The Great Gatsby 1949: Why this Film Version Failed to Capture the Novel’s Essence

Movies Posted by oddplanet on Thu, Aug 10th, 2023 @ 11:49:08 AM 1

The Great Gatsby is a classic novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, published in 1925. It tells the story of Jay Gatsby, a mysterious millionaire who lives in a lavish mansion on Long Island, and his love for Daisy Buchanan, a married woman from an old-money family. The novel explores themes of social class, wealth, love, and the American dream in the Jazz Age.

In 1949, a film adaptation of The Great Gatsby was released, directed by Elliott Nugent and starring Alan Ladd as Gatsby, Betty Field as Daisy, and Barry Sullivan as Nick Carraway, the narrator and Daisy’s cousin. The film received mixed reviews from critics and audiences, who compared it unfavorably to the novel and to the previous 1926 silent film version.

Some of the criticisms of the 1949 film were:

– It deviated from the novel’s plot and characters, adding scenes and dialogue that were not in the original text. For example, the film showed Gatsby and Daisy meeting at a party in New York, instead of at Nick’s house. It also added a subplot involving Gatsby’s criminal activities and a rival gangster named Wilson.
– It portrayed Gatsby as a more sympathetic and heroic figure, while Daisy was reduced to a shallow and selfish woman. For example, the film showed Gatsby saving Daisy from a car accident, instead of letting her drive away after killing Myrtle Wilson. It also showed Daisy rejecting Gatsby after learning about his past, instead of staying with him until his death.
– It omitted some of the novel’s key symbols and motifs, such as the green light, the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, and the valley of ashes. For example, the film did not show the green light at the end of Daisy’s dock, which symbolized Gatsby’s hope and dream. It also did not show the billboard with the eyes of Dr. T.J. Eckleburg, which symbolized the moral decay of society. It also did not show the valley of ashes, which symbolized the wasteland of modern life.
– It failed to capture the mood and atmosphere of the 1920s, using costumes and sets that were more typical of the 1940s. For example, the film did not show the lavish parties and jazz music that characterized the Roaring Twenties. It also did not show the contrast between the glamorous East Egg and the rundown West Egg.
– It lacked the subtlety and nuance of Fitzgerald’s prose, relying on melodrama and sentimentality. For example, the film used voice-over narration and flashbacks to explain Gatsby’s backstory, instead of letting the audience infer it from his actions and words. It also used clichéd dialogue and exaggerated emotions to convey the characters’ feelings, instead of using subtle gestures and expressions.

To support these points, I will quote some reviews from different sources:

– The New York Times’ contemporary review dismissed the film as “a limp, sentimental romance, involving a bootlegger and an old sweetheart, based on Scott Fitzgerald’s classic story, but lacking the novel’s bite.”
– According to Variety, the film ranked 45th among popular movies in the U.S. and Canada in 1949.
– A user review on IMDb praised Alan Ladd’s performance as Gatsby, but criticized Betty Field as Daisy: “It is true that Betty Field, a superb actress, was not right for Daisy — there is far too much intelligence in her interpretation.”

In this blog post, I will analyze some of the differences between the novel and the film, and explain why I think the film was a disappointing adaptation of a masterpiece. I will also discuss some of the strengths and weaknesses of the film as a standalone work of art.