The Great Gatsby (1974)

Great Gatsby movie vs. book?

My teacher assigned us an essay, to compare and contrast the novel “The Great Gatsby” by F. Scott Fitzgerald with its 1974 film rendition. I have a few ideas, but otherwise I’m stumped on what to write. Can anyone give me some differences between the two? Thank you
My ideas were that A, the movie holds mostly true to the book in order to keep the social significance of it (bit of BS here, my teacher loves it when we praise books, so i figure the more i do the less she’ll mark me down ) and B, the movie differs from the book slightly by showing more of gatsby and daisy’s relationship and daisy’s emotions about it.

The Redford / Farrow film slavishly follows Fitzgerald’s novel in detail and dialogue. As a result it SINKS. It is a long film and feels even longer. It is dead on the screen. The only pleasure comes from remembering the book as one suffers through the movie.

Of all American authors, Fitzgerald is one of the least translatable to the motion pictures. The exquisiteness of his best prose, as in _The Great Gatsby,_ comes from its perfect rhythm, its ear, its charming descriptions, its soaring, elegaic and astonishingly fresh language. That is 75% of the book. The other 25% is the plot, characters, action; the film more or less gets those right, but it misses the essence.

The 1949 film with Alan Ladd as Gatsby is better, in spite of, or because of, some of the liberties taken with the plot (the whole thing is a flashback told by Mr. and Mrs. Nick Carraway as they look at Gatsby’s grave: Nick has married Jordan.

The Great Gatsby – Part 1 – 1974

The Great Gatsby $99.99 Songs Include : WHAT'LL I DO / THE SHEIK OF ARABY / TOM AND MYRTLE / FIVE FOOT TWO, EYES OF BLUE / JORDAN'S TANGO / WHO? I'M GONNA CHARLESTON BACK TO CHARLESTON / A LONG TIME AGO / YES, SIR, THAT'S MY BABY / WE'VE MET BEFORE / WHISPERING / CHARLESTON / IT HAD TO BE YOU / DAISY (WHAT'LL I DO) / WHEN YOU AND I WERE SEVENTEEN / MYRTLE'S DEAD / ALICE BLUE GOWN / DAISY'S TANGO / MY FAVORITE BEAU / KITT...

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK RECORDING LP (VINYL) UK PARAMOUNT 1974 ...

ORIGINAL SOUNDTRACK - VARIOUS ARTISTS LP (VINYL) UK RCA 1974 ...

The Great Gatsby [VHS] $9.90 This adaptation of the F. Scott Fitzgerald novel, scripted by Francis Ford Coppola, puts costume design and art direction above the intricacies of character. It's certainly a handsome try, and perhaps no movie could capture The Great Gatsby in its entirety. Robert Redford is an interesting casting choice as Gatsby, the millionaire isolated in his mansion, still dreaming of the woman he lost. And S...

Great Books: The Great Gatsby (Assignment Discovery) The most widely read and widely translated American novel of the 20th century, The Great Gatsby explores the uniquely American possibilities that allow individuals to remake themselves. Rich with imagery and symbolism, this book reflects not only F. Scott Fitzgerald, but also the world of the Roaring Twenties. Even today, its focus on the worship of money and power, of youth and success, make it a...