Luhrmann's Use Of Film Techniques In The Great Gatsby

Beyond the backgrounds of the artists, the actual lyrics of the music present in Luhrmann’s film as well as the film techniques he uses evokes some of Gatsby's numerous emotions and motivations. Gatsby’s drive for wealth and power is one of his most notable character traits Luhrmann focus on. Luhrmann utilizes Jay-Z's song 100 Dollar Bills in order to intensify Gatsby's drive for wealth, not only because of the lyrics but the actual scene as well. Two lines in this song represent the two sides of Gatsby: one that blatantly desires and displays wealth, one that has more private motivations for success. Jay-Z opens with the line “Benjamin Franklin's filled/folded just for the thrill”, a strong starting line about the display of wealth, paralleling

Luhrmann utilizes this initial brashness in his film as well, by having the speakeasy scene be rowdy and full of wealth, be it rich people or expensive food and drink. Introducing the scene in this manner acts in the same way as the opening line does; it has a high shock value, but get beyond this and more lies within. Near the end of the song the line “Decade of decadence, ill reverence, irreverence” repeats twice. This line, buried beneath many other verses, serves as an insight of Gatsby's deeper motivations and experiences because the line perfectly describes Gatsby's actual life and feelings, but very few people take note of it. Luhrmann uses this method as well, by adding more sinister and personal aspects to the speakeasy scene as it drags on, illustrating again how the deeper into Gatsby one peers, the greater the complexity he has. However, in the novel, Gatsby's character development and depth are created at a much slower rate, with little dialogue or focus on the change of pace in the speakeasy