Similarities Between Midnight In Paris And The Great Gatsby

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One film is about wishing for the past. The other film takes the main character to it. Both end bittersweet, as the death of a dream leaves the protagonists changed forever. The indie movie of 2011, A Midnight in Paris, romanticizes the city of Paris and how grand it used to be. Luhrmann’s The Great Gatsby (2013) may be swanky and wild, but ultimately calls out the corruption that plagued the past. Both directors have, arguably, effective costuming and make-up. The Great Gatsby (2013) creates stunning, historically accurate clothes that subtly tell emotions and themes. Luhrmann applies flashy make-up and bright, vibrant colors in his outfits. A Midnight in Paris (2011) sticks to lighter costuming and make-up, but still makes things accurate …show more content…

In the valley of ashes, Luhrmann sticks to desaturated colors, while for the tea party between Daisy and Gatsby, the scene is lusciously pastel. Luhrmann constantly switches between monochrome-like color palettes and using all of the colors under the rainbow. A Midnight in Paris (2011) typically affixes itself to warm, sepia-inspired colors, especially golds and browns. Woody Allen's soundtrack is a simple and classical arrangement. A Midnight in Paris (2011) never makes music the main focus of the scene. Despite being a movie about a modern man, the soundtrack is gentle and more 1920’s inspired. The Great Gatsby (2013) has extravagant, monumental music, utilizing modern trends. The soundtrack for this movie, set in the 1920’s, is relatively new and shiny. Allen wanted to bring people to the past gently, while Luhrmann wanted to help people relate to how decadent and buoyant the era really was. Gold in both The Great Gatsby (2013) and A Midnight in Paris (2011) represent dreamy, lavish, exciting things. It’s a symbol of wealth and luxury. Gold soon represents corruption and despair as the prosperous in both movies crumble. Gatsby is killed, Tom and Daisy run, and Inez and her parents are left …show more content…

All three are rich, and apathetic to human emotions and needs. People are only used to improve oneself and to gain something from them, not as a way for human connection and happiness. Adrianna can be compared to Daisy, in how both women pursue fading opportunities instead of steady relationships. They both are blessed with dreamy voices that enrapture men. The protagonists do share some qualities, but differ vastly. Gil in Midnight in Paris (2011) is a kind, naive man who wants nothing more than to achieve his dream. Nick in The Great Gatsby (2013) is arguably benevolent as well, but more realistic and wise than Gil is. Both are swept along with the tides and tend to bend to people's will, but each has their breaking point. Gil refuses to be held back any longer by Inez, and Nick refuses to be lied to. Unfortunately, Nick ends the movie with little hope and merriment, having lost his close friend Gatsby to the horrors of the world. Gil still maintains hope as a writer with the help of his friend Gabriella, in spite of losing the life he was going to have. Gil is enamored by the beauty and simplicity of the past, and the film creates a romanticized 1920's, where it is used as an escape from the dull and malevolent present. The Great Gatsby (2013) constantly brings up the ramping corruption. Essentially a criminal, Gatsby sculpted himself into a man of fame and fortune by breaking the law. The entire city is run by a gangster, Wolfshiem,