Eleventh Grade - Gatsby Project

The Great Gatsby Project

         

Jenn Smith

1. Actors/Actresses

       a) Gatsby - Channing Tatum (Dear John)

i. I thought that Channing Tatum would fit the part of Gatsby because of his dedication to Savannah (Amanda Seyfried). In Dear John, John (Tatum) lost his true love when he went away to fight in the war. After months of writing letters she left him and married somebody else. Even though he was single he waited for her for years. In The Great Gatsby, Gatsby and Daisy don’t last and she gets married to Tom. Although everything happened for different reasons, the two situations are similar. In both, the man, Gatsby and Tatum, waited years for the one they loved without even knowing if they would have a second chance.

       b) Nick - Chad Michael Murray (One Tree Hill)

i. Chad Michael Murray was the narrator for the television show One Tree Hill and I think he would fit the part of Nick. He is more of a laid back character that doesn’t get into the drama with the other characters, but he’s usually pulled into all of it anyway. From his narrations the viewers can get the feeling of his curiosity towards others. Murray is always trying to help other people with their problems instead of solving his own which usually brings about more difficulties. Similar to Nick, Murray tends to meet new people without judging them right away. He’s very friendly and sits back to observe what his friends and family do before acting upon his ideas. Overall, he and Nick have very similar personality traits when it comes to who they’re friends with and who they talk to.

       c) Daisy - Sandra Bullock (The Proposal)

i. Sandra Bullock reminded me of Daisy for multiple reasons but the main reason was her personality. In the movie The Proposal, Margaret (Bullock) had everything set for her. She was wealthy and she knew she was pretty and could get whatever she wanted. Her attitude towards everything was very controlling and confident. Daisy is a character who isn’t shy and I pictured her as rich as Bullock in this movie. Although Daisy’s money came from her husband, she still had it and Bullock’s attitude fit who Daisy was as a person. Daisy was always sarcastic towards her husband, Tom, giving off the impression that she thought she was everything. And in class, when we listened to the tape of The Great Gatsby, the person who spoke Daisy’s voice showed a very laid back person who didn’t care much about other people, which I think Bullock could easily portray.

       d) Tom - Tom Cruise

i. I thought that Tom Cruise fit the part of Tom mainly because it’s exactly how I pictured him but when I started looking for personality traits, it fit even better. I pictured Tom to look exactly like this when I was reading the story. In most of the movies Cruise is in, he doesn’t care about the other people, he only cares about himself. And in the beginning of The Great Gatsby, Tom could care less about the other characters. He thought about himself most of the time, and he also punched Myrtle in the face, which showed he didn’t care much.

       e) Myrtle - Fran Drescher (The Nanny)

i. In my eyes, Fran Drescher is the perfect part for Myrtle. When Myrtle was described in the book, I pictured her really unattractive and although Drescher isn’t fat like Myrtle is supposed to be, her voice gives off the obnoxious feel that Myrtle should have. She’s supposed to be of lower class than everyone else, and in The Nanny, Drescher plays the part of a poor women who lives in a rich mans house. When she talks, she sounds like a person that everybody could get sick of being around very simply. Myrtle, a person who seems almost hated by everyone, never really fit in. I pictured her to always stand out because she was so different. She was around rich people, meanwhile she had no money, which is exactly as Fran did in The Nanny.

       f) Jordan - Sophia Bush (One Tree Hill)

i. Sophia Bush fits the part of Jordan because of her role in the television show One Tree Hill. In the first few seasons of the show, she had the attitude that I imagined Jordan to have but she played the role of a teenager so she’d have to be older. Bush was very stuck up and confident in the show. She was a cheerleader and one of the more popular girls in High School. I pictured Jordan to be confident and conceited just like Bush was in this role. Jordan was described as a beautiful women and when Nick first sees her in Toms house, I pictured her like Bush. I saw her laying on the couch acting as if she was the center of attention in the room and not paying attention to anyone but herself. I thought that Sophia Bush would be able to portray this characteristic very well.

         2. Soundtrack

a) Time After Time by Quiet Drive -

“Lying in my bed 

I hear the clocks 

and can think of you
Caught up in circles 

confusion is nothing new.”

...

“After my picture fades 

and darkness has turn too gray.
Watching through windows.”

These lyrics reminded me of the times that Gatsby wanted to be with Daisy. In the novel, he looks out over the water and can see a light shining from Daisy’s house. It’s understood that that is a part of the main reason that Gatsby bought the house in the first place.  I pictured Gatsby laying in bed as the music started to play and he gets up to wander towards the window and then the viewers see the light that he stares at. Later in the scene, I pictured the camera showing the light was coming from Daisys house.

b) Before the Worst by The Script -

“Before it all went wrong.

Before the worst,

before we mend 

Before our hearts decide

It's time to love again

Before too late,

before too long

Lets try to take it back 

Before it all went wrong.”

This song reminded me of when Tom and Daisy both finally admit to each other that they made mistakes. I pictured both of them sitting at the table at Nicks house talking with the music playing loud. Tom could’ve been saying sorry and that he wanted things to work out before it completely fell apart because he really did love Daisy. They both knew that they made mistakes and Tom always wanted things to go back to how they were “before it all went wrong.”

c) Tonight I Love You by The Latency -

“Tell me the chance hasn’t passed us by

Cause baby, the stars have never shined so bright

Nothing can stop us out here

Lets just take tonight, tonight slow

I want to see where this, where this goes

I need you.”

This reminded me of when Gatsby and Daisy meet again after all the years they went without talking. Gatsby always wanted another chance with Daisy so I saw him and Daisy talking in Nicks house and reuniting. Gatsby dreamt of the day he got to see Daisy again for years. He wanted everything to go perfectly and be just like he imagined. I thought this song would be good for the moment they first reunite because of the lyrics, especially since it says “tell me the chance hasn’t passed us by.” All Gatsby wanted was to prove to Daisy that he could be the best man for her.

d) Beside You by Marianas Trench -

“I will stay.

Nobody will break you.

Trust in me, trust in me; don't pull away.

Just trust in me, trust in me

Cause I'm just trying to keep this together

Cause I could do worse and you could do better

Tears are spent on your last pretense

And your tired eyes refuse to close and sleep in your defense.”

These lyrics reminded me of the scene leading up to Myrtles death. In my mind, the song just fit the whole scene perfectly. I pictured Myrtle and her husband fighting at first and as the song progresses it reaches a climax and then gets slower. That’s when I imagined her getting hit by the car because the line directly after it says “Tears are spent on your last pretense.” After the scene, I imagined her husband crying over her instead of talking to the police just because it would fit more appropriately that way.