The Great Gatsby

British director Jack Clayton and writer Francis Ford Coppola's adaptation of the classic failed on several levels, especially in the writing and casting of the film. An idealistic man becomes fascinated by his mysterious and wealthy neighbor and becomes entangled is his quest to win his long lost love. Based on the novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, this was the first big budget adaptation with an A-list cast. Despite its high gloss and top talent attached, the film fails to fill the between the lines where the cinematic treatment could have provided essential clues to the psyche of the characters. Robert Redford and Mia Farrow star as Jay Gatsby and Daisy Buchanan who seem like obvious choices but their performances lack the crucial nuances to reveal the darkness behind the surface of the characters and are easily upstaged by the flashier performances of Bruce Dern and Karen Black as Tom Buchanan and Myrtle Wilson. Sam Waterston is the only one in tune with his character as Nick Carraway. 1001 Films' coverage of films on DVD.