hero ceases to feel attracted to his wealth, he does not
see any point in this.
The main characters and their characteristics
1. The main character is Nick Carraway (Tobey Maguire). It is on his behalf
that the story is told. It is through him that we learn at first glance the confusing, but
in fact simple story of Gatsby's life. In fact, one cannot say anything specific about
this character. In the film, he is our guide along the road of Gatsby's destiny. He
collides with other heroes who tell us more and more details about the "Great". We
know a little about his family, we know enough about his feelings for Jordan Baker
and about his feelings for Jay Gatsby himself. Our narrator is not devoid of wisdom
and subtle understanding of reality. He is a modest and active person.
2. Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio) is an adventurous and successful man,
about 30 years old (like Nick). For our narrator, as well as for other guests, he was a
man whose past and present are covered with a veil of secrecy. All his wealth was in
full view of everyone, but his soul and his whole essence were hidden from human
eyes. His main feature is determination. All his life he loved one person, was devoted
only to her, and all he did was to win her favor.
3. Daisy (Carey Mulligan) Buchanan is Nick's second cousin, about 23 years
old. From a wealthy family. She is the type of person who needs someone to guide
her through life. Her husband became such a person. Daisy was a smart girl. In her
youth, she was very fond of Gatsby, but when he left, she began to meet with
Thomas. She did not love him, but her parents approved of this marriage and
condemned her relationship with Gatsby. Even at the end of the film, she still stays
with her husband, because he is more reliable for her than Gatsby. She was already
used to living with him.
4. Thomas "Tom" Buchanan (Joel Edgerton) is a very unpleasant
guy. Good-natured in appearance, but in fact a very slippery person. Disrespectful of
his wife. Changes without hiding it. For him, women are just creatures who must give
birth and raise children. Does whatever he wants. A dangerous and cunning hero.
The essence
The main idea of the work is to show all the injustice of the fate of a poor
young man who cannot marry the girl he dreams of. Fitzgerald argued that a similar
topic is constantly spinning in his head, since he himself was in such a position.
Once an unknown, ambitious young man dared to ask for the hand of the
daughter of a large businessman and owner of a decent fortune. Of course, the girl
herself refused with a laugh, because she moved in secular circles, where it is vital to
be rich. But she gave up the mocking hope: the groom was supposed to earn a
million, and then she could become his wife. And then Fitzgerald began to write. His
works were initially unsuccessful, but one novel turned his fate upside down:
popularity brought him wealth. Zelda, Scott's beloved, had to give in, but she herself
already wanted it. Her acquaintance became a celebrity, was well into the best houses
of sophisticated bourgeois. So, the writer achieved his goal, but always remembered
at what cost.
What I wanted to say about the film, the plot is a little different from the book,
but it conveys all the essence. Of course, in the movie, all the events are shown more
colorfully with the help of sound transmission, for example. Also, the actors are
perfectly matched, and fully integrated the role, which helped to more clearly capture
the essence of the film.
Another very well known fact is that it was thanks to this film Leonardo
DiCaprio received his long awaited “Oscar for best Actor”

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