The Great Gatsby (1974), with Robert Redford and Mia Farrow
Robert Redford and Mia Farrow, from a screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola.
Take the novel at its word, put it in its own period, and let the clothes and the houses do the dreaming.
You want the novel in period on screen, played straight, and you have most of an evening.
What it keeps and what it changes
Keeps: the period, the plot and the main characters, with Sam Waterston as Nick.
Changes: the pace, slowed to the length of a long film, and the look, which is the 1920s in full costume.
Jack Clayton directs from Francis Ford Coppola’s screenplay: Robert Redford, Mia Farrow, Bruce Dern, Karen Black, Sam Waterston as Nick, Lois Chiles as Jordan.
Whose story is it?
Gatsby’s and Daisy’s. Redford and Farrow are at its centre, with Bruce Dern as Tom, Karen Black as Myrtle and Lois Chiles as Jordan.
How much time does it ask?
The AFI Catalog lists 144 to 148 minutes depending on the version; its Prime Video listing says 2 hours 17 minutes. Directed by Jack Clayton for Paramount.
AFI Catalog: directed by Jack Clayton, screenplay by Francis Ford Coppola, produced by David Merrick, distributed by Paramount.
Where to find it
Other ways to get it: Blu-ray — Amazon · Find where it’s streaming — JustWatch
More ways into West Egg: The Great Gatsby (1949), with Alan Ladd · The Great Gatsby (2000 television film) · The Great Gatsby (Baz Luhrmann, 2013)