the great gatsby 5

Director Jack Clayton’s rendition of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby brings to life the jealousy in both men and women, a concept first observed in the 1925 novel. This popular novel has been hailed as a key symbol of the “Roaring 20’s,” yet its themes transcend time in an expression of the human condition. The film's flaws, however, turn it into a glossy disappointment. With its luxurious period costumes, meticulously rich settings and props, and a cast who all look the part, this version of The Great Gatsby has all of the surface elements seductively in place. Francis Ford Coppola's screenplay also stuck closely to the novel, transforming some of Fitzgerald's most iconic observations about the classes into dialogue. Additional scenes between Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford) and his beloved Daisy (Mia Farrow) capitalize on the actor’s romantic allure. Clayton's sluggish pacing, however, makes the film a stilted literary artifact rather than an emotionally complex story. Throughout the film, the audience is constantly reminded of the jealous nature of man. Each flash of green, each ominous green eye looking down upon them, and each action of the characters strengthen this reoccurring theme of jealousy. When Nick Caraway (Sam Waterston) first appears on the screen in the opening sequence, we become aware of his jealousy of his cousin Daisy’s lifestyle. “And my cousin Daisy Buchanan lived in one of the glittering white palaces of East Egg with her husband Tom, who’d I’d known in college,” confesses Nick when describing how he lives on the less fashionable side of Long Island. He is on his way to visit Daisy for lunch when the story truly begins. He wants the money they have, but knows he can never have it. At lunch, Nick reveals that he lives next to Jay Gatsby. In response to Nick's revelation, Daisy begins to show her jealousy of Nick. “Gatsby? What Gatsby?” she exclaims. However, she is interrupted by Tom (Bruce Dern) before she can obtain any details from Nick. This is not the only instance of Daisy's jealousy, however. Daisy is also jealous of Tom’s mistress, Myrtle Wilson (Karen Black). Myrtle calls while they are eating; Tom takes the call as Daisy follows him to the telephone. Jordan Baker (Lois Chiles), a famous golfer, tells Nick about Tom’s unfaithfulness to his wife with Myrtle. A few days later, Tom takes Nick to an auto repair and gas station owned and operated by George Wilson (Scott Wilson), Myrtle's husband. Wilson is blinded to the truth about his wife by his love for her as well as the jealousy he holds for Tom’s wealth. Tom has promised Wilson he could purchase a blue car from him. Tom, however, has no intention of selling. He merely keeps stalling Wilson so that he can continue to see Myrtle. Myrtle is also jealous of Tom’s wealth. She is taken up in the world of the rich when she hosts a party at an apartment Tom rents for their rendezvous. They both want to leave their spouses but as Myrtle’s sister points out at the party, “It’s really his wife that is keeping them apart. She’s a Cath-o-lic [my emphasis]. And they don’t believe in divorce.” Towards the end of the movie, George confesses his suspicions about Myrtle to Tom. George believes Myrtle is having an affair, and wishes to take Myrtle to the West in order to keep her to himself. It is not only Tom and Myrtle that have dreams of being together. Before the war, Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan were in love. After Gatsby went off to war, Daisy married Tom and they began their life together. About halfway through the film, Jordan makes a request of Nick. She asks him to invite Daisy to tea, so that Gatsby can see Daisy again, to which Nick agrees. Gatsby turns into a little schoolboy at the prospect of seeing Daisy. He sends flowers to Nick’s cottage and cuts the grass. He even goes to the point of cutting out newspaper articles about her for a scrapbook. Love blossoms as Daisy and Gatsby come together again. On the longest day of the year, however, things turn sour. It begins when Gatsby meets Daisy’s daughter. As one looks into Gatsby's eyes, the jealousy he has is plain. The look on his face seems to express that he wants the child to be his own. He wants to be Daisy’s husband and have his own children with her. Later, Nick, Gatsby, Tom, Daisy, and Jordan all travel into the city for entertainment. What follows, however, is painful for all involved. Gatsby expresses his love for Daisy in front of Tom, begging her to “tell him you [she] never loved him.” Gatsby gets a rude awakening when Daisy announces that she did love Tom once, and that she loved Gatsby at the same time. Daisy is distraught and runs from the hotel. On the way home, Tom, Nick, and Jordan find that Myrtle has been killed by a hit and run. Nick learns that Daisy was behind the wheel. Tom, however, ignorantly tells Wilson that Gatsby was driving. Wilson shoots Gatsby in his pool and kills him. Nick learns valuable lessons from these events: life moves on and that money does not always guarantee happiness. After the cataclysmic events in their life, Tom and Daisy remain together, Nick returns to Chicago, and two people have died. The movie, although an excellent representation of the time and actions within the book, seems to slowly move by. Many of the scenes could have been edited out and still kept the understanding of what was happening. For prosperity, Clayton’s The Great Gatsby, is an excellent representation. However, for entertainment value, it seems to be lacking. . of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s The Great Gatsby brings to life the jealousy in both men and women, a concept first observed in the 19 25 novel. This popular novel has. rich settings and props, and a cast who all look the part, this version of The Great Gatsby has all of the surface elements seductively in place. Francis