F. Scott Fitzgerald and 'The Last of the Belles'

Richard Chamberlain and Blythe Dannet star in the 1974 tv movie "F. Scott Fitzgerald and the Last of the Belles" directed by George Schaefer.

The story takes place during the time Fitzgerald wrote his story, "The Last of the Belles" circa 1929. Zelda at this point, at around 30 years of age, is working hard on her ballet dancing. Fitz has writer's block. He and Zelda don't communicate much.

One day, he begins the story The Last of the Belles, about a young soldier, Andy (David Huffman) stationed in the south who meets a flirtatious, pretty girl, Allie (Susan Sarandon) who has a full dance card of gentleman callers.

The film moves from reality and back to the story, both unexciting, with Chamberlain ripping up tablet paper and Zelda at the barre.

Sarandon was very pretty but her character was annoying. The fun thing about the Belles is the amazing young faces: Richard Hatch, Ernest Thompson, James Naughton, and Brooke Adams.

This was probably released because of the Robert Redford Great Gatsby the same year. I find hindsight amazing. Today people talk about the big screen Gatsby as this great classic. Well, I sat through it in the theater. It has a 42 on metacritic and the reviews were not good. Redford, in fact, received the worst reviews of his career.

I don't find Fitzgerald translates that well to screen with the exception of Benjamin Button.

"F. Scott Fitzgerald and "The Last of the Belles'" was a large budget and highly publicized made for television movie apparently designed to capitalize on interest in Fitzgerald because of the then current release of the theatrical movie "The Great Gatsby" starring Robert Redford. "Belles" is a story within a story. Fitzgerald and his wife, Zelda, have returned form Europe. Through high living, he is deeply in debt, while his wife Zelda has distanced herself becoming obsessed with being a ballerina, even though she is 30 years old and never had a dance lesson, which indeed was true of the real Zelda. Fitzgerald is out of ideas for new stories and spends the empty hours carousing. Finally, the seed of an idea for a story begins to emerge. The film then alternates between Fitzgerald's life and his story of young soldiers from the north at a training camp in the south during World War I and the southern belles they court. Richard Chamberlain is Fitzgerald and Blythe Danner is Zelda, while David Huffman and Susan Sarandon are the couple in the story. A big flaw is Chamberlain's wooden performance. Sarandon is affected but intriguing, while Huffman and particularly Danner give commendable performances. While Sarandon's character becomes involved with so many men, it becomes difficult to follow, nevertheless there is a plaintive quality to both stories. It is that quality which remains once the film is over and makes this worth seeing.

Viewed this TV film in 1974 and after seeing "THE GREAT GATSBY", it was a big let down. Just recently I viewed this film again and it had an entire different meaning, Susan Sarandon and Richard Chamberlain made this a great short story film of drama, romance and young passoniate love. The director, George Schaefer, clearing showed what life was like during WW1, the music, the Southern way of living and the same exact situations America had to face when going to War and having to say goodby to their sweethearts and the broken hearts. At times I found myself getting mad at Susan, she just seemed to give all the men in her life a hard time and made you want to see her an OLD MAID! That is good acting and that is why this film is a great Classic to view.