Post 5: Film Review
Which of the 3 Great Gatsby movies was the most accurate?
Since its creation in 1924, F. Scot Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby has been recreated on the big screen many times, most recently in 2013. Each time it is reinvented by a new director the movie faces harsh critiques by Gatsby purists who want everything to be exactly like the book. So, which of the three biggest film adaptations (1974, 2000, and 2013) was the most accurate representation of the the original novel?
Focusing specifically on the hotel scene from chapter 7, each of these three versions uses a lot of the same dialogue that the book does, and gets across more or less the same basic plot. With that being said, the 1974 version directed by David Merrick does have a few pretty noticeable discrepancies. The first, and most shocking, occurs when Tom, driving Gatsby’s car, stops for gas at George Wilson’s shop. It is there that he learns that George is planning to go West with Myrtle which also happens in the book; however, in the film version Myrtle is knocking so hard on the window of the room she is locked in that she breaks through the glass as she is trying to get Tom’s attention. The shatter cuts her hand deeply and she proceeds to lick the blood off of her fingers, an action that certainly does not occur in the book. From there, the story continues similarly to the book and the gang ends up at the Plaza Hotel. It is there that the argument between Tom and Gatsby breaks out. The two exchange insults similarly to the book with Tom questioning Gatsby about his “old sport” expression and his status as an Oxford man and in return Gatsby telling Tom that his wife does not love him. In the book, Tom “exploded” during the argument, but in this film he remains oddly calm throughout the whole thing. In fact, the only time he raises his voice is when the fight moves into the wedding reception taking place at the hotel, a setting change that does not exist in the novel. Gatsby too is not very animated in this version, and at the end of the argument Tom does not suggest that Daisy and Gatsby ride home together as he does in the book. Overall, the 1974 version remained true to the novel in many aspects of the dialogue and basic plot, but it did have a few obvious changes and suffered from poor acting.
The casting was much improved in the 2000 version, although Paul Rudd now seems an odd choice for Nick due to his extensive comedy career. Apart from that, Gatsby was portrayed with much more confidence and emotion in this version, and Tom seemed more infuriated by the whole situation. This movie also mentioned the detail about Biloxi, a wedding guest from Tom and Daisy’s ceremony. This detail, excluded from the 1974 film, serves as a desperate attempt by Daisy to steer the conversation in a different direction. Her attempt fails, however and Tom and Gatsby exchange insults almost word for word from the dialogue of the book. The plot events and important dialogue in this version are practically identical to those in the original novel, and director Robert Markowitz only makes up one scene of his own imagination for the film. The extra scene takes place just after the argument has broken up and Daisy and Gatsby are on their way to ride home together, as Tom had suggested, when Gatsby turns to Daisy and tells her that Tom is underestimating them. He explains to Daisy that he would risk everything for just one kiss and that Tom does not understand that. Other than this mild change, this film stays fairly accurate and only changes small, minute details of the story.
The most recent adaptation of the novel, released in 2013, had the potential to be the most accurate; however, it deviates from the original text from the very beginning of the plot of chapter 7. As all the usual suspects are gathered at the Buchanan’s for lunch, Daisy kisses Gatsby when Tom leaves the room in the novel. In the 2013 film, Gatsby is much more assertive with his love towards Daisy and reaches for her hand while Tom is still in the room. From that point, the crew leaves for the city in the same seating arrangements as in the book, but in the movie the actual driving scene is much more dangerous. The simple, almost insignificant drive to New York becomes more of a high speed race. Once they arrive to their hotel room, the argument starts much the same as it did in the books and the other two adaptations, but Tom and Gatsby are much more animated and aggressive towards one another in this version. The casting and acting are the best in this movie, but director Baz Lurhman takes this fight a step farther than the book did. In his remake, Gatsby insists that the only thing that is special about Tom is his money, and because he, Gatsby, has just as much, the two men are equals. To this Tom replies that they are very different, that everyone in the room was different from Gatsby; they were born different. This ultimately culminates in Gatsby quite literally exploding on Tom and almost punching him. Gatsby, after shocking everyone in the room, realizes what he has done and tries to rectify it by saying he “just lost his temper” ,but Daisy is clearly scared of Gatsby after his outburst. While this is the only movie version that includes Nick’s narration to the extent that it is used in the book, it has major discrepancies that are hard to overlook.
All things considered, the most accurate adaptation of The Great Gatsby is the 2000 version. It had decent casting and acting, accurate dialogue, and little to no major plot changes from the original text. While it is still not a perfect representation of how Fitzgerald intended the story to play out, it is the most accurate of the three film versions.
