David O Selznick was not having much luck with the films he produced from about 1957 onwards.Jennifer Jones, his wife, had just had another flop 5 years before with her previous film, "A Farewell To Arms"(1957), based on the Ernest Hemingway book.Hemingway never approved of the screenplays and filmed results of his work and F Scott Fitzgerald fares no better here with the film of his book, "Tender Is The Night".Maybe with Henry King as director Selznick hoped for better.King had had a hit with Jones in, "Love Is A Many Spendid Thing (1955), but was now rather old and out of touch with modern film direction techniques, especially sophisticated, European genres that were breaking new ground with modern audiences.
The story, such as it is, involves the central character, Nicole who is in a psychiatric ward in Zurich, Switzerland in the 1920's.Her doctor, (Dick Diver) played by Jason Robards Jnr. almost cures her so she can leave the clinic.In the process he becomes emotionally involved with her (unprofessional) and a cynic would say it was because Nicole comes from a very wealthy American family where money is no object.He marries Nicole but in the process loses his career drive being seduced by the easy money for which he no longer has to work.Joan Fontaine plays Nicole's elder sister, Baby Warren and ultimately controls the purse strings.To get back his self esteem Dick Diver finally leaves his idle wife and child and returns Stateside to redicover his life's values.The rest of the film justs drifts, showing rich people doing nothing in particular.
I felt the film failed mainly because you do not have sympathy for any of the central characters and because the plot line is very sparse.I would have thought Selznick would have learnt his lesson after the previous debacle, mentioned above.
The story, such as it is, involves the central character, Nicole who is in a psychiatric ward in Zurich, Switzerland in the 1920's.Her doctor, (Dick Diver) played by Jason Robards Jnr. almost cures her so she can leave the clinic.In the process he becomes emotionally involved with her (unprofessional) and a cynic would say it was because Nicole comes from a very wealthy American family where money is no object.He marries Nicole but in the process loses his career drive being seduced by the easy money for which he no longer has to work.Joan Fontaine plays Nicole's elder sister, Baby Warren and ultimately controls the purse strings.To get back his self esteem Dick Diver finally leaves his idle wife and child and returns Stateside to redicover his life's values.The rest of the film justs drifts, showing rich people doing nothing in particular.
I felt the film failed mainly because you do not have sympathy for any of the central characters and because the plot line is very sparse.I would have thought Selznick would have learnt his lesson after the previous debacle, mentioned above.