Themes: Class Differences, Haunted By the Past, Star-Crossed Lovers
Main Cast: Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, Karen Black, Scott Wilson, Sam Waterston
Release Year: 1974
Country: US
Run Time: 144 minutes
MPAA Rating: PG
Plot
This third film version of F. Scott Fitzgerald's classic 1925 novel was one of the most hyped movies of the summer of 1974. Robert Redford stars as self-made millionaire Jay Gatsby, who uses his vast (and implicitly ill-gotten) fortune to buy his way into Long Island society. Most of all, Gatsby wants to win back the love of socialite Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow), now married to "old money" Tom Buchanan (Bruce Dern). Calmly observing the passing parade is Nick Carraway (Sam Waterston), Gatsby's best friend, who narrates the film. Francis Ford Coppola's screenplay is meticulously faithful to the original novel, but Theoni V. Aldredge's costume design and Nelson Riddle's nostalgic musical score won the film its only Oscars. The huge supporting cast includes Howard Da Silva, who played Wilson in the 1949 Great Gatsby, and a very young Patsy Kensit as Daisy's daughter. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide
Review
Scripted by one of the top writer/directors of the early '70s and starring the period's hottest leading man, The Great Gatsby was supposed to be the prestige production of the year. Its flaws, however, turned it into a glossy disappointment. With its luxurious period costumes, meticulously rich settings and props, and a cast who all looked the part, this version of The Great Gatsby had all of the surface elements seductively in place. Francis Ford Coppola's screenplay also stuck closely to the novel, transforming some of F. Scott Fitzgerald's most iconic observations about the classes into dialogue. Additional scenes between Jay Gatsby and his beloved Daisy capitalized on Robert Redford's romantic allure. Director Jack Clayton's sluggish pacing, however, made the film a stilted literary artifact rather than an emotionally complex story. Though Sam Waterston's Nick, Karen Black's Myrtle, and Lois Chiles' Jordan were lauded for capturing the nuances of Fitzgerald's characters, Mia Farrow's Daisy, Bruce Dern's Tom, and Redford's Gatsby attracted a mixed response. Still, as one writer noted decades later, Redford was the only actor to successfully suggest Jay's contradictory, endlessly optimistic nature, rendering him the best Gatsby to date even as the film around him missed greatness. ~ Lucia Bozzola, All Movie Guide
Robert Laing - Art Director, Gene Rudolf - Art Director, Tony Stevens - Choreography, Theoni V. Aldredge - Costume Designer, David Tringham - First Assistant Director, Jack Clayton - Director, Tom Priestley - Editor, Nelson Riddle - Composer (Music Score), John Box - Production Designer, Douglas Slocombe - Cinematographer, Hank Moonjean - Producer, David Merrick - Producer, Peter Howitt - Set Designer, Herb Mulligan - Set Designer, Brian Simmons - Sound/Sound Designer, Ken Barker - Sound/Sound Designer, Francis Ford Coppola - Screenwriter, F. Scott Fitzgerald - Book Author
The rights to the novel were purchased in 1971 by Robert Evans so that his then-wife, Ali MacGraw, could play Daisy. Other actresses considered for the role were Faye Dunaway, Candice Bergen, Natalie Wood, Katharine Ross, Lois Chiles, Cybill Shepherd, and Mia Farrow. After MacGraw left Evans for Steve McQueen, Farrow was cast as Daisy and Chiles was given the role of Jordan. Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, and Steve McQueen were all considered for the role of Gatsby, but they were rejected or declined the offer. Beatty wanted to direct producer Evans as Gatsby, and Nicholson didn't think that MacGraw was right for the role of Daisy, who was still attached when he was approached. Farrow was pregnant during the shooting, and the film was shot with her wearing loose, flowing dresses and in tight close-ups.
Truman Capote was the original screenwriter, but he was replaced by Francis Ford Coppola. On his commentary track for The Godfather DVD, Coppola makes reference to writing the Gatsby script at the time, though he comments: "Not that the director paid any attention to it. The script that I wrote did not get made."
The movie was received well by a few, not noteworthy critics, with the majority of critics panning the movie for Mia Farrow's fake accent and overacting, as well as the excessively awkward silent scenes between Daisy and Gatsby.
