Gatsby was first published in 1925, and it only took a little over a year for the first film adaptation to come out. This silent film was adapted from a successful Broadway stage production of the story rather than from the novel itself. No copies of this film have survived, but reviews at the time praised it for being as faithful to the source material as a silent film can be. Fitzgerald hated it, having walked out halfway through. You can kinda see his point, though. Imagine putting in that much work writing a novel, only to see it play out in mouthed dialogue and title cards while organ music is constantly playing.
In 1949, Hollywood gave The Great Gatsby another go. This version was a financial success, but the reviews were very much split. The cast got high marks for their acting, but nearly all of the novel’s biting social commentary got pushed aside in order to focus on the sappy, sentimental romance angle. This was four years after the end of WWII after all, and audiences were still stuck in “Ain’t America just the best?” mode, so this was no time to remind anyone that the American dream isn’t all it’s cracked up to be.
Paramount Pictures
Then came the 1974 Robert Redford/Mia Farrow version, which got almost everything right. The script was faithful to the novel, and the sets, costumes, and soundtrack were perfect … The problem is the actors forgot to give a shit. Nearly every shot in this film is so full of awkward, wooden line delivery that you can practically hear the director off-screen saying, “No, seriously. Action!”
Finally, we have the 2013 version directed by Baz Luhrmann, a director who best answers the question: What would happen if a genie got high on bath salts and granted three wishes to the most insufferable musical theatre major you’ve ever met? Luhrmann brought his trademark frenetic showmanship to The Great Gatsby, whether anyone asked for it or not. It was a bold choice to make a film that takes place in the Jazz Age and give it a modern pop soundtrack that, at most, acknowledges that jazz once existed.
Warner Bros. Pictures
Not to say that Luhrmann butchered the narrative. He did pretty well when he absolutely had to stick to Fitzgerald’s story, but the plot-driven scenes stood in sharp contrast to the mescaline-laced eye candy of the party scenes. As Christopher Orr from The Atlantic described the film, “The problem is that when the movie is entertaining it’s not Gatsby, and when it’s Gatsby it’s not entertaining.”
Leonardo DiCaprio did receive high marks for his portrayal of Jay Gatsby, though. Fun fact: DiCaprio was a year older than Robert Redford was when he played the role, and Redford was criticized for being too old for the part. That’s not necessarily a slam against Redford’s talent, but more of a testament to the advances in moisturizer since 1974.
Top image: Warner Bros. Pictures