How Does Luhrmann Present Gatsby's Death

The scene I’ve chosen to analyze is Gatsby’s death. Luhrmann’s vision of the most tragic part of the of this story adds dimensions never seen in the original written version of the story. Luhrmann makes the bold choice of making hope the last thing Gatsby has. The clip starts with Daisy picking up the phone and shows Gatsby exiting the pool while a telephone ringing in the background. Gatsby then looks across the bay towards Daisy’s house with a look of happiness and hope. Before the butler can tell him who’s calling, Mr. Wilson shoots Gatsby. Gatsby examines the wound while looking out towards Daisy’s house. He whispers his last word “Daisy” before falling back into the pool. The scene is bittersweet because the audience knows Daisy is going to leave Gatsby to be with Tom, and Gatsby is going to die. But we find solace in the fact the Gatsby doesn’t know this and his assumption the call is coming from Daisy makes his death less tragic. The scene ultimately generates feelings of confusion,

Luhrmann switches between closeups and mid-shots for Gatsby. When Gatsby hears the telephone ring Luhrmann uses a closeup to show Gatsby’s happiness and hope that Daisy is calling. Luhrmann then uses a mid-shot to rack focus and show us Wilson in the background, letting the audience know that this will not be a happy ending. The next closeup is on Gatsby’s chest as he examines his wound. Then it switches to an almost extreme close-up of Gatsby’s face to show his confusion as he stares out towards Daisy’s house. This shot is held for several seconds to show the changes in Gatsby’s emotions. As he whispers his final line he almost smiles before falling back into the pool which, once again, leaves the viewer in a state of emotional confusion. We are sad because Gatsby is dead, but are happy that he died feeling that his life had a purpose in