Shrine To Myself: The Trophy Hall Of Tom Buchanan

After posting about the Plaza Hotel’s Fitzgerald suite a couple of weeks ago, I decided to rewatch the Baz Luhrmann Gatsby adaptation. I’d only seen it once and didn’t remember much, which is never a good sign. I’d planned to take some screenshots of Gatsby’s estate, but spilled my popcorn when I saw Tom Buchanan’s hall of trophies. (Click photos to see larger version.)

As the story’s Old Money bigoted jerk, Luhrmann gave Buchanan a veritiable shrine to his athletic prowess, complete with portrait of himself. The room is spectacularly stylish, with vivid blue walls, checkerboard floor, and brown woodwork. It positively scintillates with trophy cups, a kind of Ali Baba’s cave of a champion polo player. It also feels like the hall’s temperature, like Tom’s heart, is rather cold.

Fitzgerald’s model for Buchanan, Tommy Hitchcock, is a far more likeable and fascinating man. Here’s a piece on him I did for Ralph Lauren Magazine at the time the film came out.