The Great Gatsby

‘The Great Gatsby’, a timeless American classic; for me, as great as the anticipation that preceded it. This anticipation for both the book, and the newly released film, allowed for a build up of excitement which created an even more enjoyable experience whilst engaging, and also allowed the audience to feel involved with this fantastical world created by Fitzgerald. However, with the chronology of Gatsby’s life not being straightforward, the novel keeps an element of mystery and suspense, within a universal theme of fantasy versus reality.

            Although the novel is intellectually crafted for revelations to be made at the height of suspense, the actual plot seems to have no overall effect from the start to the end. Although the plot may not have been what I myself expected, the delicately woven storyline entwines and tightens together all the irrelevant details of the novel to show their true significance at the occurrence of a substantial event.

            The characterisation, however, is the marvel of the novel and steals the limelight in both book and film, especially the ‘Great’ Gatsby. Gatsby’s air of mystery captures his personality perfectly, and the joy of such a character is truly moving to the audience. I believed the character, which is essential for any novel to truly work, and it’s very rare to find a character that you have the ability to completely believe and therefore feel able to connect with. It is only when he meets the character of Nick Carraway that Gatsby unfolds, however, with the audience finally being able to understand the character that they have already made such a connection and bond with, regardless of how much truth they know of him. DiCaprio truly captures what Gatsby is about and fans of the book are more than likely to be happy with his performance; however some camera shots could be questionable at times. The novel is a beautifully written classic, with the film being current for this time, yet still captures the ageless story in such a vivid way that makes it accessible to a wider audience.

Although the plot wasn’t spectacular in my eyes, maybe due to my expectations of a more economy based storyline, ‘The Great Gatsby’ truly touched me as a classic should, through the depiction of the emotional journey that the audience is allowed to feel alongside Gatsby, experiencing his “incorruptible hope”, the green light, continuing to shine even in an unrealistic fantasy. 

However, I’m still not quite sure what the Sound is.