Maximalism, the idea that more is more, is one fathom of postmodernism that is found

abundantly in Baz Luhrmanns rendition of The Great Gatsby. Luhrmann uses this in two
different ways. Firstly, Gatsbys extravagant parties are major users of maximalism. While they
are similar to this in the book as well, the movie takes these parties to new heights with the use
of more modern music such as Jay-Z and the copious amounts of almost choreographed dancing.
On the other hand, maximalism is used to extend certain shots that normally would be cut
shorter. An example of this is the seemingly overly long shot of the T. J. Eckleberg billboard.
Throughout the movie, Luhrmann uses a style called pastiche to stitch together the
original text and his own gaudy style. This basically means that Baz is taking the original story
and adding his own flair. This is shown, yet again, in the epic party when the audience first
meets Gatsby. Luhrmann takes this moment and completely runs with it. With fireworks in the
background and a twinkle in his eye, Gatsby has this amazing introduction painted for himself,
while, in the book, it is just a simple, Im Gatsby (48).
Lastly, fragmentation also plays a sizable role in both the movie and book tellings of The
Great Gatsby. This type of storytelling where parts of the plot are told out of order and revealed
through flashbacks helps to show Gatsbys upbringing, James Gatzinhospitably died (98100), and the origin of Daisy and Gatsbys relationship, One Octoberwhite car (74-77). If
events such as these were told in chronological order, it would ruin the dramatic effect of the
story.