Director
Baz Luhrmann
Leading Actors/Actresses
Leonardo DiCaprio, Tobey Maguire, Carey Mulligan, Joel Edgerton
Supporting Actors/Actresses
Elizabeth Debicki, Isla Fisher, Jason Clarke
Genre
Drama, Romance
Language
English
Awards
Nominated: Oscar for Costume Design and Production Design
Date of Release
May 10th, 2013
Producer
Lucy Fisher
Setting and Context
New York, 1922
Narrator and Point of View
From narrator Nick Carraway's POV
Tone and Mood
Frivolous, raucous, and fun-filled, but also tragic, dramatic, and weighty. The film shifts rapidly between frenetic mayhem and emotional gravity.
Protagonist and Antagonist
While this is somewhat ambiguous, the protagonist could be seen as Jay Gatsby, and the antagonist, Tom Buchanan
Major Conflict
Gatsby's love for Daisy and his determination to win her, and Tom's extramarital affair with Myrtle
Climax
Gatsby hits Myrtle with his car and kills her, and continues driving, which causes a murder investigation around her death. The next day he is shot by George Wilson, seeking to avenge the death of his wife.
Foreshadowing
Gatsby's death is foreshadowed by all of the activity around the pool, and particularly the moment after the party that Tom Buchanan and Daisy attend. As Gatsby tells Nick about his past and his desire to reclaim Daisy, he throws a rock into the pool.
Understatement
Much of Gatsby's gaudy and over-the-top displays of wealth are understated. When Gatsby waits for Daisy's arrival at Nick's house, he casually asks Nick if the flowers he bought are too much. This is a humorous moment because there are so many flowers in the room, that one could hardly deny that there are too many, but Nick politely says that it is just what Gatsby wanted.
Innovations in Filming or Lighting or Camera Techniques
The entire film is full of innovative lighting techniques, larger-than-life production design, and meticulous art direction. At times, it seems as though the art direction and the aesthetics are just as important as the narrative. The excessive and vivid colors, lighting, set pieces, and frenetic photography are signature styles employed by director Baz Luhrmann. The interpolation of modern music in the highly stylized period piece is also innovative. While the film takes place in the 1920s, much of the music is from the 2010s.
Allusions
During Gatsby's origin story, the film alludes to his belief that he is the son of God, a Biblical allusion.
Paradox
Daisy marries Tom in order to achieve happiness by becoming wealthy and forgetting about Gatsby, but Tom turns out to be an adulterous brute, and when Gatsby comes back into her life, she cannot be with him. Another paradox is that Gatsby is able to accumulate all the extravagances money can buy, but he cannot win Daisy.
