Great Gatsby, The (DVD)

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The choice of British-born Jack Clayton to direct the picture may seem odd, but he brings a fresh sensibility to the story. Like Nick and the viewer, he's an outsider himself looking in on a world both near and far away. He keeps the action moving forward, with only the length of the script to hinder him, plus a fondness for too many warm, fuzzy moments. Nevertheless, Clayton manages to make the last twenty minutes or so of the film strongly affecting, and they above all best illustrate the essence of Fitzgerald.

The settings are magnificent. To achieve the proper period atmosphere, the movie was filmed largely on location in areas of the upper crust in New York City's Plaza Hotel and Rosecliff Mansion in Newport, Rhode Island. Extras for Gatsby's lavish parties were recruited among the wealthy neighborhoods. It may all be presented too literally, but it provides a splendid feast for the eyes.

Finally, the music of the film also helps to establish the right note of 1920's authenticity. Nelson Riddle's arrangements of the music of the time won an Academy Award. What's more, vocals were provided by actor William Atherton, who isn't usually thought of as a singer these days, and actual twenties pop singer Nick Lucas (both, oddly, uncredited), who first popularized "Tiptoe Through the Tulips." Among the songs that establish the movie's mood are Irving Berlin's "What'll I Do," "When You and I Were Seventeen," "I'm Going to Charleston Back to Charleston," and "Five Foot Two, Eyes of Blue." Why the soundtrack vinyl album disappeared years ago and was never issued on CD, I'll never know.

Anyway, 1974's "The Great Gatsby" may be one of those hit-and-miss affairs that on its initial release missed by a mile with critics and viewers but could just hit it off on DVD. It's a movie for people who have already read the book and can fill in the missing details themselves or for people who have not read the book and just want a good romance. The movie is an opulent, stylish extravaganza that may be more faithful to the "look" of Fitzgerald's novel than to its spirit, yet brings a good deal of entertainment along the way. It's worth a shot, if you'll excuse the pun.

Video:
The video quality of "The Great Gatsby" on disc is variable but mostly excellent. It's been transferred in its original aspect ratio, here rendered at about 1.74:1, and at a very high bit rate to ensure the best possible picture; throughout maybe ninety per cent of the movie, it looks terrific. Images are sharply delineated, contrasts are strongly set off, and colors are brilliantly rich and luxuriant. But there are also a few nighttime scenes that are somewhat grainy or murky and a few indoor shots that are veiled in a fine but unmistakable mist of some sort, giving the latter a slightly rough appearance. Dirt, lines, scratches, and age spots are entirely absent, and for the most part, as I say, the screen is clear and clean.

Audio:
When I first read that "The Great Gatsby" was finally coming to DVD, I also noted with no small dismay that it was being presented in mono only. I was unhappy with this news, to say the least, because the music is one of the best parts of the picture, and I had remembered it, perhaps faultily, as being in stereo. Imagine my delight, then, when the disc arrived and I discovered the sound had, indeed, been in stereo all along and was now remixed in Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround!

If there is any minor drawback to the audio reproduction, it's that it can on occasion, especially during loud musical passages, be overly hard and bright, not an uncommon attribute of older films. Sounds directed toward the back speakers are not always pinpoint in accuracy, either, and are largely confined to rain, wind, surf, and musical ambience. Still, the soundtrack does open up considerably in the front channels, frequency and dynamic ranges are impressive, background noise is nil, and Nelson Riddle's orchestrations provide a wonderful aural treat for anyone who likes the music of the era.

Extras:
Understandably, a long movie, a high bit rate, and a single disc means there is not going to be much room for extras. As a result, there aren't any. Fourteen scene selections, English as the only spoken-language choice, and English subtitles are all we get. There's is, however, a main menu on the disc for sorting through these meager pickings, and there's a paper insert in the keep case to remind one of the chapters. Nevertheless, for me, giving up a few bonus items that I'll probably never look at again in exchange for an improved picture quality is worth the trade.

Parting Thoughts:
It's easy to understand why critics and audiences were disappointed in this movie version of "The Great Gatsby." It's probably the same reason why J.D. Salinger has never allowed "The Catcher in the Rye" to be filmed. When everybody finds a work of literature as nearly perfect as it can be, why take the chance of screwing it up? A movie can't hope to improve upon something that has reached the literary heights of a "Gatsby" or a "Catcher," so it's a no-win situation.

No doubt, then, "The Great Gatsby" has been a will-o'-the-wisp and hard to capture on screen. The book undertakes a tricky, aerial, deceptively complex, highly introspective examination of the human condition that has pretty much eluded filmmakers since the day it was written. But for the time being Jack Clayton's 1974 rendering of the novel is probably as close as we're going to get to the book's characters and settings if not to its language and themes. For its beauteous imagery, however, the movie is worth one's time. It has its obvious limitations, but I'd still give it the "green light."