The Great Gatsby
by Jack Clayton
List Price:
Our Price: $12.91
You Save: $2.08 (14%)
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Category: DVD
See more DVD releases
Canada
DVD Cover Information
Actor: Bruce Dern, Karen Black, Mia Farrow, Robert Redford, Scott WilsonDirector: Jack Clayton
Brand: REDFORD,ROBERT
Cinematographer: Douglas Slocombe
Editor: Tom Priestley
Writer: Francis Ford Coppola
Writer: F. Scott Fitzgerald
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; English (Subtitled); English (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono; French (Original Language), Dolby Digital 2.0 Mono
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, DVD, NTSC, Widescreen
Running Time: 144 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2003-12-02
Audience Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Studio: Paramount Pictures
Movie Reviews of The Great Gatsby
Movie Review: Nelson Riddle score makes the difference
Summary: 5 Stars
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?
Summary of The Great Gatsby
Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor.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 Sam Waterston is perfect as the narrator, Nick, who brings the dream girl Daisy Buchanan back to Gatsby. No, the problem seems to be that director Jack Clayton fell in love with the flapper dresses and the party scenes and the Jazz Age tunes, ending up with a Classics Illustrated version of a great book rather than a fresh, organic take on the text. While Redford grows more quietly intriguing in the film, Mia Farrow's pallid performance as Daisy leaves you wondering why Gatsby, or anyone else, should care so much about his grand passion. The effective supporting cast includes Bruce Dern as Daisy's husband, and Scott Wilson and Karen Black as the low-rent couple whose destinies cross the sun-drenched protagonists. (That's future star Patsy Kensit as Daisy's little daughter.) The film won two Oscars--not surprisingly, for costumes and musical score. --Robert Horton
Hatari!WAYNE,JOHN; Release date: 2001-07-24; DVD
Best price: $8.99
A Place in the SunTAYLOR,ELIZABETH; Release date: 2001-08-21; DVD
Best price: $9.99
Price in other shops:
Harold and MaudeGORDON,RUTH; Release date: 2000-06-27; DVD
Best price: $8.99
El Dorado (Paramount Centennial Collection)Paramount; Release date: 2009-05-19; DVD
Best price: $11.88
Price in other shops:
The CrucibleFox; Release date: 2004-06-01; DVD
Best price: $4.50
Price in other shops:
Fitzgerald's the Great Gatsby (Cliffs Notes)by Cliffs Notes, Kate Maurer
Cliffs Notes; Published: 2000-06-19; Paperback; Book
Best price: $2.24
Price in other shops:
HudNEWMAN,PAUL; Release date: 2003-12-02; DVD
Best price: $8.99
The Greatest Show on EarthPARAMOUNT HOME VIDEO; Release date: 2004-04-06; DVD
Best price: $8.69
Price in other shops:
Paper MoonO'NEAL,RYAN; Release date: 2003-08-12; DVD
Best price: $12.99
The Great GatsbyA and E Home Video; Release date: 2001-01-30; DVD
Best price: $8.97
Price in other shops: