Rating: 
Summary: Great Gatsby 1974 Worth a Second Look
Review: The supporting cast is just about perfect. Mia Farrow as Daisy, Bruce Dern as Tom Buchanan, and Sam Waterston as Nick Carroway seemed like they just walked right out of the book. The House, the parties, the Valley of Ashes, the yellow convertible, it's all here. The eyes of Dr. Eckleberg keep peeping out and looking (examining?)the strange behavior of the participants in this seemingly fantastical yet very American drama of "have's vs have-not's". So many of the events are almost identical to the book. So why do I give this movie 4 stars instead of 5? The only flaw, in my opinion, is Robert Redford. And please don't misunderstand me, I like Redford a lot in other movies. But as Jay Gatsby? He's just a little too crisp, clean, and mature. A little bit too serene and confident to quite make it to the awkward plane of Jay Gatsby, people-pleaser and approval-seeker. Gatsby is a nervous want-to-be, trying to get approval from "old money" people. He wants to be liked by everyone--he throws parties to prove that he's "great". Redford is just too slick, I think, to really give that sense of wanting--wanting to be approved by Daisy and the others around him. He wants everyone to like him, which makes some, particularly Nick Carroway, frustrated with him. But how could you possibly not like Robert Redford? He never once comes off as nervous. I think that Redford's physical "look" works, but the portrayal was not quite there for me. Still, I think it the best rendition of the Great Gatsby yet done on film, and I do think that F. Scott Fitzgerald would have liked it. Not an easy movie to make in the first place.
Rating:
Summary: Almost..
Review: This is one of those movies that instantly captures your imagination and always lingers somewhere in the back of your mind. I saw it twice in school, and the reaction was always mixed. We are living in careless times and perhaps The Great Gatsby speaks more to us today than ever. The 1920s were a fascinating era, and this film (and the book) captures it with haunting grandeur and beauty. The music - so wonderfully scored by Nelson Riddle - is a highlight. Also a highlight is Mia Farrow's performance as Daisy.... Here's where the controversy always lies. Why is Daisy portrayed as so stupid and shallow by Mia Farrow? Why is her character so one dimensional?? Duh, that is the whole point of the story! Daisy was the flawed character - she had no real vulnerability because she never loved anyone. She only cared about herself and her money and her "white" cars and clothes. Gatsby was the ideal character - hopelessly in love with her. However, Redford's portrayal is not convincing at all. He didn't seem like he cared, either. Stiff as cardboard, no emotion, etc.. The tragedy of Gatsby was he was really a dreamer alone in the world. When he dies, it is not only the death of a hero, but really the result of careless people who don't know how to love. Mia Farrow conveyed that perfectly! Yes, she is one dimensional! I can not tell you how many people I have met like Daisy's character in real life.. Thank you F. Scott Fitzgerald!
Rating:
Summary: Disturbing Story of Idle-Rich in the Roaring 20s
Review: This lavish Hollywood treatment of the Classic F. Scott Fitzgerald novel is a visual and acoustic delight. Nelson Riddle's spellbinding score and the many brilliant camera shots capturing the splendor of an age of excesses and indulgances make for engaging entertainment. Still, the dark story will leave the viewer numb at the eventual (bitter) end.A young Mia Farrow and Robert Redford in the leads, along with excellent performances by Scott Wilson and Bruce Dern, as well as the 70s "femme fatale" staple Karen Black round out the top, with what seems to be hundreds of colorful "flapper" and servant extras in the cast. Everyone fortunate enough to be born or married or mistressed into money is living the "life", not caring about anyone and anything other than fun, fun, fun. A series of indiscretions (by just about everyone) culminates in the "just desserts", and several deaths. The fact that life of the high and mighty seems to go on without skipping a beat, regardless of anyone's reclessness or involvement, is the tough lesson the author seems to aim for. Without conscience, what have we? All the money will not replace human emotions, though the cash seems to easily take their place. But didn't we have fun....
Rating:
Summary: The Great Gatsby is good enough
Review: First off, all of you tools who have not read the book, read it. It will do you wonders for understanding this movie. Simply put, the book is far better than the movie. The film itself is well done, portrayal of the times is excellent. Redford plays an acceptably good Gatsby. Mia Farrow gives an equally good performance as Daisy. She captures the characters shallowness and flighty appearance. Sam Waterston plays an excellent Nick Carraway. Wilson is also portrayed wonderfully and as he should be, not a cold blooded killer. Bruce Dern does not seem to be the right choice for the role of Tom. In the book, Tom seems bigger; more arrogant, a stronger character. Dern's portrayal seems meaker, and unfulfilling. Jordan Baker is well played, not to my liking, but well played none the less. The film, of course, lacks many details that are meaningful and create a better picture in the text. But, for what it is, it's a good show.
Rating: 
Summary: VERY SAD!
Review: Saddest book I've ever read and saddest movie I've ever seen.
The book was excellent and the actors' played the parts with great accuracy (Gatsby's neighbor is one of the attorneys from the Law and Order series). If sad is what you're looking for, then read the book first, then get the movie. The only "chick flick" that a guy wouldn't mind watching!
Rating: 
Summary: GONE IS THE HOPE THAT THIS TRANSFER WOULD BE STUNNING!
Review: "The Great Gatsby" is a film spawned from F.Scott Fitzgerald's pen of wanton greed, lust, sex and murder set during the flapper decadence of the 1920s. Robert Redford is the quintessential sexy anti-hero/charmer. Mia Farrow is his gawky flapper paramour - Daisy Buchanan. Sam Waterston bookends the story as Nick. Despite a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola and stellar production values the film generally misses its mark in recanting the tale of a millionaire playboy, brooding away in his locked mansion for the woman that he lost. There's just something about Fitzgerald's writing that doesn't translate to the big screen.
TRANSFER: A HUGE/STRANGE DISAPPOINTMENT! Despite being anamorphically enhanced the picture elements of this film look as though they've been fed through a meat grinder. Age related scratches and often excessive film grain crop up throughout, while some scenes are remarkably free of either distraction. The contrast levels during the dusk scenes are way too low. Colors are generally muted and during several scenes even bleed. There are digital artifacts throughout including more than a hint of edge enhancement, aliasing and shimmering of fine details. The audio is barely stereo and really weak in its spread.
EXTRAS: NOT A SINGLE ONE!
BOTTOM LINE: This is one of those rare cases where the both the film and its transfer tie for being benign, lousy and lackluster. Don't waste your money!
Rating:
Summary: How About a CD of the Soundtrack
Review: Much has been written about later versions of The Great Gatsby on video and DVD and how Nelson Riddle's score had been deleted due to "copyright" laws. I'm glad that now the original score is back....now, what can we do to have the double album soundtrack transferred to CD format?
Rating:
Summary: Nelson Riddle score makes the difference
Review: Earlier in the year, I offered a review of the video tape edition of this film. The version contained elevator-type music, as the original Nelson Riddle soundtrack was missing. Riddle could not agree on terms price for the original score with the movie studio. Riddle's estate evidentally has done so so the original score has been restored to the film. Many reviewers asked that the original score be considered for any re-release. Well, on the 30th anniversary of the film, here it is.."The Great Gatsby" with the original soundtrack. Thank you!
Fitzgerald would have been pleased with the adaptation and the accompanying soundtrack. It is obvious how much of a difference the music makes in contributing to the overall experience.
The DVD is not to be viewed in a context of pure entertainment. It is a relevant story about the desire to possess what one does not have, regardless of the cost. The script is taken directly from the key points in the text. The film has a dream-like quality due to the utilization of a unique lens.
If one seeks an action packed thriller, this is not it. The film is for the romantic and sentimental. Anyone who has sought someone or something only to lose it all in the end will be able to relate. The song "What'll I Do" underlies Gatsby's insecurity. Redford and Farrow make a wonderful Gatsby and Daisy. As for the script, it does contain some lines which could be considered corny in our present time. The script, however, is incorporated DIRECTLY from the novel. I have read the text more than 25 times.
In 2002, I viewed the movie at Rosecliff mansion in Newport, RI, where several of the scenes were filmed. The version presented was the one without the original score. What a disappointment!
As an educator, I use the film to provoke several questions. Among these is the Estella-like (Dickens) character of Daisy...why is not Daisy content with Gatsby? Was it merely a whirlwind romance with Gatsby deceiving himself as to Daisy's feelings? How often do people in our society nowadays do the same?
I would provide more detailed substantiation in support of this version, but as I am serving in the armed forces in Iraq, I have little computer access. I really appreciate the release of the DVD, especially in time for Christmas. At least it will make Christmas just a little better for this one soldier in the war. If you are a romantic, sentimental, reflective person, you will enjoy this film. For those of you writing negative reviews, may I respectfully suggest you reconsider your remarks in consideration of the restored soundtrack?
Rating:
Summary: Overstuffed Turkey
Review: Promoted heavily at the time of its release for its glamour and high style, "The Great Gatsby" is a surprisingly limp film with little of either. There's nothing outstanding about it which, given the money and talent that went into it, is a pretty damning comment. The Newport locations are wasted, and most of the actors come off little better. Ralph Lauren's fashions (highly touted prior to the film's release) don't seem especially special, and Douglas Slocombe's cinematography is disappointingly soft and low contrast. Indeed, the only real sign of the film's budget are the loving shots of expensive cars, clothing and crockery and the endless, over-crowded party scenes. Both give new definition to the word pointless. At the peak of his career, Robert Redford is not bad, but does not seem very well cast and doesn't look that good. Mia Farrow, on the other hand, is too well cast as the flighty, self-indulgent Daisy of his dreams, managing to annoy much more than charm. Bruce Dern is grossly out of scale to the rest of the cast; his racist, brutal posturings seem to belong in another movie. Sam Waterston manages not to disgrace himself in the thankless role of the silent witness to other people's affairs. The only above average performance is by Scott Wilson as the mechanic, George, and even he could stand to have a beat or two trimmed from his suffering. The biggest problem with the movie is its all too apparent effort to overwhelm. A much lighter approach, even an ironic one, would seem to suit the material more effectively. Heavy with the attempt to be atmospheric, it feels overstuffed and tentative. There is no sense that anyone behind or in front of the camera had a driving passion to put the story on the screen, or even bothered to ask why it was being made. It's a ponderous movie, witless and heavy-handed, over-produced and cheap at the same time.
Rating:
Summary: Careless people
Review: How anyone can possibly say The Great Gatsby has no relevance to modern sensibilities only indicates the lack of emotional depth in the reviewer (see below)! There is a lot more to the book (but not necessarily the film) than flashy flappers dancing the Charleston, although it does make a perfect setting. The story is about hollow, careless people. The main flawed character in the novel and film is Daisy, but because she is so beautiful, Gatsby cannot see the ugliness behind her facade. He loves her, but like another reviewer said, she didn't care. Daisy didn't really care about anything. So what is the relevance of The Great Gatsby today? The story is so full of meaning that one review could not hold it all. Only the book can, and to some extent the very good film. What angers me is audiences today only see the superficial qualities of the story (wow! It's about flappers) and dismiss the message (or can't comprehend it). It is not a book that provides answers, but it does illuminate more brilliantly than anything else the nature of those careless people who never love anyone except themselves. Who hasn't run into a few of these people in their life? Never fall in love with a Daisy. As for the film; brilliant Nelson Riddle score, cinematography, costumes, casting (Karen Black as Myrtle and Mia Farrow as Daisy - absolutely brilliant choices!), and a faithful screenplay.
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