The Great Gatsby Response Paper

The Great Gatsby Response paper BY nng02546 The Great Gatbsy is a 3D romantic drama based on F. Scott Fitzgerald''s 1925 novel of the same name. Tobey MacGuire''s character, Nick, retells his meeting Jay Gatsby, played by Leonardo DiCaprio, in Long Island, New York during the 1920s. The movie follows the romantic trysts of various characters, including Nicks own, but Gatsbys attraction to Nicks cousin Daisy is the most prominent. The movie is an entertaining period piece filled with extravagance.

Gatsby has an extravagant mansion and cars; e throws lavish parties and is always well groomed. The setting, vehicles, furniture and actors'' wardrobes, makeup and hairstyles are spot-on 1920s; however, the movie soundtrack, some of the language, both verbal and body, is not so 20s. As discussed on page 135 of the text, certain titles give away what the movie is about. In the case of The Great Gatsby, it isn''t quite as revealing. Gatsby was an intriguing, mysterious character that hardly anyone really knew.

Perhaps Nick chose this title due to the fall hat Gatsby takes for his (Nicks) cousin Daisy. The Great Gatsby montage combined near and distant camera angles, of course, certain elements on screen Jumped out due to 3D effects. In the beginning of the movie, one watches for the special effects, but soon after the story line becomes more important and the various items popping off the screen become less noticed. The 3D effects did give the illusion of being in the room during the parties and racing in the vehicles; however, the movie would have been Just as fine without 3D.

Perhaps the 3D effects were appealing to some, but I truly could have done without having to wear the glasses, as they were more of an annoyance than anything. Music from the 1920s was played during the parties, but the music overture and movie soundtrack featured popular artists from today, a few cover songs, and mainly consisted of hip-hop artists and hip-hop music. The Great Gatsby went beyond the flair of the period in which it was set. It combined the extravagant lifestyle of the modern super rich with the romance of the 1920s.

The movie was almost fairytale-like in that its level of luxury and splendor exceeded what most people in the 20s could have ever imagined, and what most people today witness in the lifestyles of celebrities and musicians. Did The Great Gatsby leave an impression on me of what it was like to live in the 1920s? Not really as the movie only offered an unrealistic account of a millionaire with the spoils of Gatsby himself. I realized there would be a certain extravagance played out on screen, but I believe Baz Lurhmann, the movie''s director, went a bit overboard.

Gatsbys mysterious riches and the 3D special effects made the story line almost unbelievable. The Great Gatsby offered too much glitz, glamour and 3D distraction and not enough everyday-appeal for the viewer to be drawn in. Perhaps I was disappointed because I love period pieces, especially those starring Leonardo DiCaprio. Usually I leave the theater wondering about and wishing I''d lived in the period of the movie, but in this instance, I left the movie theater wondering, "what was that all about? "