|  F.
Scott Fitzgerald's celebrated novel tells the story of wealthy
psychologist Dick Diver and his mentally unstable wife, Nicole.
In the opening, the Divers are giving a Fourth of July
party for their friends at their home on the French Riviera. Nicole
becomes upset when Dick's attention is diverted by a young American
actress. She retreats to their room upstairs where she has
a fit of hysterics. Dick sedates her and puts her to bed.
In a flashbck, he remembers how he first met and fell in
love with Nicole when she was his patient in Zurich.
Several years later, they marry and begin traveling throughout
Europe in a whirlwind lifestyle full of drinking and parties. Nicole's
condition improves but Dick, however, begins to lose confidence
in himself and his professional life suffers. Nicole,
unable to regain her husbands faith in himself, succumbs to
the charms of another man and divorces Dick.
Nicole
Diver was modeled after F. Scott Fitzgerald's wife Zelda and for
years Jennifer wanted to play the role. After the critical lambasting
from A Farewell To Arms, however,
David and Jennifer remained inactive for a while and it would
be almost four years before Jennifer appeared in another film.
The plans for Tender Is The Night had been drawn up early,
but the executives at Twentieth Century Fox were not too keen
on another Selznick/Jones collaboration and the project kept being
put aside. Finally Selznick gave up producing the film because
he was afraid that Fox might try to recast Jennifer.
 The
cast was eventually assembled and filming began in Switzerland
in the spring of 1961. Jason Robards Jr. (at the time
his work had been only on Broadway) was chosen for the role
of Dick Diver. Jennifer had initially requested William
Holden because of their success with Love
Is A Many Splendored Thing
but he was unavailable. The supporting parts went
to Joan Fontaine, Jill St. John, Tom Ewell and Cesare Danova.
Henry King (who had directed Jennifer in two of her Oscar
nominated performances - The
Song of Bernadette and Love
Is A Many Splendored Thing)
was hired as the director. The filming went smoothly and finished
on time and the opening date was set for January of 1962.
 The
critical response to the film was mixed. Jennifer received
very good notices (some of the best she had received in the past
ten years) but then some critics thought that she was not
very good at all. The supporting players and Jason Robards
Jr. fared worst. The chemistry between Robards and Jones was lacking
and he gave a very wooden performance. The supporting actors,
with the exception of Joan Fontaine (who has a delicious
turn as Nicole's sister, Baby) were not well cast and many,
especially Ewell and St. John, were downright bad.
If
Jennifer's acting was criticized, her looks were definitely
not. Before filming began, Selznick and Jones became
acquainted with George Masters, a beauty expert who would
soon become Jennifer's personal stylist. He researched
the hairstyles and make-up of the 1920s extensively before
filming began and his work paid off. Jennifer is absolutely
stunning in this film. (For a fascinating look into
her personal grooming habits, look for Masters' book The
Masters Way To Beauty, E.P. Dutton, 1977. He
devotes an extensive chapter on his relationship with Selznick and
Jennifer.) Also notable were the period
costumes designed by Marjorie Best.
 As
a film, Tender Is The Night is very beautiful to look at.
The location photography (especially in Zurich and on the
French Riviera) is exceptional. There is one long sweeping
shot that sweeps down the cliffs along the beautiful homes on
the Riviera that is breathtaking. This helps because, on the whole,
the film is leisurely paced and very long. This was to be
Jennifer Jones last high budget film in which she had a starring
role.
Interesting
Tidbit - Bernard Herrmann did the score which is somewhat
strange. There are definite shades of the Psycho theme
here! The song "Tender Is The Night", however, won the Oscar.
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