The Great Gatsby 1974
Directed by
Jack Clayton
Made by
Paramount Pictures
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The Great Gatsby Plot Summary
Read the complete plot summary and ending explained for The Great Gatsby (1974). From turning points to emotional moments, uncover what really happened and why it matters.
Nick Carraway travels by boat to East Egg to visit his cousin Daisy, Mia Farrow, and her husband Tom at their imposing mansion. There, he learns Tom and Daisy’s marriage is strained, and Tom is having an affair with a woman in New York. Nick, who lives in a modest cottage in West Egg, finds himself next to a mysterious tycoon named Gatsby, Robert Redford, a former Oxford student and decorated World War I veteran who regularly hosts extravagant parties at his home.
Tom takes Nick to meet his mistress, Myrtle, who is married to George Wilson, an automotive mechanic. George needs to purchase a vehicle from Tom, but Tom is there only to draw Myrtle to his city apartment. There she taunts him with Daisy’s name.
Back on Long Island, Daisy wants to set Nick up with her friend Jordan, a professional golfer. When Nick and Jordan attend a party at Gatsby’s home, Nick is invited to meet Gatsby privately, who asks him to lunch the following day.
At lunch, Nick meets Gatsby’s business partner Meyer Wolfsheim, a Jewish gangster and gambler who rigged the 1919 World Series. The following day, Jordan appears at Nick’s workplace and asks him to invite Daisy to his house so that Gatsby can meet with her.
Gatsby surprises Daisy at lunch. It is revealed that Gatsby and Daisy were once lovers, though she would not marry him because he was poor.
Daisy and Gatsby have an affair, which soon becomes obvious. While Tom and Daisy entertain Gatsby, Jordan, and Nick at their home, Daisy, on a hot summer day, proposes they go into the city as a diversion. At the Plaza Hotel, Gatsby and Daisy reveal their affair. Gatsby wants Daisy to admit she never loved Tom. She does not and drives off in Gatsby’s car. The others return separately to the island.
During the drive home, Daisy hits Myrtle when Myrtle runs into the street. Believing that Gatsby killed his wife, George later goes to Gatsby’s mansion and fatally shoots him. George then commits suicide.
Nick holds a funeral for Gatsby. There he meets the man’s father and learns Gatsby’s original name is ‘Gatz’. No one else attends the funeral.
Afterward, Daisy and Tom continue with their lives as though nothing occurred. Nick breaks up with Jordan and moves back to the Midwest, frustrated with Eastern ways. He laments Gatsby’s inability to escape his past.
The Great Gatsby Timeline
Follow the complete movie timeline of The Great Gatsby (1974) with every major event in chronological order. Great for understanding complex plots and story progression.
Nick travels to East Egg and meets Daisy and Tom
Nick Carraway pilots his boat across the harbor to Daisy and Tom's mansion in East Egg, beginning the story. He quickly senses trouble in their marriage and learns Tom is having an affair with a woman in New York. The encounter introduces Gatsby, the mysterious neighbor known for his extravagant parties.
Nick moves to West Egg and discovers Gatsby
Nick moves into a small cottage in West Egg next to the mysterious Gatsby, a decorated WWI veteran who throws lavish parties. The neighbor's wealth and the rumors surrounding Gatsby set the tone for Nick's new life. This contrast between East Egg and West Egg underscores the social tensions of the time.
Tom introduces Nick to Myrtle
Tom takes Nick to meet his mistress Myrtle Wilson in New York, where she lives with her husband George. Myrtle taunts Tom by mentioning Daisy's name, highlighting the tangled web of infidelity. George Wilson is an automotive mechanic who embodies the couple's fragile world.
Daisy and Jordan pursue Nick; Gatsby invitation
Daisy asks Nick to set him up with her friend Jordan Baker, a professional golfer, creating a connection between Nick and the social circle. Later, Nick and Jordan attend a party at Gatsby's home, and Gatsby privately invites Nick to lunch the next day. The invitation sets the stage for Daisy and Gatsby to reunite.
Gatsby and Daisy reconnect over lunch
Gatsby surprises Daisy at lunch, and Nick meets Gatsby's associate Meyer Wolfsheim, a gangster figure who helped build Gatsby's wealth. The gathering reveals Gatsby's wealth and his intense desire to rekindle the past with Daisy. The meeting marks the return of Daisy and Gatsby's romance after years apart.
Plaza Hotel confrontation and Daisy's refusal
The group spends time together in the city, ending up at the Plaza Hotel in New York for a confrontation about the affair. Gatsby wants Daisy to deny she ever loved Tom. Daisy refuses and drives away in Gatsby's car, leaving the others to return separately to the island.
The hit and the car
On the drive back, Daisy drives Gatsby's car and unintentionally hits Myrtle as Myrtle runs into the street. The accident ties Daisy forever to the tragedy surrounding Gatsby. Gatsby remains entwined in the aftermath, while the consequences begin to unfold.
George Wilson shoots Gatsby and commits suicide
Believing Gatsby killed his wife, George Wilson goes to Gatsby's mansion and fatally shoots him. He then commits suicide, deepening the tragedy and isolating Gatsby's dream. The violence catalyzes the collapse of the world surrounding Nick and Daisy.
Gatsby's funeral
Nick holds Gatsby's funeral, and Gatsby's father appears, revealing Gatsby's original name was Gatz. No one else from Gatsby's extravagant circle attends, highlighting the emptiness at the heart of the social world. The funeral marks the definitive end of Gatsby's dream.
Daisy and Tom resume their lives; Nick leaves
Daisy and Tom continue with their lives as though nothing occurred, while Nick breaks up with Jordan and moves back to the Midwest. He laments Gatsby's inability to escape his past and the moral drift of Eastern society. The narrator's exit underscores the era's hollow glamour.
Nick's final reflection on Gatsby
From the Midwest, Nick reflects on Gatsby's relentless dream and the impossibility of recapturing the past. He acknowledges the moral failure around him and the tragedy that defined Gatsby's life. The tale ends on a note of melancholy and critique of the East's superficial charm.
The Great Gatsby Characters
Explore all characters from The Great Gatsby (1974). Get detailed profiles with their roles, arcs, and key relationships explained.
Jay Gatsby (Robert Redford)
A fiercely wealthy, enigmatic figure who hosts legendary parties and harbors a single, obsessive dream: rekindling his romance with Daisy. His past remains shrouded as he builds a myth around his riches and refined charm, a mask that hides longing and vulnerability. He is a former Oxford student and a decorated World War I veteran who relentlessly pursues a future that might never exist.
Daisy Buchanan (Mia Farrow)
A dazzling socialite whose beauty and charm mask indecision and vulnerability. She is torn between the security of Tom’s old-money world and Gatsby’s hopeful romance, ultimately choosing status over true commitment. Her actions and evasions propel the drama and contribute to the tragedy that follows.
Nick Carraway
The Midwest-born narrator who rents a cottage on Long Island and watches the drama unfold with wary detachment. He serves as a moral observer, describing the glamour and moral decay of the East Egg society while seeking his own path.
Tom Buchanan
Daisy’s husband, a wealthy, domineering figure who exudes arrogance and physical vitality. He embodies old-money security while pursuing his own affair, illustrating a capacity for cruelty and entitlement that fuels the story’s tensions.
Myrtle Wilson
George Wilson’s wife who seeks escape from her gray life by engaging with Tom. Her flirtation with Daisy’s world exposes the social distances she cannot cross and culminates in tragedy tied to the couple’s tangled desires.
Meyer Wolfsheim
Gatsby’s business associate, a gambler and gangster whose reputation hints at the criminal networks supporting Gatsby’s fortune. He is remembered for his ties to a notorious World Series fix.
Jordan Baker
Daisy’s friend and a professional golfer whose cool, composed demeanor helps move the social plot forward. She serves as a catalyst for Nick’s involvement with Gatsby and Daisy’s circle.
The Great Gatsby Settings
Learn where and when The Great Gatsby (1974) takes place. Explore the film’s settings, era, and how they shape the narrative.
Time period
1922
Set in the Jazz Age of the early 1920s, the narrative captures Prohibition-era excess and the era’s rapid social change. Wealth and leisure define daily life as parties spill from Gatsby’s garden into the summer streets of Long Island and the city. The period’s volatility underpins Gatsby’s pursuit of Daisy and the fates that befall those who chase an unattainable dream.
Location
Long Island (West Egg, East Egg), Plaza Hotel (New York), New York City
The story unfolds across Long Island’s twin communities of West Egg and East Egg, centered on Gatsby’s opulent mansion. The Long Island Sound separates the ostentatious aristocracy from the city’s nightlife, with New York serving as a playground for affairs and ambition. The Plaza Hotel in Manhattan becomes a focal point for crucial confrontations and revelations.
The Great Gatsby Themes
Discover the main themes in The Great Gatsby (1974). Analyze the deeper meanings, emotional layers, and social commentary behind the film.
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Wealth & Class
Lavish wealth and old-money status shape every interaction, masking insecurity and moral compromise. The parties, mansions, and social rituals reveal a world where money buys access but not happiness or virtue. The contrast between East Egg’s aristocrats and Gatsby’s nouveau riche aspirations drives conflict and tragedy.
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Past & Nostalgia
Gatsby’s fixation on rekindling a bygone romance with Daisy highlights the impossibility of recapturing the past. The dream he chases is built on selective memory and idealized moments rather than current reality. The past slowly closes in, undermining every attempt at reinvention.
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Illusion vs Reality
The glittering parties and confident facades conceal truth and vulnerability. Characters perform roles—socialites, lovers, friends—while hidden motives drive their actions. The story exposes how outward glamour often masks moral decay and personal weakness.
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Crime & Corruption
Meyer Wolfsheim’s criminal connections hint at the underworld underpinning Gatsby’s fortune. The narrative shows how illicit pursuits threaten the living and accumulate in tragedy, as hatred, jealousy, and fatal misunderstandings collide. The deaths of Gatsby and the accompanying fallout expose a society where crime and consequence go hand in hand.
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Explore the mobile appThe Great Gatsby Spoiler-Free Summary
Discover the spoiler-free summary of The Great Gatsby (1974). Get a concise overview without any spoilers.
In the glittering summer of the 1920s, Long Island’s glittering shorelines become a stage for excess and ambition. Two neighboring peninsulas—opulent East Egg and the more modest West Egg—reflect a silent competition of old money versus newly‑earned fortunes, while jazz, flamboyant gowns, and endless parties pulse through the night, shaping an atmosphere that is simultaneously intoxicating and restless.
Nick Carraway arrives from the Midwest, drawn by the promise of opportunity and a quiet place to write. He settles into a humble cottage in West Egg, his perspective grounded yet curious, as he watches the world of his affluent neighbors unfold. Directly across the water lives the enigmatic Jay Gatsby, a mysterious tycoon whose name is whispered at every lavish gathering, a man whose charisma and secretive past hint at a deeper yearning behind his extravagance.
Across the water’s edge, the elegant Daisy Buchanan and her formidable husband Tom Buchanan embody the glittering veneer of East Egg’s aristocracy. Their world, filled with polished interiors and cultivated charm, feels both alluring and distant. Jordan Baker, a poised friend of Daisy’s, drifts through the same circles, offering a glimpse of the era’s modern, independent spirit. Through Nick’s eyes, the contrast between the gilded façade and the underlying currents of longing, expectation, and social tension becomes ever more pronounced.
Amid this tapestry of wealth and aspiration, Gatsby remains fixated on a singular vision—a reunion with the beautiful Daisy that seems to promise redemption and fulfillment. Their connection, set against the backdrop of the roaring twenties, invites contemplation of the American Dream’s promise and its elusive nature, leaving the audience to wonder whether love, ambition, or illusion will ultimately shape their fates.
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