Rotten Tomatoes
Cancel Movies Tv shows FanStore News Showtimes

The Great Gatsby

Play trailer The Great Gatsby Released Jul 13, 1949 1h 32m Drama Play Trailer Watchlist
Watchlist Tomatometer Popcornmeter
33% Tomatometer 9 Reviews 41% Popcornmeter 100+ Ratings
Nick Carraway (Macdonald Carey) resides among Long Island's elite during the 1920s. His enigmatic neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Alan Ladd), invites him to a party at his mansion, where they become acquainted. Nick slowly gets caught up in Gatsby's obsession with his lost love, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan (Betty Field), who is now married to Tom Buchanan (Barry Sullivan). Nick foresees inevitable tragedy as Gatsby undertakes bolder and bolder advances toward Daisy.

Critics Reviews

View All (9) Critics Reviews
Bob Thomas Associated Press The F. Scott Fitzgerald characters never come entirely to life. Alan Ladd tries hard as the fated young opportunist. Jul 25, 2019 Full Review TIME Magazine Unfortunately, the movie version misses many of its opportunities. May 8, 2013 Full Review Variety Staff Variety Elliott Nugent's direction skips along the surface of the era depicted. The script doesn't give him much substance to work with. Mar 26, 2009 Full Review Fr. Chris Carpenter Movie Dearest An interesting, film noir-ish take on the novel. The screenplay takes some liberties with the source material but (Alan) Ladd gives an exceptionally sensitive performance as the lovelorn millionaire. Excellent supporting cast. Rated: B May 3, 2014 Full Review David Parkinson Radio Times Elliott Nugent directs with some atmospheric touches, but can't counter screenwriter Richard Maibaum's verbosity. Rated: 2/5 May 8, 2013 Full Review TV Guide A large part of what makes this version work is the glacial central presence of Alan Ladd, who's quite convincing as a man with a mysterious past. Rated: 3.5/4 May 8, 2013 Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

View All (9) audience reviews
Audience Member Ladd is a excellent choice for Gatsby and Shelley Winters perfect for Myrtle but the film is hampered by miscasting in most every other role. The flat look of the film betrays the luxury settings inherent in the book. Not bad but surely not a definitive version. Rated 3 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member This adaptation is very dark and gripping - more so than any other version I've seen thus far. Ladd is the best Gatsby to date and if you are not too particular about a faithful book adaptations, this movie will keep you entertained. The only reasons I wouldn't give it 5 stars is a super low production value and the fact that it seems to be set in late 30's/early 40's rather than in the roaring 20's (based on the costumes, interiors, cars - etc). That makes it confusing with the story line. :) Unlike Redford's wooden performance and DiCaprio's gross overacting, this Gatsby is much more vulnerable, subtle and I dare you not to root for him. I double dare you...:) Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Audience Member Static version of the novel, with Betty Field miscast as Daisy Buchanan. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 02/27/23 Full Review Audience Member Seems rather lacking in ambition, skimming lightly through most of the story. Occasional particularly effective scenes stand out; Gatsby displaying his stuff (which brought me to realize that James Franco's character, Alien, in SPRING BREAKERS is modeled on Gatsby), and Gatsby's demise among them. Rated 2.5 out of 5 stars 01/12/23 Full Review Audience Member Far superior to the Robert Redford 70's version. Hopefully the 2012 remake will hold up to this one. Saw this in May at the Palm Springs Film Noir Festival in a packed house. Alan Ladd does a more gangster and gentleman take on the role, while still being subtle. He is our unsung hero throughout the film. His death scene is memorable and haunting even by today's standards. The set pieces are stunning and the cars are phenomenal. Rated 4 out of 5 stars 02/09/23 Full Review Audience Member good version of this but I still like Redford 1974 version best Ladd is a little too old to play the part. Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 02/25/23 Full Review Read all reviews
The Great Gatsby

My Rating

Read More Read Less POST RATING WRITE A REVIEW EDIT REVIEW

Cast & Crew

East Side, West Side 43% 74% East Side, West Side Watchlist Caught 100% 77% Caught Watchlist The Heiress 100% 93% The Heiress Watchlist The Fountainhead 85% 74% The Fountainhead Watchlist A Place in the Sun 82% 84% A Place in the Sun Watchlist TRAILER for A Place in the Sun Discover more movies and TV shows. View More

Movie Info

Synopsis Nick Carraway (Macdonald Carey) resides among Long Island's elite during the 1920s. His enigmatic neighbor, Jay Gatsby (Alan Ladd), invites him to a party at his mansion, where they become acquainted. Nick slowly gets caught up in Gatsby's obsession with his lost love, the beautiful Daisy Buchanan (Betty Field), who is now married to Tom Buchanan (Barry Sullivan). Nick foresees inevitable tragedy as Gatsby undertakes bolder and bolder advances toward Daisy.
Director
Elliott Nugent
Producer
Richard Maibaum
Screenwriter
Cyril Hume, Richard Maibaum
Distributor
Paramount Pictures
Genre
Drama
Original Language
English
Release Date (Theaters)
Jul 13, 1949, Original
Runtime
1h 32m