Historical Analysis Of The Great Gatsby

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D’Andre Davis-Taylor Ms. Fennell CHY 4U1 30 December 2013 The Great Gatsby: Review and Historical Analysis The word visually stunning could be used to describe the 2013 Baz Luhrman directed adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s timeless novel The Great Gatsby. Speaking of the director, I enjoyed his portrayal of the lavish lifestyle and carefree party like attitude in such a beautiful visual experience. The way in which the party scenes were filmed in the movie made perfect sense compared to the source material and were something I have never seen done by any other directors in a live action film. Another positive for me about this film was the soundtrack. When I first started watching the film I expected to hear old time music prevalent in the 20s. I however was pleasantly surprised when I learned the soundtrack was compiled by Jay-Z and featured many tracks I enjoyed featuring him either alone or accompanied by another musical guest. While Jay-Z is not exactly an accurate representation of the music of the 20s, the soundtrack adds a modern flavour over the previously mentioned beautiful backgrounds and architecture. The story however is where the movie at times falls flat. When stripped down to basics it is nothing more than a generic love story with a few twists added in for extra kick. The characters in the same vain can be very bland and not make you care much for them due to their backstories not being deeply explored. The only character that I found to be interesting was Jay Gatsby because of the mystical aura that surrounds his character at the beginning of the movie that leads you to want to uncover more of this ever mysterious man. All in all the visuals clearly outpace the story in this adaptation but the character and... ... middle of paper ... ...cs in America: Anti-miscegenation Laws). So it can be seen that the race relations in the Great Gatsby were in fact accurately portrayed. In conclusion the Great Gatsby 2013 film adaptation is a piece of work that will be remembered for its stunning visuals not a gripping storyline. However this forgettable story is somewhat salvaged by the characterization of Jay Gatsby who shines through as someone to watch the movie just to see. The movie is quite split when it comes to the historical accuracy. Topics like Fashion and modes of transportation are not accurately represented while topics like race relations and the setting of New York City in the roaring 20s are excellently and accurately portrayed. In my opinion this movie with its masterful visual direction and the deep character Gatsby is a movie worth seeing. Who knows you could have a totally different opinion.

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