The Great Gatsby

In Jack Clayton’s film adaptation of The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald, the director uses several visual techniques to emphasize and heighten the illusion of the American dream. These visual techniques include: Framing, color, lighting & space.

The most interesting type of framing repeated al throughout the film is the use of mirrors in trapping the characters in their surreal reflection. The director used this technique in more than one scenes, nevertheless this framing was used when Gatsby is about to meet a character from the novel or film. This technique started when during the party, Gatsby’s bodyguard calls Nick to go with him to meet with Gatsby, Nick looked at the mirror when he entered the room. He looked at the mirror, knew where Gatsby is and went to talk to him. Afterwards, this technique was re emphasized again when Daisy was about to meet up for the first Gatsby at her cousin’s house nick. Daisy looked at the mirror and saw Gatsby. Daisy was MO7ATAH by her favorite white flowers before she saw Gatsby. Where in the first reflected frame, Nick saw him through a small mirror. This implies that the first meeting was NEISHIF and it didn’t have any history, where as in the second reflected scene, it took a while for Daisy to make sure that it’s Gatsby while she was mo7atah by flowers. The director was playing on the viewers mind unconscious. In the scene where Gatsby, Nick & Daisy go to Gatsby’s house & sit in his room, the three were sitting in a room made up of mirrors. As soon as Nick leaves the room, the director focuses on them through the mirrors in the room, especially when Nick leaves and Daisy and Jay starts looking at each other. On the other hand, this technique was used when Tom was laying on the bed & his lover Myrtle was putting some make up on her face. The director related the reflected scenes into the fact even they are so close to each other, but there’s still distance between both of them. In the scene where Daisy goes with her cousin Jordan to her lover’s house through the boat, Daisy & Jay discuss Daisy’s relation with tom, through the mirrors. Even though they are in the same room,