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Billy Nguyen
11/24/2014
Film Analysis
The Great Gatsby
He was singlehandedly the most hopeful person I have ever met, and will
most likely never meet anyone like that again (Fisher). Nick Carraway (Tobey
Maguire), the narrator of the film The Great Gatsby (2012) responded when asked
about his good late friend, Jay Gatsby (Leonardo DiCaprio). Bahz Luhrmans The
Great Gatsby (2012) film captures a contemporary interpretation of Jay Fitzgeralds
1925 Great American Novel, set during the height of the Roaring Twenties. A roaring
time it was in New York City, the beauty of the film is captured in the elegance of a
time characterized by unprecedented economic prosperity, flapper culture, and
prohibited bootlegging. Aesthetics used by the director to illustrate the
extravagance of the time is painted along three critical scenes in which well
examine. The story of Jay Gatsby, told by Nick, utilizes a Yale writing education to
describe the elegance of Gatsbys life that allows listeners to capture a visual of why
Jay was so great.
The large fantasized visions Jay Gatsby had for his life far outreached his
upbringing. From a young age, originally James Gatz; was raised in a poor
upbringing in the Midwest where the bright incandescent stars at night lined up
with his high-minded ambition. Years journeying on his path to become the
ultimate gentlemen led him to take part in numerous early 20th century events
including becoming a war hero in World War 1, and later on finding wealth in the

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prohibition of alcohol as a bootlegger. This newly acquired wealth leads us to the
first crucial visual in the storyline, when Jay meets Nick. Decorated under the dark
moonlit night, the newly affordable Ford model Ts roll into Gatsbys mansion in
West Egg carrying loud men and women in an organized frenzy (History). Nick
wanders into his neighbors party and discovers extravagant dancing amongst
flapper girls accompanied by liquor by the barrels. Streams of confetti douse the
men dressed in nothing less than a suit and women glammed in glitter with elegant
headpieces. The scene moves from an organized frenzy under the dark night sky to a
unified quiet moment of awe as the spectacle of fireworks gleamed in the eyes of its
spectators, lighting up the dark night sky for Gatsbys explosive first introduction,
Nick describes his first encounter with Gatsby in a depiction of how he made him
feel, His smile was one of those rare smiles you may come across four or five times
in life, it seemed to have understand you and believed in you just like you would
want to be understood and believed in (Fisher). And believe Jay did, for Nick
learned that motivations for the extravagant parties were to hope, Daisy (Carey
Mulligan), a now wedded lover from five years past would wander in one night. As
the dark tone of the film moves into a more lighter tone of love, Gatsby goes from
Nicks mysterious millionaire neighbor to best gentleman friend almost instantly.
By whatever means it took to reunite with Daisy. Jay was a man of great
ambition; the gentleman was painted through cool nice suits, well-groomed hair,
and his ability to play the ultimate gentleman. But his ambitions to meet Nick were
due to the fact that Daisy was his cousin and as Nick arranges a meeting at his house
for tea between the two, we can examine a lighter tone to the mysterious Gatsby.

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The preparation involved numerous butlers to bring in an excessive amount of
flowers. Specifically white flowers that often blended into Daisys majestic white
blonde hair. In a critical point of meeting for the two, Gatsby is antsy with
nervousness as Nick assures him, You are acting like a child, Daisy is embarrassed
too (Fisher). After an awkward first encounter, Nick excuses himself which allows
the two former lovers be together as one. Gatsby is able to take in his breath from all
his excitement and nervousness while Daisy takes in a deep breath as she is at a lost
of words for her long lost lover. Gatsbys passion to put his love Daisy before him is
illustrated as he lets Daisy sip her tea before he sips his, meaning he always puts her
first. In the heat of this moment, the scene can be interpreted as a lighting point for
the rekindling of a former love. As the fire between two hearts rekindles, the
characters become closer as one but not in unison with the idea that Daisy has a
husband at home, Tom (Joel Edgerton). The heat between the two could be boiled
down to that summer.
As the lights from Gatsbys luminous mansion turned off one-by-one and the
wild extravagant parties ceased to exist, the director offers a signal to the audience
that the need for luxuries to have Daisy wander in one day is not necessary
anymore. Now Daisy had been his that summer and the light tone of the first
encounter turned dark to illustrate a secret the two were hiding from Tom. As the
long hot summer boiled their love together, the heat of the moment can be painted
in a scene where Gatsby is invited over for dinner at Tom, the motivation for this
dinner was to profess Gatsbys love for Daisy. The scorching temperatures of New
York City heated the day, with no air conditioners during the day; they were chilled

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with ice cubes and cigarettes. The guests move from Toms house to a neutral site of
a hotel in the City. The tension between Tom and Gatsby can be characterized on
the car ride over, where a race between to boiled bloods ensued to see who was the
more dominant male. Gatsby accompanied by Daisy, while Tom accompanied by
guests signals that maybe Tom has lost Daisy after all. The complaining of the heat
ignited a war of words between Tom and Gatsby, in which the professing of his
desire to be with Daisy is revealed. In a scene that is marked by high tension, the
characters rising of voices adds to the heightened relationship between the
characters. At one point the tension became too much for Gatsby and he charges at
Tom with a look in his eyes that is described by Nick as, At that moment, Gatsby
had looked as if he had killed someone (Fisher). Alcohol may have gotten the best
of the ultimate gentleman as his cool calm demeanor buckled under pressure. This
pressure to please Daisy all throughout the movie boiled down to this last encounter
with Tom. As the diamond exploded, the hope be with Daisy was all but gone.
As The Great Gatsby was able to capture the 2013 Oscars for Best
Production Design & Best Customer Design the importance of the historical
context is respectfully illustrated in the aesthetics of fashion, culture, and day/night
illuminations. The painted picture of Gatsby as The Ultimate Gentleman gives a
strong emphasis on a soft subject of past lovers. He was singlehandedly the most
hopeful person I have ever met, and most likely never meet anyone like that again
(Fisher). The telling story of hope inspires us to paint our stories of hope.

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Works Cited
Fisher, Lucy (Producer), & Luhrmann, Baz (Director). (2013). The Great Gatsby
[Motion Picture]. United States: Village Roadshow Pictures.
History.com Staff. "Model T." History.com. A&E Television Networks, 2010. Web.
20 Nov. 2014.