The Great Gatsby *** (1949, Alan Ladd, Betty Field, Macdonald Carey, Ruth Hussey, Barry Sullivan, Shelley Winters, Howard Da Silva) – Classic Movie Review 2628

Not a lot of people know this. There were already two movie versions of the F Scott Fitzgerald classic novel even before Robert Redford played Jay Gatsby in 1974 and long before Leonard DiCaprio played him in 2013 – a silent movie with Warner Baxter in 1926 and this intriguing rarity with Alan Ladd, directed by Elliott Nugent in 1949.

Paramount Pictures turned it into a black-and-white thriller for their popular star, who, though oddly cast and not always a brilliant actor, does a great deal better than expected as the enigmatic Long Island millionaire. Playing the role like a doomed, film noir anti-hero pays off handsomely.

Unfortunately the poorly cast Betty Field lets the side down as Daisy Buchanan, but then as other actresses have found the part is fiendishly difficult to bring to life on screen. This is how it’s written – it’s all about Gatsby. What could Ladd’s regular co-star Veronica Lake have made of it?

Meanwhile, however, the rest of the cast compel attention at all times: Macdonald Carey, Barry Sullivan, Howard Da Silva, Shelley Winters, Ruth Hussey, Henry Hull, Carole Mathews, Ed Begley, Elisha Cook Jr, Nicholas Joy, Tito Vuolo, Ray Walker, Jack Lambert and Jack Gargan.

The intelligent, slightly literary script by regular James Bond screen-writer Richard Maibaum (also the producer) and Cyril Hume has the popular touch and hits the spot. The film noir-style black and white cinematography John F Seitz also pays off nicely in a stylish-looking movie. Also contributing to that classy result are the production designed by Roland Anderson and Hans Dreier and the costumes by Edith Head.

It’s all over in a taut, crisp 91 minutes, while the 2013 film is a bloated, CGI-laden 143 minutes. Da Silva also appeared in the 1974 version.

In 2012, a new print of the 1949 film was produced. The 1926 silent version is now considered a lost film because no prints are known to exist.

Tyrone Power and Gene Tierney were the original choices but producer Maibaum felt Tierney’s beauty would be a distraction as Daisy.

© Derek Winnert 2015 Classic Movie Review 2628

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