Un matin comme les autres

One of the quirks of the English language is that although the words "infidel" and "infidelity" both derive from the same Latin root, meaning "unfaithful", they normally have differing meanings in English. "Infidelity" generally refers to adultery or sexual unfaithfulness, whereas an "infidel" normally means someone who does not believe in the tenets of a particular religion. It would be unusual, to say the least, to use the word "infidelity" to mean religious unbelief or to call an adulterer an "infidel". This film, however, is not concerned with the religious beliefs, or lack of them, of its main character, the writer F. Scott Fitzgerald. (He was raised as a Catholic but does not appear to have been a particularly devout one in adult life). I can only therefore assume that the title refers to his infidelity to his wife, Zelda.

When I heard that the film was based on the life of Fitzgerald, I assumed that it would be about his wild and tempestuous life with Zelda during the twenties and early thirties. Instead, it concentrates on the last few years of his life, the period 1937 to 1940, and his relationship with his mistress, the journalist and gossip columnist Sheilah Graham. Indeed, Zelda does not appear in the film, although she is referred to. By 1937 Zelda was suffering from mental illness and was confined to a psychiatric hospital, but she and Scott were still married. Indeed, the two were never to divorce, and she legally remained his wife until his death.

The main problem with the film is that of miscasting. Gregory Peck's most frequent screen image was that of an authoritative, rational and gentlemanly figure, so he does not really seem a natural choice to play a notorious hell-raiser like Fitzgerald. Peck occasionally succeeded in his efforts to break away from his normal persona, as in "Duel in the Sun", "The Boys from Brazil" or "Moby Dick" in which he made a notable Captain Ahab, but in several other films attempts to cast him against type fell flat. A good example is "Macarthur" from the latter part of his career, in which he never succeeded in capturing General Macarthur's aggressive, combative personality. In the initial part of this film Peck portrays Fitzgerald as yet another quiet, charming gentleman, and his portrayal is certainly convincing, although I did find myself wondering how close it was to the real Scott Fitzgerald. His past struggles against alcoholism are referred to, but for a while it seems as though he has conquered his addiction. Midway through the film, however, Fitzgerald falls off the wagon after he is sacked from his job as a Hollywood scriptwriter, and Peck is much less convincing as a violent, abusive drunk than he is as a gentlemanly intellectual.

For a film made in the 1950s, with the Production Code still in force, this one is remarkably sympathetic in its treatment of adultery. Sheilah Graham is very much the heroine of the film, not its villain. (That is perhaps not surprising given that the film was based on her own memoirs. Fitzgerald had died in 1940 but Graham was still very much alive in 1959). She is portrayed as a kindly and understanding lover, patiently trying to help Scott deal with his problems, rather than as the heartless seductress which during this period was the standard cinematic image of women sexually involved with another woman's husband. Deborah Kerr was one of the screen's most famous "good girls", although she also had the ability to portray characters who hid passionate natures beneath a quiet, reserved surface, such as Karen, the adulterous Army wife in "From Here to Eternity", the troubled Sister Clodagh in "Black Narcissus", the haunted governess in "The Innocents" or another haunted governess, Miss Madrigal in "The Chalk Garden", in that case haunted by guilt rather than by anything supernatural. In "Beloved Infidel", however, Kerr seemed unable to draw upon this ability, and her Sheilah comes across as a character who is all surface with nothing much going on underneath. Kerr also fails to make the most of another aspect of her character, the toughness and determination which enabled her to rise from poverty in Britain to become one of the most famous women in America.  

There are some good things about this film- the script is a good one and it is attractively photographed. For a film of its period it has touches of originality, breaking away from the traditional "eternal triangle" concept of marital infidelity, a triangle composed of a weak, erring husband, a saintly, long-suffering wife and a wicked other woman. (This concept was not confined to the fifties, or even to the Production Code era; "Fatal Attraction" is a good example from the late eighties, and examples can still be found today). I felt, however, that it might have been better had alternative actors been found for the two leading roles. 6/10

This film has all the earmarks of too many cooks spoiling the stew. Based on Shielah Graham's autobiography, it seems like the powers that be couldn't leave well enough alone. They couldn't decide if this was to be Graham's story or Fitzgerald's story, and also how much they should soft-pedal whoever's story it turned out to be. So a film that could have been a story about two fascinating (Fitzgerald) and notorious (Ms. Graham)personalities becomes a dreary disjointed soap opera about that tells us little about either. Added to this there is absolutely no period feel other than for 1959. Clumsy scene follows clumsy scene and we have no idea where we are in the story or how much time is passing. However - and this saved the film for me - Kerr has never looked lovelier, and Peck is as always a very handsome man. They truly make a beautiful, mature couple, and I only wish they had better material to work with. There is one scene that does work - Scott goes after Shielah while in a drunken state, and to see these two normally refined stars knock each other around is very disturbing and gives some fleeting idea of what goes on in a relationship such as theirs. Other than that, the movie is a wasted opportunity and achieves nowhere near the classic stature of other Wald produced soaps of the 1950 (PEYTON PLACE, THE BEST OF EVERYTHING).

Beloved Infidel is the story of the real life romance between Hollywood gossip columnist Sheilah Graham (Deborah Kerr) and legendary writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (Gregory Peck). It is based on Graham's autobiography and the story is definitely told through her eyes. Plain and simple, the story is a soap opera and the quality of writing fits it. For a story about two professional writers, the script fails to properly develop the characters. Graham has one scene about 40 minutes in when she opens up a reveals the truth about herself, but it is not built on and scarcely mentioned again as the story transitions to a focus on Fitzgerald's drinking, which comes out a left field.

Kerr gives a good performance given how little she has to work with, and Peck tries his best to match her. However, Peck is a little miscast in this role as the emotionally troubled Fitzgerald. In between well done emotional outbursts, Peck reverts to his traditional stoicism, which works well in many of his other roles, but feels slightly out of place here. There is also a surprising no appearance by or hardly a mention of Fitzgerald's wife, Zelda. A fascinating person who at this point in her life was in a sanitarium. That is just one example of Graham's influence on the script, keeping the focus off of her lover's wife.

Ultimately, Beloved Infidel is probably not worth your time unless you are a big fan of F. Scott Fitzgerald or Deborah Kerr.

I, for one really love this movie. It has all the elements of a classic movie. Great Actors, Love , Betrayal, And Redemption. When watching don't be over critical. This was produced in the 1950's and all movies of this time are a bit over acted and fanciful. Try to view it for what it is(not a biographical documentary about Sheila Graham and F. Scott Fitzgerald) but a sweeten Hollywood version of their story. Very enjoyable.. Gregory Peck is at his understated best!! Deborah Kerr is very believable as a woman who loves this man despite his problems. This movie is very understated. The scene where Scott hits Sheila and threatens her with the gun is well acted; the violence is not used to make the movie more watchable as it is now a days. It is a film the evokes many different emotions from the viewer. There are the highs of being in love and the lows of despair and fright. It encompasses all. A great film!!!!

Firstly I will agree that this isn't the most riveting film ever made, but I will disagree with the reviewer who says that Peck is too handsome to make a believable alcoholic. We know that Fitzgerald was handsome, intelligent and charming, three things which made Peck an excellent choice to play him on film. Furthermore there is a pretty amazing scene where violence erupts between Peck and Kerr, it's truly believable, which heartbreakingly portrayed the depths to which Fitzgerald had sunk. Obviously when the story is based on Sheilah Graham's recollections, it will be purely personal and she may have softened the truth or by the same account exaggerated it. The look of the picture is beautiful, especially the wardrobe for Kerr. I say simply to get a look at two stars in their prime it's worth it to muddle through. Kerr and Peck have a tangible chemistry.