The great Gatsby

Francis Scott Fitzgerald, an American writer and scriptwriter, was considered the most important of the avant-garde jazz. He took part in the movement “Lost Generation”, a group of American writers who lived in France during the second world war.

He wrote four novels: the first novel in the year 1919 revisited in 1920 is “This side of paradise”, the second in 1922 “The beautiful and damned”, the fourth in 1934 “Tender is the night” plus a fifth one, never finished and published in 1941. It was finished by a Fitzgerald's friend, Edmund Wilson, who followed the instructions Fitzgerald himself left. The title is “The Last Tycoon” and the main character is the producer Monroe Stahr, similar to Gatsby, older but idealist like him.

The great Gatsby is the third novel, it was published on the April 10th 1925 (my birthday, not in the same year, of course!). It didn't get the same success as his other novels.

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We can say that Fitzgerald's third and fifth novels talk about his own life together with the American publisher and writer Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.

The met at the High School during a dancing party.

They got married on the April 3rd 1920 with a big wedding. They rented a house in Westport/Connecticut in summer and they came back to New York in October. They became the nightmare of the building where they lived for their anti conformist behavior.

After publishing the first novel they were considered by the New York Times the model couple of the Twenties and of the avant-garde jazz.

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She was described as the first woman with male manners and attitude. The Japanese Designer Shigeru Miyamoto was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald when he created the character of princess Zelda for the video games Nintendo. She was a quite difficult woman, especially in that period for her anti conventional and open-minded manners.

From right the beginning the marriage between Zelda and Scott wasn't easy. To write his novels he took the ideas from their live and his wife's diary.

The great Gatsby is even placed in Long Island where the couple lived after coming back from France.

The emotional and adventurous lifestyle of the couple also inspired Fitzgerald to write “The great Gatsby”.

During the great years that they spent in Long Island they had big financial problems because of their thoughtless way of life with a lot of parties.

They traveled through France, Italy and the United States with a lot of troubles. One of them was Zelda's attempted suicide and her admits to hospital for her schizophrenia diagnosed in April 1930.

She died in 1948 because of a fire in the hospital where she was admitted. He died in December 1941 for a heart attack.

They were buried in Maryland and on her gravestone is written the final phrase of The Great Gatsby: So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

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What I described is not the whole life of Zelda and Francis Scott Fitzgerald but it helps us to understand the background of the movie.

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The movie takes place between New York and Long Island in the summer of 1922 and it is considered the smartest portrait on the jazz soul, with its contradictions, its victim complex and its tragedy.

The main subject of the novel is the loneliness, the impossibility to communicate and the indifference.

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No communication at all at Gatsby’s parties, only luxury meeting of many people and you even don’t know their names.

Gatsby doesn’t take part to his parties, he just organizes them hoping that her loved Daisy would accept to come.

Gatsby is the typical lonely man. When he dies Daisy and Tom are indifferent and this characterizes them.

Gatsby can be considered as a romantic hero who lives for a dream called Daisy. Nothing is more important than this woman to him. He wants to get back her love because he believes in it and thinks that the only reason that has obstructed it was his social position.

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On the contrary Daisy is a spoiled woman. She doesn’t feel the same deep love that Gatsby has for her. She isn’t happy with her husband. He always betrays her, but she hasn’t the courage to go back to Gatsby even when they separate.

The first version of the movie, taken from the book, was realized in 1926 and it was a silent movie. The second version is from 1949 and belongs to the director Elliot Nuget.

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The following two versions are well known by everybody. The one from 1974 was realized by the director Jack Clayton and the script was by Francis Ford Coppola. The actors were Robert Redford interpreting Gatsby and Mia Farrow interpreting Daisy.

The version from 2013, that cost 105 million dollars, was realized by the director Baz Luhrmann who was already famous for his movies “Moulin Rouge”, “Australia” and “Romeo+Juliet”.

In the last version Gatsby is interpreted by Leonardo di Caprio who wears in a wonderful way a more adult look than usual and Daisy is played by Carey Mulligan (she obtained her first Academy nomination as supporting actress for the movie “An Education”).

I really like Tobey Maguire (ex Spiderman) as well who is Daisy’s cousin.

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This movie reset the fashion of Twenties . Imagine that after the coming out of the movie many wedding parties were organized following the retro chic mood of the Twenties.

Women clothes were by Miu Miu and Leonardo di Caprio and Tobie Maguire wore 500 outfits from Brooks Brothers (the favorite brand by Francis Scott Fitzgerald).

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The jewels with many diamonds were created by Tiffany & Co. I went to Dubai and I visited one Tiffany shop in the Dubai Mall where I could admire some of these jewels….really a dream!!

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What I wrote is completely my opinion. As when I say that the version from 1974 let me get Gatsby’s loneliness in a more powerful way. I think this feeling is very important for Fitzgerald. The music was right as well. The movie is about the jazz time and jazz must be the soundtrack according to me.

The version from 2013 is to be seen without any doubts. Very nice is also the 3D version. Wonderful are the clothes and the jewels. The actors are very good as well, thanks also to the magnificent direction by Luz Luhrmann.

The great Gatsby

Francis Scott Fitzgerald, an American writer and scriptwriter, was considered the most important of the avant-garde jazz. He took part in the movement “Lost Generation”, a group of American writers who lived in France during the second world war.

He wrote four novels: the first novel in the year 1919 revisited in 1920 is “This side of paradise”, the second in 1922 “The beautiful and damned”, the fourth in 1934 “Tender is the night” plus a fifth one, never finished and published in 1941. It was finished by a Fitzgerald's friend, Edmund Wilson, who followed the instructions Fitzgerald himself left. The title is “The Last Tycoon” and the main character is the producer Monroe Stahr, similar to Gatsby, older but idealist like him.

The great Gatsby is the third novel, it was published on the April 10th 1925 (my birthday, not in the same year, of course!). It didn't get the same success as his other novels.

We can say that Fitzgerald's third and fifth novels talk about his own life together with the American publisher and writer Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald.

The met at the High School during a dancing party.

They got married on the April 3rd 1920 with a big wedding. They rented a house in Westport/Connecticut in summer and they came back to New York in October. They became the nightmare of the building where they lived for their anti conformist behavior.

After publishing the first novel they were considered by the New York Times the model couple of the Twenties and of the avant-garde jazz.

She was described as the first woman with male manners and attitude. The Japanese Designer Shigeru Miyamoto was inspired by Zelda Fitzgerald when he created the character of princess Zelda for the video games Nintendo. She was a quite difficult woman, especially in that period for her anti conventional and open-minded manners.

From right the beginning the marriage between Zelda and Scott wasn't easy. To write his novels he took the ideas from their live and his wife's diary.

The great Gatsby is even placed in Long Island where the couple lived after coming back from France.

The emotional and adventurous lifestyle of the couple also inspired Fitzgerald to write “The great Gatsby”.

During the great years that they spent in Long Island they had big financial problems because of their thoughtless way of life with a lot of parties.

They traveled through France, Italy and the United States with a lot of troubles. One of them was Zelda's attempted suicide and her admits to hospital for her schizophrenia diagnosed in April 1930.

She died in 1948 because of a fire in the hospital where she was admitted. He died in December 1941 for a heart attack.

They were buried in Maryland and on her gravestone is written the final phrase of The Great Gatsby: So we beat on, boats against the current, borne back ceaselessly into the past.

What I described is not the whole life of Zelda and Francis Scott Fitzgerald but it helps us to understand the background of the movie.

The movie takes place between New York and Long Island in the summer of 1922 and it is considered the smartest portrait on the jazz soul, with its contradictions, its victim complex and its tragedy.

The main subject of the novel is the loneliness, the impossibility to communicate and the indifference.

No communication at all at Gatsby’s parties, only luxury meeting of many people and you even don’t know their names.

Gatsby doesn’t take part to his parties, he just organizes them hoping that her loved Daisy would accept to come.

Gatsby is the typical lonely man. When he dies Daisy and Tom are indifferent and this characterizes them.

Gatsby can be considered as a romantic hero who lives for a dream called Daisy. Nothing is more important than this woman to him. He wants to get back her love because he believes in it and thinks that the only reason that has obstructed it was his social position.

On the contrary Daisy is a spoiled woman. She doesn’t feel the same deep love that Gatsby has for her. She isn’t happy with her husband. He always betrays her, but she hasn’t the courage to go back to Gatsby even when they separate.

The first version of the movie, taken from the book, was realized in 1926 and it was a silent movie. The second version is from 1949 and belongs to the director Elliot Nuget.

The following two versions are well known by everybody. The one from 1974 was realized by the director Jack Clayton and the script was by Francis Ford Coppola. The actors were Robert Redford interpreting Gatsby and Mia Farrow interpreting Daisy.

The version from 2013, that cost 105 million dollars, was realized by the director Baz Luhrmann who was already famous for his movies “Moulin Rouge”, “Australia” and “Romeo+Juliet”.

In the last version Gatsby is interpreted by Leonardo di Caprio who wears in a wonderful way a more adult look than usual and Daisy is played by Carey Mulligan (she obtained her first Academy nomination as supporting actress for the movie “An Education”).

I really like Tobey Maguire (ex Spiderman) as well who is Daisy’s cousin.

This movie reset the fashion of Twenties . Imagine that after the coming out of the movie many wedding parties were organized following the retro chic mood of the Twenties.

Women clothes were by Miu Miu and Leonardo di Caprio and Tobie Maguire wore 500 outfits from Brooks Brothers (the favorite brand by Francis Scott Fitzgerald).

The jewels with many diamonds were created by Tiffany & Co. I went to Dubai and I visited one Tiffany shop in the Dubai Mall where I could admire some of these jewels….really a dream!!

What I wrote is completely my opinion. As when I say that the version from 1974 let me get Gatsby’s loneliness in a more powerful way. I think this feeling is very important for Fitzgerald. The music was right as well. The movie is about the jazz time and jazz must be the soundtrack according to me.

The version from 2013 is to be seen without any doubts. Very nice is also the 3D version. Wonderful are the clothes and the jewels. The actors are very good as well, thanks also to the magnificent direction by Luz Luhrmann.