Gatsby vs Gatsby vs Kane

           In my American Studies class we watched Citizen Kane instead of The Great Gatsby after we finished reading Gatsby. My teacher told us that he believed that Citizen Kane would be the movie that Fitzgerald would have made to represent his book. If I’m being honest, I had my doubts that Citizen Kane could be a better depiction of The Great Gatsby than the actual movie for the obvious reason that there is not Gatsby in Citizen Kane.

            That’s why I decided to watch The Great Gatsby and make up my mind for myself. I decided to watch the 2013 version of the movie and I have to say that I was a little disappointed since I thoroughly enjoyed the book and I can’t say the same about the movie.

            My first issue was how the white motif that often surrounded the upper class was portrayed in the film. In one of the first scenes we see Jordan in Daisy engulfed in these flowing white curtains that seemed to throw the white theme in your face. Even though subtlety was completely ignored in this scene, I found the lack of emphasis on certain parts of the book to be alarming.

            One scene that was completely eliminated was the whole elevator scene that implied Nick’s affair with Mr. McKee. In my opinion, that scene was crucial to understanding Nick as a character and why he acts the way he is, thus making it that much harder to connect with him. In addition to that, most of the characters were very exaggerated and I found them hard to relate to as well.

            All that being said, I’m not sure I necessarily believe that Citizen Kane is a better depiction of Gatsby than Gatsby. I think that the extravagant parties and Daisy’s murmur make Gatsby what it is, and without the character and the plot no movie can rival in representing a book than it’s actual adaptation. However, if you’re looking for a movie to show the struggle, emotions, and themes of a man trying to gain a place in high-society coming from nothing, Citizen Kane is the way to go.