Assignment On

‘‘The key differences of The Great Gatsby Novel and the

Movie’’

Submitted To

Arifa Rahman

Department of DEH

Subject Name-Research Methodology

Subject Code-ENG-435

Submitted By

Hiba Shehrin

Id-151013054

Submission Date

15-11-2019

University of Liberal Arts Bangladesh

The key differences of The Great Gatsby Novel and the Movie

Timeline
Fitzgerald's book gave us the feeling of being a product of a particular period in time, On
the other hand Luhrmann's craft seems like one grand costume party, irrevocably modern
and full of rap music. The way he pairs this with quiet moments between our main
characters, it gives us a breather and result in a stylistic film that manages to feel like
Fitzgerald's book and nothing like it at all.

The Therapist
In the movie Luhrmann shows us that Nick is having a session with his therapist. Which
is a great touch by the director. It shows us the raw emotions of Nick Carraway. But in
the books, there is no mention of any therapist.
Jordan and Nick
The plot of the film is just about entirely faithful to the novel, but Luhrmann miss out one
of the plots: the affair between Nick and Jordan Baker, Jordan Baker was a friend of
Daisy’s from Louisville who is a well-known golfer. Daisy promises to set them up, to
push them “accidentally in linen closets and … out to sea in a boat,” a line the screenplay
keeps—but then, in the film, the director drops the matter. In Luhrmann’s film Nick says
he found Jordan “frightening” at first, a word Carraway doesn’t apply to her in the
novel—and later at Gatsby’s we see Jordan whisked away from Nick by a male
companion, which doesn’t happen in the book. In the novel, they become a couple and
break up near the end of the summer.
Meeting Wolfsheim
In the book, Gatsby takes Nick to lunch at a “well-fanned 42nd Street cellar,” where he
introduces Nick to Meyer Wolfsheim, a Jewish gangster. In the movie, Gatsby and Nick
go to a barber shop with a hidden entrance to a illicit liquor pub, and once inside they see
not only Wolfsheim but also the police commissioner—who, in the book as in the film,
Gatsby was “able to do … a favor once.”
After Gatsby’s death
In the book, after Gatsby dies, Gatsby’s father shows up and talks to Nick This is
important because this was Fitzgerald’s way of indicating Gatsby to Benjamin Franklin
who embodies the American Dream (first self-made millionaire who wrote in his
almanac, “you must pull yourself from your bootstraps” and Gatsby is a bootlegger). In
the movie, no one shows up and Nick cries alone.
Tom is not the Devil
Part of the reason why we can forgive Daisy is because her husband Tom is an awful
person. Whereas Tom was always the bad guy in the book. Cheating on one’s wife
constantly isn’t exactly the most admirable of traits, nor is Tom’s rampant racism. But in
Luhrmann’s film Tom is portrayed as a super villain.
Bibliography

Rawden, Jessica. “The Great Gatsby: 9 Big Differences Between The Book And Movie.”
CINEMABLEND, CINEMABLEND, 9 Oct. 2019, www.cinemablend.com/new/Great-
Gatsby-9-Big-Differences-Between-Book-Movie-37479.html. This article discusses 9
specific reasons why the movie is different from the book.

Heldman, Breanne L. “'The Great Gatsby' Book to Movie: 5 Key Differences.” Yahoo!, Yahoo!,
10 May 2013, www.yahoo.com/entertainment/blogs/movie-talk/great-gatsby-book-movie-
5-key-differences-223158382.html. This website dives into the differences between the
movie and the book

Haglund, David. “How Faithful Is the New Gatsby Movie to the Book? Here's a Thorough
Comparison.” Slate Magazine, Slate, 9 May 2013, slate.com/culture/2013/05/great-gatsby-
movie-compared-to-the-book-how-faithful-is-it-to-f-scott-fitzgerald-s-novel-a-detailed-
comparison.html. This website shows us that how faithful the movie was to the books.

Stahler, Kelsea, and Michael Chaney. “4 Fatal Differences Between 'The Great Gatsby' Book
and The Movie.” Hollywood.com, 7 Aug. 2014, www.hollywood.com/movies/great-
gatsby-book-vs-movie-57394872/. This website has some major points on why the book
and the movie are not the same.

Rawden, Jessica. “The Great Gatsby: 9 Big Differences Between The Book And Movie.”
CINEMABLEND, CINEMABLEND, 9 Oct. 2019, www.cinemablend.com/new/Great-
Gatsby-9-Big-Differences-Between-Book-Movie-37479.html. This article discusses 9
specific reasons why the movie is different from the book.