"The Great Gatsby" (1974)

By: Vickie J. Rubinson

For Robert Redford fans and lovers of the roaring 20's, this film is a real gem.

Nick Carraway, a young Midwesterner now living on Long Island, finds himself fascinated by the mysterious past and lavish lifestyle of his neighbor, the noveau riche Jay Gatsby. He is drawn into Gatsby's social circle, becoming a witness to obsession and tragedy.

Robert Redford is an interesting casting choice as Gatsby, the millionaire isolated in his mansion, still dreaming of the woman he lost. And Sam Waterston is perfect as the narrator, Nick, who brings the dream girl Daisy Buchanan back to Gatsby. Downright funny and scary is actress Karen Black, the mistress of Mr. Buchanan with her eyes crossing and spitting with every close-up.

Visually stunning, capturing all the hollow gold of the glitzy era the books so devastatingly indicts and the performances by nearly all the players are superb. Fitzgerald's point was that the Roaring Twenties were shallow, represented by the "rotten crowd" of "careless people." (Quoted from the book).

Now the much anticipated screen re-adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's "The Great Gatsby" may have found it's Daisy. According to an exclusive by Vulture, actress Carey Mulligan is the front-runner to play Daisy in the Baz Luhrman-directed film.

The British star, who you might know from her Oscar-nominated turn in "An Education" is said to have done testing for the role in New York last week.

Prior to Mulligan's name being put on the top of the list, Scarlett Johannson was said to be the front-runner, opposite Leonardo DiCaprio as Jay Gatsby.