The first film adaptation of The Great Gatsby was released in 1926.
The silent American drama was directed by Herbert Brenon and produced by Famous Players–Lasky for Paramount Pictures. It starred Warner Baxter as Jay Gatsby, Lois Wilson as Daisy Buchanan, Neil Hamilton as Nick Carraway, and William Powell as George Wilson.
The film followed a successful Broadway stage adaptation that opened earlier in 1926. Its screenplay was based partly on Owen Davis’s stage version, so the movie changed or simplified several events from Fitzgerald’s novel. Contemporary reviews suggest it was relatively faithful, although the film emphasized Gatsby’s lavish parties and scandalous behavior.
The 1926 movie is now considered a lost film. No complete print is known to survive, but a short theatrical trailer and other production materials remain. Later versions appeared in 1949, 1974, and 2013, which can cause the 1974 Robert Redford film to be mistakenly identified as the first adaptation.