Elia Kazan directed the 1976 film interpretation of the novel. It starred Robert DeNiro as Stahr, and featured numerous Hollywood leading men, such as Robert Mitchum and Tony Curtis. The screenplay was by Harold Pinter and is judged by many critics as the best rendering for the screen of any of Fitzgerald's works. American viewers tended to like the film, while British critics often found it tedious and long-winded. Almost everyone agreed, though, that DeNiro did a splendid job of portraying Fitzgerald's troubled hero.