"Casting" for the Role of Gatsby
This post was prompted by Elena. As a follow-up to our discussion, she suggested Cary Grant as a candidate for the role. In fact, according to wikipedia.org "The Great Gatsby" has been filmed four times (1926, 1949, 1974, 2000) starring Warner Baxter,Alan Ladd, Robert Redford, and Toby Stephens.
Thanks to my colleague and my mentor in American Literature Maria W., we'll be watching the 1974 version starring Robert Redford on April 12
But my question is of different nature. Why didn't Fitzgerald make his Jay Gatsby older by 15-20 years? For example, somebody like Cary Grant in this picture... Post your comments please.
Image Source:www.michaeldeas.com/.../Cary_Grant_High.jpg
6 comments:
To my mind Jay shouldn't be any older. I think it's the age that gives him his charisma. I'm sure Gatsby is a very charismatic person. And his way of thinking and behaviour cannot give any hint to guessing his age without knowing it beforehand. He is young and to me he is mysterious, I liked the process of "unwrapping" his personality and if he were 15 years older it wouldn't have been such a challenge reading this book despite my respect to Fitzgerald's talent :)
I think Gatsby shouldn't be any older, otherwise he would lose his charisma. It's his relatively young age that makes him such a mysterious person for me. He was a mystery. I wouldn't be able to guess his age if I hadn't known it. Being young and having such a manner of thinking and behaving, and being experienced at the same time make him a great example for doing a research on psychology and just the process of "unwrapping" his personality seems to be a challenge.
Sveta: Anna Vladimirovna? about Gatsby's age. I believe it's downright impossible that he should be 50 (or something like that) years old. If so, Fitzjerald would have had to change the plot drastically. Just imagine: Gatsby meets Daisy for the first time when she is, say, 18 yeasr oldand he is 40-45. Even if he were pretty handsome and attractive, she wouldn't have paid attention to his personality. Girls like Daisy (so light-minded and flippant) are drawn not by experience and charisma but by appearnace. Besides, Gatsby would hardly have paid any attention to such a 'flapper' girl if he was 40-45 years old fighting a chance to build a family and not just 'I love you' - 'You love me'-thing. He would have searched for a more mature and sophisticated woman.
I think that Gatsby's age, presented by the author, is perfectly matching the main purpose, theme and the whole plot of the novel and making him older might have either ruined it forever or changed in into some other novel, drastically different from the one we know today.
As I see it, Gatsby is just at that particular age when the last and defining verge between young man's reveries and mature perception of the world, based upon materialistic approach, is being formed. So, on the one hand, he is capable of dreaming and hoping, and trying to perform his wishes and his likely vision of the future into life, but on the other hand it's high time he woke up from his day dreaming and saw the life as it is, and not as he had imagined it to be.
Moreover, had he been 10-15 years older,he wouldn't have probably bother himself with bringing about some far,vague and unrealized prospects of his past, as well as Daisy wouldn't have even though of leaving Tom after so many years of marriage (considering the fact that she lacked courage (or willingness) to divorce him at her younger age).
I think that Gatsby's age, presented by the author, is perfectly matching the main purpose, theme and the whole plot of the novel and making him older might have either ruined it forever or changed in into some other novel, drastically different from the one we know today.
As I see it, Gatsby is just at that particular age when the last and defining verge between young man's reveries and mature perception of the world, based upon materialistic approach, is being formed. So, on the one hand, he is capable of dreaming and hoping, and trying to perform his wishes and his likely vision of the future into life, but on the other hand it's high time he woke up from his day dreaming and saw the life as it is, and not as he had imagined it to be.
Moreover, had he been 10-15 years older,he wouldn't have probably bother himself with bringing about some far,vague and unrealized prospects of his past, as well as Daisy wouldn't have even though of leaving Tom after so many years of marriage (considering the fact that she lacked courage (or willingness) to divorce him at her younger age).
Ok, when I proposed this actor to star Gatsby, I hadn't read the story to the end. Now, I've done it. I may say that I agree with Sveta about the plot. *looking to C.Grants' photo* It is said that no girls were hanging on Gatsby's neck at his parties, that means that he was not a conspicuous, very handsome man, but Cary Grant was and certainly all that light-headed girls would crave for being with him)). One more thing, that is beyond my comprehension: C.G. at all photos looks like a knight, prince to me)) and I can't imagine him disapproving of his parents (it's not the real knights' trait). So, Cary Grant doesn't match for this role.
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