The Great Gatsby film versions

There are two versions of The Great Gatsby out on video. Both of the films are very close to the book. The older version of this film was made in 1974. The other version is actually quite new, and was released in 2000. Some people prefer one over another. I prefer the older one, only because it resembles the book more closely.

The cast of the 1974 version of the film are: Jay Gatsby- Robert Redford, Daisy- Mia Farrow, Tom- Bruce Dern, and Sam Was Nick Carraway. This film was directed by Herbert Brenon. It won two academy awards. These awards were for best costume design and best music. It also won a golden globe award.

The more new version that was released in 2000 is a good movie also but it is not as close to the book as the 1974 version is. It only differs by minor things like little scenes cut out or the car being the wrong color. The cast of this version consisted of Paul Rudd as Nick Carraway, Toby Stephens, Mira Sorvino, and Martin Donovan. This version was made as a television movie. A&E cable network did some collaboration work with Granada productions out of Great Britain. This version was directed by Robert Markowitz. This version is the fourth version of The Great Gatsby released today.

Both of these are good movies that were filmed well and follow the story line well. I would recommend people to watch this movie if they are interested in how the 1920s and the jazz age was.

Sources:www.imbd.com/gatsby/review

www.contactmusic.com/review/the_great-gatsby

www.rottontomatoes.com

Old vs New Money

Old money people are people that have grown up with money their whole life. They are selfish and have little care about others feelings and opinions. They are generally snobs. They feel that since they have been born rich that they are elite compared to the rest of the world. The Old money people generally live in East Egg. East Egg is commonly known for hosting families that are rich and that have been this way for many years. The Old money people are well respected and loved by many. They are commonly mimicked by their neighbors in West Egg. The Old money people are judgemental and wont think twice about what they say, and if they say something insulting or rude they will most likely not ask for forgiveness.

The New Money people on the other hand are people that are newly rich. These people have worked very hard and have dedicated their blood, sweat, and tears into their money that they now own. This group of New Money people generally live in West Egg. West Egg hosts many criminals only because during the 1920s many people were involved in illegal activities involving alcohol. Among these criminals is Jay Gatsby. Jay Gatsby is one of the richest men in West Egg. We also know that Jay Gatsby has been making his money through bootlegging. The New Money people aren't as respected as the Old Money people. The New Money people actually copy many things that the Old money people do as to try to be as prestige as them.

Overall the East Egg residents or the Old money people are better only because they have overall more respect from others.

East Egg vs. West Egg

East Egg and West Egg are identical in contour and separated only by a courtesy bay... they are not perfect ovals though. East Egg is the fashionable group of social elite or commonly known as the "old money" people. This only means that they have had money mostly their whole life. Tom and Daisy represent the East Egg because they have both lived luxuriously their entire lives. Most of the people in East Egg are shallow and don't have many values. They are also careless and are completely concerned with themselves. The social elite of East Egg are somewhat inhumane because of how careless they are about what they do. They were so spoiled their whole lives their judgment on things are twisted compared to most people. Al thought these are bad people they are envied and copied by the West Eggers. Most people in the East Egg area don't like the fact the West eggers are copy cats and they dint really play along with this.
The West eggers are the people that are newly rich also called the "new money" people. The new money people worked hard to earn their money in a short amount of time. Their wealth is based off of materialistic items. Gatsby, just like all the West eggers lacks the traditions of the East eggers. He is considered new money because he made his money recently ( and many people believe he didn't make it in a legal way). This is mostly why Gatsby is very wealthy but not a snob about it. Gatsby actually has retained a lot of his hospitality because he earned his money and wasn't born with it.
Overall both eggs are very similar in the fact that the residents love money, but the difference is how they obtained their money and how its shaped them as a person.

F Scott Fitzgerald

Francis Scott Key Fitzgerald was born in St. Paul, Minnesota, on September 24, 1896. F Scott Fitzgerald was somewhat of a "mama's boy". He loved his mother even though she was a kind of embarrassment to him on occasions. One of his first literary efforts was a detective story that was published in his school news paper when he was 12. When he was 16 he was expelled from St. Paul Academy for neglecting his studies. He then attended Newman School, a prep school in New Jersey. After his studies at Newman School he decided to go to Princeton University. As a poor student he left Princeton University to enlist in the army during World War I, however the war ended right before he enlisted, so he never actually had went to battle. During the time when he was in the army, Fitzgerald was at a country club and met Zelda Sayre. They fell in love with one another and got married in 1919.

The 1920s were F Scott Fitzgerald's biggest influence on his writings, other influences would be Zelda and alcohol mostly. Fitzgerald was a kind of alcoholic ever since his college days. he wrote his most famous novel The Great Gatsby in 1925. Zelda later became "insane" and this encouraged Scott to drink more alcohol and this was taking away from his novel writings. Many of his characters in his stories were based on real peoples personalities that he knew. Scott moved to Hollywood in the 1930s to live up to his Hollywood way of life. Scott always loved to spend his money. He was a charming young man who knew how to party and have a good time. Fitzgerald died of a heart attack while he was working on his last novel The Love of the Last Tycoon. His drinking had left him in poor health during the late 1930s.

Flappers

In the 1920s a new women was born. She smoked, drank, voted and danced. She cut her hair, wore make-up and went to parties. She was giddy and took risks. She was a flapper.

Flappers were a part of a rebelious movement led by the younger generation of the 1920s. The local flappers could normally be spottted at your neighborhood speakeasies. The 1920 flapper was all about a good time. They loved to have as much fun as possible and were not affraid to break the law in the process.

A flapper usally dressed with short hair and clothes that revealed more skin. Flappers were kind of labeled as "skanks" or "dirty girls" because of they way that they treated their body and their day to day actions. Many flappers were young, usally ranging from 18-25 years of age.

Flappers knew life was short so they decided to get their kicks when they were young. Many of the older generation americans were disgusted by the way the flapper acted.

Some flappers used drugs like alcohol, tabacco, and some even used cocaine.

Sources:www.flappersofthe1920s.about.com

Prohibition

People wanted prohibition because they felt it would reduce social problems, the tax burden created by prisons ans poorhouses, and improve overall health in America. People in the 1920s were now realizing alcohol damaged your body, mostly your liver. There were many different groups that fought for prohibition. This event was known as the Temperence Movement. These groups wanted to protect women and children. Alcoholic Anonymous is the most well known temperence group today. There was also the Anti-Saloon Act League. they belived the only way to preserve christianity in America was to rid of the "devils drink." After a long fight, on January 16, 1920, prohibition went into effect. This banned the manufacturing, sale, and transportation of alcohol. The Volstead Act made it so all alcohol with 0.5% alcohol content was now illegal. If you were caught defying the Volstead Act you could get fined up to 1,000$. If you could not pay the fine you could be put into jail at the minimum of 6 months.

Prohibition brought more organized crime to America in the 20th century. People were bootlegging alcohol. They were now making alcohol in there own bathtubs. Many people were now smuggling alcohol throughout the country. People came up with innovative new ways to transport alcohol. Prohibition brought about speakeasies too. Speakeasies were illegal bars that served alcohol. The only way you could get into these bars was by knowing the secret password. The 21st amendment offically repealed the 18th amendment. Franklin Roosevelt was the one to get it repealed. After prohibition many jobs were now created. by 1966 all states in America officially repealed prohibition. The main lesson learned from the 18th amendment and prohibition of alcohol, is that it does not work. It did not improve the overall health in America, it did not solve social problmes, and it led to an increase of government spending.

Sources: www.1920-30.com/prohibition

www.history1900s.about.com

www.essortment.com/all/prohibitonamer_refo.html

Mafia and Gangsters

Welcome to the era of mobsters and gangsters, where you're free to do as you please. It began in the the late 1800's and still is present today with all the counts of extortion, racketeering, and prostitution. Each mafia group was known as a "family" and they had their own unique styles and way of doing business. There was the Italian Mob, the Sicilian Mob, and in the present day the Mexican Mafia. There is no escaping the mob nor the gangsters. The mafia and gangster's way of life has spread to almost every race in America today and really you can see no end in sight.

The mafia and the gangster's that came with the mob began forming during the mass immigration into the United States. Amongst the thousands of immigrants arriving at Ellis Island from all ethnic groups the Italians and Sicilians were the largest. The Italians and Sicilians, like most minorities, sought protection and security from hoodlums that were already there. In time these groups that protected the minorities would become corrupt, lethal, and dangerous to American society.

The era of mobs and gangs has left a dramatic scar on America, but ironically it also has left a great influence on the American people. With movies such as "The Godfather," "Colors," and "The Departed" all of which give a insight to how the mob and gangs operated. Even television shows like "The Sopranos" were critically acclaimed and found a spot in American lifestyles. We have seen, with the help of movies and television shows, that mobsters and gangsters developed a lot more viciousness and violence as the years past to the present date.

Some of the greatest leaders found success with relative ease, but only because of the soldiers that kept their loyalty to the boss. One great leader emerged from a soldiers, the muscle of the mob, to the ranks of boss. One such character was named Al Capone, whose territory resided in Chicago in the 1920's to 1931. Smuggling alcohol during prohibition led to immediate success for Capone and his crime family.

The present day gang is very much like the previous gangsters except that they are much more violent, smarter, and incognito on how they go about their business. These gangs have a canning amount of heat coming from the FBI and other federal agencies. Ever since the creation of a gang, there has been a protagonist trying to get rid of them from society. It is cause of the amount of homicides and crimes that follow the gang thats led to the developement of the FBI. With J. Edgar Hoover as the founder and leader of the FBI they sought to rid America of mobsters and gangsters alike. With the most famous capture of Bonnie and Clyde and Dillinger catapulted the FBI as the number one federal agency for domestic affairs.