Everyone in this movie is so sweaty all of the time. Especially in the hotel scene. And I understand that it's because it was a very hot summer in the 1920's and they wouldn't have air conditioning. But I was wondering if they actually turned off the air conditioner when filming this movie and shot the scenes in really hot temperatures or if they just sprayed water onto the actors faces to look like sweat.. does anyone know??
shareThank God someone else noticed this. I watched the film for the first time last night and the sweaty faces were a stand out feature.
I came here expecting to see a big discussion and - nothing apart from this post.
I don't know if it was deliberate or accidental but I found it very off putting. Had there been a couple of mentions of extreme heat during the first half it might have helped. (During the second half it was made apparent that it was extremely hot.)
From my experience, though, it takes not only very high temperatures but also extreme humidity to make normal weight people, who are sedentary or moving at an ordinary walking pace, sweat like that.
To me, the sweatiness did not evoke heat so much as careless filming. (e.g. long rehearsals/multiple takes under hot lights and then not drying off.)
It was also noticeable that whilst the men seemed to be sweating excessively most of the time the women rarely glowed at all.
Try staying in an un-airconditioned building with just little electric fans and an open window, with the temperatures between 90 and 105 degrees. You'll be just as covered with sweat as they were, especially if the humidity is between 35 and 65 percent.
shareOne of my students several years ago dubbed this, "the sweatiest movie ever made." In the novel, the extreme heat is emphasized primarily in chapter seven when Gatsby and Tom confront each other in a suite at the Plaza Hotel.
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It can be. Temps in the 90s aren't unusual in NY and it didn't help that the men all seemed to be wearing blazers, ties, vests and hats.
In the book, the heat is a part of what makes everyone go so crazy. I think the sweat look in the film helps emphasize the growing suspense and despair in the story. Also, you have to take into account that the people in this time period wore a great deal more articles of clothing during the hot months than we do now. Men were wearing undershirts, dress shirts, ties, vests, suit jackets, suit pants and undergarments. Mens summer suits were often made of flannel, which I think we all know isn't really a COOLING material. Women wore less but still more than the ladies of this era. Summer in New York is also known for being sweltering hot, I can only imagine how the folks of the 1920s handled it.
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