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| Wonder how many of those it took to get through production |
In the decades since his death, F. Scott Fitzgerald
has become one of America’s most famous and beloved novelists. Following meager
sales and negative critical feedback of his now classic novels The Great Gatsby and Tender is the Night combined with a
tumultuous personal life, Fitzgerald like many struggling artists, came to view
himself as a failure. At the end of his life, he began work on a comeback novel
that he was determined to use to make his way back to the top of the literary
world; The Love of the Last Tycoon.
Unfortunately, Fitzgerald died of a heart attack at age 44 before the novel
could be completed. The unfinished novel was edited and published one year
later in 1941, and was released as a major motion picture in 1976. Ultimately,
despite its promising premise, the film fails to live up the potential of
either its literary pedigree, or star studded cast and remains little more than
a curious insight into a story that might have been.
The film tells the story of rising film executive
Monroe Stahr (Robert De Niro); a fictional composite of both MGM producer Irving
Thalberg and Fitzgerald himself. The plot of the film is loose at best, with
numerous scenes that show Monroe’s daily grind as a top movie mogul without
providing any real insight into the characters or driving the plot forward.
During these scattered interactions audiences are introduced to the
temperamental stars that he must spend his days appeasing, and the directors
and writers who are unable to meet his artistic expectations, as well as his
charismatic mentor and boss Pat Brady (Robert Mitchum). Meanwhile, as he
attempts to juggle his hectic work life, Monroe must also contend with
thwarting the constant advances of Pat’s fiery college student daughter,
Cecelia (Theresa Russell), as he pursues an unrequited love affair with would-be starlet Kathleen Moore (Ingrid Boulting). Ultimately, Monroe’s pursuit of
his romantic and professional goals ends in defeat as, in an echo of
Fitzgerald’s own fall from grace, he is jilted by the fickle Kathleen and
bought out by his fellow studio executives.
Despite changes to the story’s narrative structure,
the script remains largely faithful to Fitzgerald’s novel. In fact, it is the faithfulness
of the adaptation that hinders its success as a film most. While Fitzgerald is
known for his lyrical prose, his dialogue is often difficult to translate to
the screen, as was evidenced by his inability to make a successful career as a
screenwriter. The artificiality of the dialogue is most evident during the
scenes chronicling Monroe’s whirlwind romance with Kathleen, as the pair speak
to one another in a meandering stream of metaphors and reflections that are far
too formal and contrived to resemble the conversations of an actual couple. Similarly,
the gentle pacing and philosophic reflections that make Fitzgerald’s work so
poetic on the page only lead to awkward pauses and a lack of central focus on
the screen. As a result, the film plays as a series of alternatingly
interesting vignettes rather than a cohesive whole. The lack of focus is made
particularly jarring by the constant flow of characters in and out of the film
who leave the plot just as audiences become invested in their roles. This inconsistency
leads to frustration for audiences, as they are prevented from viewing a full
story by the constant bombardment of secondary characters who have little to no
impact upon the film’s plot and unresolved sub plots. These flaws within the
film are the same flaws that remained in the novel upon its publication, which
leads this reviewer to suspect that had the film’s makers taken license with
the source material, they may have been able to present a more polished and
complete story that was closer to the vision that Fitzgerald intended for his
unfinished work.
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| An excellent summary of our leading lady's performance |
While the film does contain a talented cast, the
inconsistent screenplay and unnatural dialogue made it difficult for the
majority of its stars to turn in truly dynamic performances. Robert De Niro
turns in an understated but passionate portrayal of Monroe, which captures the
relentless drive that propelled the young executive from his humble origins to
Hollywood success while still showing his inner vulnerability. Similarly,
Robert Mitchum provides a an entertaining turn as the charming, womanizing, mogul who
acts as Monroe’s mentor before later becoming his chief rival. Theresa
Russell’s performance is truly intriguing as she captures the struggle between
Cecelia’s ambition and the social restrictions of the time she is living in that
prevent her from realizing that ambition. The scenes between these three actors
prove to be some of the film’s most entertaining as they involve Monroe’s only
interaction with genuinely multi-faceted characters who are neither controlled
nor impressed by his studio influence. Jack Nicholson also provides a charismatic performance in his brief role as a left-leaning writer who challenges Monroe’s
authority. Unfortunately, the rest of the film’s players seem to be at a loss
as to the motives of their characters and the meaning behind their often clunky
dialogue. The weakest link of all is Ingrid Boulting, whose performance as Monroe’s
elusive love interest is largely limited to reading rather than saying her
lines while looking bored.
Overall, while not the failure that it is reputed to
be, The Last Tycoon is an unfulfilled
film that seems just as far from completion as the unfinished novel upon which
it is based. The film contains an intriguing premise, and a variety of talented
stars, but unfortunately never manages to utilize either to their full
potential. The film’s inability to move beyond the restrictions of its source
material leads to a meandering story with a sluggish pace, uneven plotting, and
an abrupt ending. I recommend this film only to the most devoted of
Fitzgerald’s readers, as the film holds little interest beyond its connection
to the author’s final work.
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| If only you two had more scenes! |
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