Why Gregory Peck? WHY!?!

For those of you that don’t know I’m kind of a nerd when it comes to certain actors and writers. The movie, Beloved Infidel (1959) combines two of my favorites, F. Scott Fitzgerald and Gregory Peck. This movie should be IT for me, my raison d’etre, but unfortunately after a viewing last night my heart sunk as Gregory Peck paraded around like a butt hurt 11 year old after dodge ball and Deborah Kerr sounded like the most stuffy 90 year old British nanny (I think my ears bled a little).  The film centers around Fitzgerald’s 3 year relationship with Hollywood gossip columnist Sheilah Graham (his death marked the end of their relationship). He carried on with Graham while Zelda was institutionalized and it was during this time that Fitzgerald was trying his hand at screen writing while attempting to finish his last novel. The film was based on a book by Graham who would later go on to write two more books about her relationship with Fitzgerald.  The following are my 2 main problems with a movie that I think needs to be remade without the constraints of 1960’s censorship.

1: There is a huge difference between portraying an alcoholic and someone who is “just drunk.” More often than not, alcoholics are high functioning (as was in Fitzgerald’s case).  When not in social situations (parties) they will try hard not to let on that they are totally shit faced. Fitzgerald was known for his socializing and drinking though I hardly think he would walking through an airport swinging around a bottle of tequila as was shown in the film. Peck played Fitzgerald as a drunk not an alcoholic. There are perfectly good examples of alcoholics on film from Leaving Las Vegas to The Lost Weekend, both of which (I think) showed an accurate version a man on the verge of collapse, something Fitzgerald was as he tried  to get his writing career back on track. The over the top drunken antics coupled by Kerr’s over the top reaction, “Oh Darling, No! Oh Darling, stop! Put the bottle down Scott!” was too much for me and I felt like I was wafting through a stinky Douglas Sirk reject.

2: Fitzgerald it 10x more interesting than Graham and should have been the main focus of the story. Yes I know the story was by her originally, but the only reason she was able to get it published in the first place is because her lover WAS Fitzgerald. Graham was the 3^rd and probably most lame member of the Hollywood gossip columnist trio that also contained Louella Parsons. The story focuses on how Fitzgerald helps her become a better writer rather than focus on both their faults and how, potentially, the combination of the two could result in a glorious fucking meltdown.  I wanted to see more struggle with Fitzgerald, particularly his ongoing depression over Zelda despite the fact that he is seeing Graham. I’m still enraged over the fact that the last part of The Last Tycoon was ghost written by one of Fitzgerald’s editors and I have a sneaking suspicion that Graham had something to do with it.

Over all I guess what I’m trying to say is I want a REAL Fitzgerald bio movie, not a bit part as was seen in Midnight in Paris or for another remake of The Great Gatsby, but an honest to god kick ass picture, hold the Sheila Graham.