Why Every Great Gatsby Adaptation Fails: The "Unfilmable" Classic Explained

Comments · 525

• LO

  @lordexrake · 2 years ago

  I've always thought that a problem with film adaptations of Gatsby is that filmmakers want to BE Gatsby, to see themselves as glamorous and loved,  to impresses every one with their great parties, so they all ignore the bits where Fitzgerald says "No, you really don't want to be Gatsby. It will end badly"

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• CH

  @chasecox3374 · 2 years ago

  The more you bring up the sci-fi version that hasn't happened, the more I want to see it actually

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• HI

  @hipstereagle6050 · 2 years ago

  Everyone knows the one solution to getting a good Gatsby movie: Muppets

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• SI

  @sirB0nes · 2 years ago

  In my younger and more formative years, it was universally acknowledged that including the number &quot;2000&quot; in the title of something would instantly code it as &quot;futuristic.&quot;<br>I don&apos;t know if I&apos;ve ever realized until now how completely incomprehensible that is to anyone born in this century.

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• AL

  @Alexander_Stern1 · 2 years ago

  I think the problem is that the film HAS to show Nick Caraway, but the truth is we’re supposed to BE him. &nbsp;The interiority of Nick is what draws the reader into the story. &nbsp;I think that’s why people so often connect with this book as teenagers. &nbsp;When you’re a kid, you’re used to Nick’s POV as the default setting of your life: &nbsp;You’re always on the outside looking in. &nbsp;There’s always so much that you don’t know or don’t understand. &nbsp;Because Nick is not only a stranger to Long Island, but also to the world of the frivolously wealthy, he’s seeing everything the way we do when we’re young. &nbsp;It goes along with being invited to your first parties where no adults are present. &nbsp;You see your friends and classmates in a new way and realize that people have different faces that they show in different settings. &nbsp;You feel very naive. &nbsp;That’s Nick. &nbsp;And when you read “Gatsby” at that age, you slip right into his skin in a way that feels different from other books. &nbsp;I never identified with Holden Caulfield, for example, even as a teenager. &nbsp;<br><br>Filming “Gatsby” requires the audience to witness everything from outside of Nick’s character and he can feel pretty pointless for that reason. &nbsp;It’s like Jonathan Harker. &nbsp;After the opening sequence, he doesn’t really need to be there. &nbsp;Mina’s the protagonist, after all. &nbsp;All you need are her and Van Helsing!

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• PR

  @ProxyExpy · 2 years ago

  Concept: A movie. The Great Great Gatsby. It&apos;s a movie about someone trying to adapt The Great Gatsby to film.

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• ST

  @stanthedrybear · 2 years ago

  Since it&apos;s public domain now, I&apos;m imploring you Steve to write &quot;Gatsby 2000&quot;. Hell, make it a patreon goal!

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• TR

  @TrueYellowDart · 2 years ago

  Steve don’t underestimate your audience. Even if a lot of us haven’t seen “Shane” we know the reference.

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• ST

  @stephengalanis · 2 years ago

  We need an unglamorous French adaptation.

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• NL

  @nleo9166 · 1 year ago

  Gossip Girl feels like a modern retelling of The Great Gatsby, but from Daisy&apos;s perspective. Dan embodies both Nick and Gatsby&apos;s roles, while Serena is the unattainable Daisy. The show brilliantly explores the destructive power of wealth and privilege, but I think it could have delved deeper into these themes instead of focusing so heavily on fashion and glamour.

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• CM

  @cmbeadle2228 · 2 years ago

  A lot of them feel like they were filmed specifically for English literature classes, especially with the obvious symbolism and obsession with putting the big quotes on the screen.

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• GR

  @GrifterMage · 2 years ago

  A while back I ran across the idea of The Great Gatsby being adapted by the Muppets in the same way they did A Christmas Carol and Treasure Island. I can&apos;t help but think it could work--the inherent ridiculousness of the Muppets would definitely counteract the urge to be overly-reverent of the book, at least.

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