The first half hour of Tender Is the Night is excellent. I thought certainly Jennifer Jones would get another Hot Toasty Rag nomination out of it, but after her one and only scene that showed heavy dramatic acting, she acted like a bored society girl. It was as if two different movies were spliced together and no one noticed!
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, it provides (hopefully) another cathartic release for his unhealthy relationship with Zelda. The protagonist is a rational, intelligent psychiatrist who runs a clinic in France. He's married to someone with unpredictable, irrational emotions. He always has to take care of her and can never fix her. To self-medicate, they host lavish parties and get drunk with their friends. Sound familiar?
I usually can't stand Jason Robards, and this movie didn't change my mind. He spoke in his usual monotone and put no emotion delivery into his lines. His costars couldn't feed off of his energy because he had none. Perhaps if another actor had been cast, the movie wouldn't have felt so long, tedious, or pointless. The original casting was going to be Elizabeth Taylor and Glenn Ford, which would have been wonderful. Glenn would have put a lot more into the role, and Liz could play a bored socialite in her sleep. Others considered were Paul Newman, Cary Grant, and Richard Burton-all better choices than the last man standing.
One of the reasons that makes Jason so unlikable isn't his fault: in the story, he gets his head turned by a bimbo: Jill St. John. He practically violates his marriage vows right in front of his wife! Even if Glenn Ford were cast, he still wouldn't be very likable; but I know he would have had the decency to look conflicted about it. Poor Jonesy wasn't given enough character development to challenge Jill or confront her husband. Instead, she just continues to drink alongside her pals Paul Lukas, Tom Ewell, and Joan Fontaine - who tries very hard to steal the show with her fast-talking vamp-y character.
Really, the biggest compliment I can give this movie goes to Marjorie Best's costumes. Jonesy and Joan look very pretty in their 1920s attire. If you're a die-hard Fitzgerald fan, you probably like to read everything and watch all the adaptations. Just don't expect much from this one besides a lot of eye candy among the actresses. Jennifer Jones is a very beautiful woman.
Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald's novel, it provides (hopefully) another cathartic release for his unhealthy relationship with Zelda. The protagonist is a rational, intelligent psychiatrist who runs a clinic in France. He's married to someone with unpredictable, irrational emotions. He always has to take care of her and can never fix her. To self-medicate, they host lavish parties and get drunk with their friends. Sound familiar?
I usually can't stand Jason Robards, and this movie didn't change my mind. He spoke in his usual monotone and put no emotion delivery into his lines. His costars couldn't feed off of his energy because he had none. Perhaps if another actor had been cast, the movie wouldn't have felt so long, tedious, or pointless. The original casting was going to be Elizabeth Taylor and Glenn Ford, which would have been wonderful. Glenn would have put a lot more into the role, and Liz could play a bored socialite in her sleep. Others considered were Paul Newman, Cary Grant, and Richard Burton-all better choices than the last man standing.
One of the reasons that makes Jason so unlikable isn't his fault: in the story, he gets his head turned by a bimbo: Jill St. John. He practically violates his marriage vows right in front of his wife! Even if Glenn Ford were cast, he still wouldn't be very likable; but I know he would have had the decency to look conflicted about it. Poor Jonesy wasn't given enough character development to challenge Jill or confront her husband. Instead, she just continues to drink alongside her pals Paul Lukas, Tom Ewell, and Joan Fontaine - who tries very hard to steal the show with her fast-talking vamp-y character.
Really, the biggest compliment I can give this movie goes to Marjorie Best's costumes. Jonesy and Joan look very pretty in their 1920s attire. If you're a die-hard Fitzgerald fan, you probably like to read everything and watch all the adaptations. Just don't expect much from this one besides a lot of eye candy among the actresses. Jennifer Jones is a very beautiful woman.