How does the 1974 film of The Great Gatsby compare to the novel?

Several film makers have brought Fitzgerald's novel to the
screen, generally without a great deal of success. The 1974 version with Robert Redford
and Mia Farrow demonstrates the problems inherent in attempting to translate
Fitzgerald's prose into a screenplay. The visual components of the novel--particularly
the settings and the wardrobes--can be captured on the big screen, but the literary
elements are elusive.

The film is rich in production
values. The lush mansions, Gatsby's frenetic parties, the gray Valley of Ashes, the busy
streets of New York, and the cars, clothes, and music of the Roaring Twenties--all of
these are very well done in the film and presented with historical accuracy. The film
does capture the look and feel and pace of the novel. The scenes placing Gatsby's
mansion in relation to the ocean are very effective in making Fitzgerald's setting
visual. The use of color in the film is striking and
effective.

What does not work in the film is the dialog. It
often seems artificial and stilted, particularly in Gatsby's character. Gatsby's speech
in the novel is, of course, often artificial, since he is presenting himself to the
world in a false manner, but the context of the novel creates an understanding of
Gatsby's past and his great dream of the future that makes his stilted speech
meaningful. These details are left out of the film, making Gatsby often seem, well,
silly.

A basic problem in filming any of Fitzgerald's
novels is the difficulty of translating his evocative style of writing into a dialog
form. The passages of beautiful descriptive prose don't translate. In the 1974 film, an
attempt was made to address this by creating voice overs; throughout the film, Nick's
voice can be heard reciting key passages of Fitzgerald's prose, word for
word.

The 1974 film is fairly effective in developing the
superficial conflicts and advancing the plot. The characters argue, as they do in the
novel, Myrtle's death is ugly and violent, and George Wilson's mental disintegration is
dramatic. The film, however, cannot capture the essence of the novel--its symbolism,
irony, and most profound themes. Nor can it place Jay Gatsby in the greater context of
American history and the American Dream itself. The novel is the story of dreams and
their power to shape identity. Gatsby can be placed on a screen; he can be made to walk
and talk. However, what makes Gatsby, Gatsby cannot be depicted. It is an idea born of
emotion, not a series of events.