Tender is the Night (Henry King, 1962)

[Roger_Thornhill]

I recently finished reading Fitzgerald's beautiful novel and was curious about seeing the Henry King adaptation (his final film) from '62 starring Jennifer Jones, Jason Robards, and Joan Fontaine. The problem is is that it seems to be unavailable in North America. The reviews on IMDB are rather mixed and, as all of you know, IMDB reviews aren't exactly the most trustworthy source. So, having said that, has anyone seen this film? And, if so, is it available on DVD in Europe or Asia?

[Belmondo]

I don't know about DVD availability; but I did see this on a cable channel (probably TCM) some years ago.
It was awful.
Fitzgerald just does not translate onto the screen, and remember that he couldn't make a go of it when he went to Hollywood as a screenwriter and script fixer toward the end of his short life. As far as I'm concerned, there has never been a decent movie version of any of his books. And, I assure you that I am a huge fan and have a first edition of the book - without the dustjacket - and it still cost me ... never mind.

[Roger_Thornhill]

It's that bad? Wow. I guess I won't even bother to seek it out. I absolutely adored the novel but I could see how challenging it would be to adapt to the screen.

Do you know if anyone took at stab at adapting "The Love of the Last Tycoon" despite it being an unfinished work? Fitzgerald had outlined most of the story so I suppose a creative screenwriter could try to flesh out the final act, but, like you said, it appears his work doesn't translate well to the screen.

[domino harvey]

Do you know if anyone took at stab at adapting "The Love of the Last Tycoon" despite it being an unfinished work? Fitzgerald had outlined most of the story so I suppose a creative screenwriter could try to flesh out the final act, but, like you said, it appears his work doesn't translate well to the screen.

Yup, 1976. Kazan's last pic with DeNiro, Mitchum, and Nicholson.

[Dylan]

The music's by Bernard Herrmann, so it can't be that bad. And Jennifer Jones is always good.

[John Cope]

Belmondo, what did you think of the 1985 BBC version with Peter Strauss? I thought that was excellent, though I'm also a huge Dennis Potter fan and as he did the adaptation that might partially explain my enthusiasm. At any rate, a difficult story to render well cinematically that's for sure.

[Polybius]

As far as I'm concerned, there has never been a decent movie version of any of his books.

I'm reluctantly forced to agree. I'm not a fan at your level of committment, but I love that novel and will talk Gatsby up to anyone, any time. Unfortunately, Scott, like his friend/rival/sometimes enemy Hemingway, has largely suffered from film adaptations of his work. (I kind of like Islands in the Stream, but I haven't read the novel, so I don't have a basis for comparison.)

And Jennifer Jones is always good.

I take it you haven't seen Duel in the Sun

I don't want to crack on Mr. King too hard (he's a local guy and he had a solid career, directing several films that I like) or Robards, who I always liked, but that film, like the Faulkner adaptations that starred Yul Brynner, is a mess and a bit of a joke, really.

[Belmondo]

Belmondo, what did you think of the 1985 BBC version with Peter Strauss? I thought that was excellent, though I'm also a huge Dennis Potter fan and as he did the adaptation that might partially explain my enthusiasm. At any rate, a difficult story to render well cinematically that's for sure.

Damn! Missed it ... Netflix does not have it ... I do like Peter Strauss and I'll try to find it.

Here is some more info for fans of the novel:
The first edition is 1934, but the novel was re-published by the original publisher (Scribner's) in 1951 in a revised edition which, according to noted critic Malcolm Cowley, conforms to Fitzgerald's wishes.
Quoting Cowley - Almost to the end of his life, F. Scott Fitzgerald was puzzled by the comparitive failure of TENDER IS THE NIGHT. Two years before he died, he came to a conclusion. "It's great fault," Fitzgerald wrote, "is that the true beginning - the young psychiatrist in Switzerland - is tucked away in the middle of the book." In his personal copy of the novel, he cut the pages loose and rearranged them, and wrote on the front cover - "This is the final version of the book as I would like it"
And thus it was again published in 1951.

[Roger_Thornhill]

Do you know if anyone took at stab at adapting "The Love of the Last Tycoon" despite it being an unfinished work? Fitzgerald had outlined most of the story so I suppose a creative screenwriter could try to flesh out the final act, but, like you said, it appears his work doesn't translate well to the screen.

Yup, 1976. Kazan's last pic with DeNiro, Mitchum, and Nicholson.

Oh really? Interesting. Have you seen it Domino?

[Dylan]

I take it you haven't seen Duel in the Sun

I actually haven't. I did like her Portrait of Jenny, though.

Meanwhile, Henry King's career lasted for 47 years, from 1915 to 1962, and he made quite a few famous films, like Twelve O'Clock High, In Old Chicago, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing and Beloved Infidel, which is about Fitzgerald.

And speaking of Fitzgerald, The Last Tycoon sounds really good (great cast, including De Niro during his prime), I'll have to check it out.

[Belmondo]

THE LAST TYCOON is worth a look, but mostly for the cast and for a couple of good scenes.
Fitzgerald based the protagonist on Irving Thalberg, and this was the first time the author employed a main character with an active professional career. It would have signaled a new direction, had he lived.
An unfinished novel, the last movie from Elia Kazan ... not the best book from the one or the best movie from the other ...

[SheriffAmbrose]

I really liked the half-novel that is The Last Tycoon but I thought the movie was one of the worst I've ever seen. I think that I saw the talent involved and assumed that the film had to be great. I was wrong. Rather than use Fitzgerald's notes on how it was to end, Kazan left it in mid air. I think that I liked the bit where they played table tennis but beyond that...

And wasn't Theresa Russell in it? I'm sure I liked that as well.

It is worth checking out though but be warned, it is abysmal.

[Cold Bishop]

The quality of Last Tycoon is debatable, but personally, I think it's worth watching if only for the scenes Deniro and Nicholson have together.

[Roger_Thornhill]

Belmondo, what did you think of the 1985 BBC version with Peter Strauss? I thought that was excellent, though I'm also a huge Dennis Potter fan and as he did the adaptation that might partially explain my enthusiasm. At any rate, a difficult story to render well cinematically that's for sure.

Damn! Missed it ... Netflix does not have it ... I do like Peter Strauss and I'll try to find it.

Here is some more info for fans of the novel:
The first edition is 1934, but the novel was re-published by the original publisher (Scribner's) in 1951 in a revised edition which, according to noted critic Malcolm Cowley, conforms to Fitzgerald's wishes.
Quoting Cowley - Almost to the end of his life, F. Scott Fitzgerald was puzzled by the comparitive failure of TENDER IS THE NIGHT. Two years before he died, he came to a conclusion. "It's great fault," Fitzgerald wrote, "is that the true beginning - the young psychiatrist in Switzerland - is tucked away in the middle of the book." In his personal copy of the novel, he cut the pages loose and rearranged them, and wrote on the front cover - "This is the final version of the book as I would like it"
And thus it was again published in 1951.

Yes I heard about that. I read the original version of the Tender and I'm not sure if I'd agree that making the novel more linear would benefit it. I found the enigmatic and mysterious nature of Dick and Nicole in the first book extremely interesting and I loved how it started off as Rosemary's story but subtly shifted to Dick and Nicole taking center stage. The end of the first book also leaves the reader wondering what affliction or problem Nicole had to send her into that hysterical fit at the end. However, I think I'll give it a go and see if I like it.

Have you read both versions Belmondo?

[Polybius]

I take it you haven't seen Duel in the Sun

I actually haven't. I did like her Portrait of Jenny, though.

She's much better in that. She chews the scenery shamelessly in Duel.

Meanwhile, Henry King's career lasted for 47 years, from 1915 to 1962, and he made quite a few famous films, like Twelve O'Clock High, In Old Chicago, Love Is A Many Splendored Thing and Beloved Infidel, which is about Fitzgerald.

I think The Gunfighter is probably his most acclaimed film.

I like his swashbuckling adventure films w/ Tyrone Power (The Black Swan and Captain From Castille) and his adaptation of Hemingway's Snows of Kilimanjaro (another novel I haven't read, so maybe that factors into my feelings...no novel experience to compare it to), but you can't go wrong with Peck and Ava Gardner.

[Belmondo]

Roger; I have only read the original version of TENDER IS THE NIGHT.

Note that the dedication page reads "To Gerald and Sara". This is Gerald and Sara Murphy who were American expatriates living on the French Riviera. They became the center of the cultural and social life of the expat community in the 1920's and were mentors and close friends of Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Picasso, Dos Passos, Cole Porter, Dorothy Parker, and others.
No question that they were the models for the characters in the book. However, Hemingway severely criticised Fitzgerald for this. He said (paraphrasing) that the book started out being about Gerald and Sara but ended up being about Fitzgerald's own relationship with his crazy wife, Zelda. Hemingway hated the idea that an author would expose his personal problems in this way and felt that the story was a "trick". Nasty payback, considering that Fiitzgerald had met and become friends with Hemingway at one of Gerald and Sara's parties, and subsequently wrote to his editor, Maxwell Perkins at Scribner's, to strongly recommend that they publish a book Hemingway had just finished called THE SUN ALSO RISES.

All of this and much, much more in a book I cannot recommend highly enough:
EVERYBODY WAS SO YOUNG by Amanda Vaill, Houghton Mifflin 1998

[David Ehrenstein]

Jennifer Jones is a Goddess!

I got hooked on her as a kid when "Million Dollar Movie" ran Portrait of Jennie twice a night for a solid week.

She's lovely in Tender is the Night which while far from what it could have been isn't bad. Just flat.

Fitzgerald's hard to birng off. Neither version of The Great Gatsby is satisfactory. It would be nice if someone gave The Beautful and Damned a shot, but I don't have my hopes up.

The Last Tycoon is an exceedingly mixed bag. Kazan doesn't understand Pinter and I don't think Pinter really cared for Fitzgerald all that much. Yes Theresa Russell was in it and she's quite good as are Jeanne Moreau, Robert Mitchum and Anjelica Huston. A very damped-dowd De Niro is quite OK and a much criticized Ingrid Boulting really looks and acts the part -- thus underscoring why Fitzgerald is such a tough fit for the movies.