The Great Gatsby (1949), with Alan Ladd
Alan Ladd as Gatsby, in the earliest film of the novel that survives.
Gatsby is a bootlegger with a past. Make the film a crime picture of its own decade.
You like old Hollywood crime films, and you want the earliest film of the novel that survives.
What it keeps and what it changes
Keeps: the main people and the shape of the plot, with Macdonald Carey as Nick.
Changes: the emphasis, toward the gangster. Alan Ladd plays Gatsby, with Betty Field as Daisy, Ruth Hussey as Jordan, Barry Sullivan as Tom and Shelley Winters as Myrtle.
Whose story is it?
Gatsby’s. The film is built around its star.
How much time does it ask?
91 minutes. Directed by Elliott Nugent. Kino Lorber’s Blu-ray, from a new master made from a 4K scan, came out in August 2025.
Kino Lorber: Elliott Nugent’s film with Alan Ladd, Betty Field, Macdonald Carey, Ruth Hussey, Barry Sullivan, Howard Da Silva and Shelley Winters.
Where to find it
Blu-ray (Kino Lorber) — Amazon
Other ways to get it: Kino Lorber’s page · Find where it’s streaming — JustWatch
Borrow it free: Find at your library — WorldCat
More ways into West Egg: The Great Gatsby (1974), with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow · The Great Gatsby (2000 television film) · The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann, 2013)