Diegetic Sound In The Great Gatsby

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Ryan Bassil (2013) has argued that director Baz Luhrmann has completely missed the depiction of how F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote his novel, The Great Gatsby. As the era enjoyed social vitality, artistic and cultural dynamism, it gave rise to the name “The Roaring ‘20’s in America (IIE,2016:19), which was a time of wealth, and seemingly endless possibilities. This essay will therefore repudiate why Bassil’s statement is flawed and why Luhrmann’s personal style or aesthetic, his materials and the diegesis enhances the fortunes of the characters and intrigues his viewers and therefore augments the film entirely. Auteur theory (Sarris, 2004) is explained by way of the director as the author of the film, who gives the film its distinctive quality. An auteur uses a tool called the “camera-pen”, which is a different medium to create and adapt a story, without it being rewritten. Technical competence (Sarris, 2004) is therefore crucial for the technique of the auteur. A tool used in the film, The Great Gatsby, is Luhrmann’s sound design, and more specifically, the use of diegetic and non-diegetic sound. …show more content…

An obvious example is the dialogue between the characters in the film. Tom Buchannan and his wife Daisy’s relationship, is a depiction of how the men of the 1920s felt superior to