Great Gatsby Ch.7 Book vs. Movie
Commonly, when books are turned into movies they face criticism from readers and critics who say the new film was nothing like the novel. In the case of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this is not entirely true. Three separate films were made based on this novel, and they share some similarities and differences.
In the first movie we analyzed, the 1974 version, it seemed very accurate according to the book. The setting was very accurate, as it started at the Buchanan’s on a very hot day, then went to Wilson’s garage in the city of ashes, and ended at the Plaza hotel downtown. The acting was also very well portrayed. Tom and Gatsby had heat between them, Tom was angry through most of the scene, Daisy was in tears, and Myrtle showed the expression of jealousy on her face when she saw Tom with another woman. There were many of the same quotes used in the novel that were also used in the movie. When Daisy kissed Gatsby she said, “You know I love you”(116). This quote was used in the exact same instance in the book as in the movie. The author did add a couple extra details that were not in the book. When Tom went to Wilson’s garage, Myrtle looked the window with jealousy and ended up smashing the window. Although that is not in the book, it adds to the idea of Myrtle’s jealousy and does not even change the plot. Another addition was when Gatsby chased Daisy through the Plaza lobby. After Gatsby confessed his love to Daisy in front of Tom, and Daisy decided to stay with Tom, she proceeded to run out of the hotel suite leaving Gatsby to chase her around the lobby.
In the second movie we analyzed, the 2000 version, it did not seem as accurate as the first. Starting with the setting, all the key places were included such as the Buchanan’s for lunch, Wilson’s garage, and the Plaza hotel all on a hot day. I do not think they executed showing the wealth of the Buchanan’s house. The acting was also relatively good, they showed the heat between Tom and Gatsby, Daisy was in tears at the hotel, and they showed Myrtle’s jealousy through the window. One important detail they missed was showing Gatsby in a pink suit. There were several plot additions the director added. He added a brief conversation at the beginning of Tom on the phone with Wilson. He also added a scene outside of the hotel with Gatsby talking to Daisy, and it was all of a sudden raining in that scene. They did include several quotes from the book, the same quotes were used in the first movie.
In the third movie we analyzed, the 2013 version, it seemed relatively accurate to the book. The setting started off at the Buchanan's for lunch and ended at the plaza hotel, showing that it was a hot day. The acting was very good, the tension between Tom and Gatsby was well portrayed, Daisy was crying in the hotel, and they showed Myrtle’s jealousy through the window. They really emphasized the part where Gatsby looked like he killed a man after he fought Tom. One thing the director left out was the kiss between Gatsby and Daisy when Tom leaves the room. He does show them flirting, but not including the kiss left out a potential quote from the book. They also added the race on the way to the plaza as well as Tom and Gatsby getting in a physical fight. They did include important quotes in the movie.
Overall, I think the 1974 version of the movie was the best. They had few scene additions and deletions and personally, I think they executed the emotions of the character best. They also included a lot of quotes from the book. That is why I think the 1974 version was the best.
