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May 5, 2014 at 6:55 pm #430Michael AugelloParticipant
I agree that the sadness comes through in Nick’s narration, but throughout the entire movie, I feel like Nick is a little bit too aloof and goofy. In the book, Nick is lost, and is searching for anything that makes sense. He has no idea what he wants in life and is juxtaposed with a character in Gatsby who knows exactly what he wants. In the book, Nick has an actual relationship with Jordan that he likes, but eventually throws away. I can think of Nick specifically in the scene where the landscapers come to fix up his house – he has a quirky smile on, and everything is coming together around him, and another scene when he is in his office at work and looks so happy to be there. The despair and loneliness Nick feels is only displayed in the narration and cuts to the mental hospital, and a lot less during the actual recalling of the movie, which makes specifically the line, “I almost forgot, today is my birthday,” completely meaningless, because it is not placed in that depressed context. Of course, a director has to pick and choose when dealing with a novel as esteemed as this, so I can understand the oversight.
April 1, 2014 at 2:49 pm #365Michael AugelloParticipantI think that from the very first scene, the male gaze is present, and it is not subtle at all. The opening scene is the funeral and Hochleitner expressing his condolences to Rachel. Then, before we even meet Book, the camera follows Hochleitner around. That made me believe he was going to try and make a move for Rachel, and he was doing so before the funeral was even over! After, he moves slowly in his courting, by talking with Eli, and drinking lemonade on the porch. Then, out of nowhere comes this Englishman, who Rachel spends every waking moment with. This presents a certain amount of jealousy because Book is new and a lot more interesting than Hochleitner, but of course it is not outwardly addressed (we see in the horse and buggy “fight scene” that the Amish are a bit passive when it comes to that kind of conflict, likely based on beliefs that I don’t know enough to speak to), but is seen subtly when Hochleitner and Book meet and Hoch says he is going to see Rachel. From then on, the dynamic between those three presents an undeniable background storyline of “Who will Rachel end up with?”
February 12, 2014 at 4:02 pm #233Michael AugelloParticipantForum Party
BYOB
easy on the twerking.
- This reply was modified 10 years, 2 months ago by Michael Augello.
February 9, 2014 at 11:12 pm #208Michael AugelloParticipantI agree with you, Megan, love can certainly be blinding and cause people to do many things that they wouldn’t otherwise do. While the love story is what sticks out the most and is most important, it is important to see the ending in another light as well. Allowing Ilsa to go with Lazlo can be seen as a empathetic and patriotic in some senses. Lazlo is fueling a movement and a resistance during World War 2, and has taken Ilsa with him throughout everything. Rick knows how broken and empty he was when he lost Ilsa, and he knows that Lazlo would be so wrapped up in his own woe that he would not be able to do anything to fight the war. The final close ups of Rick’s face and Ilsa’s face show that they will always be in love, they both know that they will always have Paris, and they’ve accepted this. One can only assume that with Ilsa by his side, Lazlo goes on to have many successes, and this can be attributed to Rick’s sacrifice.
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