"The Great Gatsby": A Film Adaptation Actually Worthy of the Novel

The history of humanity proves time and time again that the written word is the most effective way to portray a story. However with the technological advances we have today, the world of film can sometimes bring a story to life in a way that comes to par with it's literary brother. The cinematic interpretation of “The Great Gatsby” is an excellent example of Hollywood “doing it right”. It is a rare treat when you watch a movie adaptation and by the end of the film have that same satisfied feeling that accompanied finishing the book. “The Great Gatsby” by Scott Fitzgerald tells the enticing story of Mr. Jay Gatsby through the eyes of the very tolerant and observant narrator, Nick Carroway. The book deals with the ideas of the hollow ethical and moral values of the upper class and the difficulty of kindling a love between people of different social classes. The novel created the illusion that the reader was actually living and breathing in the bustling, growing city of New York in the 1920's. Surprisingly the film adaptation managed to bring the same feeling to life. The director chose the ideal actors and actresses to become the characters of Gatsby, Nick, Daisy, Tom and Jordan. The Gatsby manor in the film was everything that a reader could dream, massive and elegant, managing to be ostentatious in a way that still came across with class and grace. It was stupendously easy to fall for Leonardo DiCaprio's sophistication and charm as "The Great Gatsby" himself, within minutes of his introduction one could be convinced that he actually was the confident and generous Gatsby. The decision to lift quotes directly from the novel itself and place the identical copy into the script is a small detail that actually means quite a lot to those who adore this book. The choice of music for the film was something of an issue at first, replacing the alluring and sensual music of the 1920's for something much more modern. However, it was soon easy to recognize the famous artist Jay-Z throughout the movie and that made the change in music a little easier to swallow. Jay-Z is the icon of New York City, and including him in a film set in “his” city seemed right in a way that superseded the lack of vintage music. Overall, the film adaptation of “The Great Gatsby” was impressive and extensively detailed. Any book fanatic would have difficulty finding something to complain about for this movie; if every cinematic adaptation could be so wonderfully done as this one the world would be a much better place.