Based on F. Scott Fitzgerald’s unfinished novel, ‘The Last Tycoon’ gives us an inside-out glimpse of movie making through the successful yet lonely existence of one of the geniuses of the Hollywood studio era. Despite being a Harold Pinter screenplay and an Elia Kazan film supported by a stellar cast, the film fails to evoke, but leaves you with a few stunning visual compositions.
The story revolves around Monroe Stahr, a young and successful studio executive who has a reputation for running operations with an iron hand and having actors, directors and writers do his bidding. He knows what scenes to cut, what portions to be reshot and rewritten and how to pick the right director for a particular star. He is also lonely and a widower. When he encounters a mysterious woman, who has an uncanny resemblance to his ex-wife, he tries hard to woo her. In the process he loses control over what he loves most: the movies.
Visually, the film says a lot. From the first frame to the last, the placement of props, the switch between screen shots and the corresponding shooting sets on studio, the long shots of Stahr’s under-construction home on the sea shore and the eerie stillness of large studio halls is carefully crafted to show the shallowness of his existence. One outstanding scene in the film is when Stahr inspires a struggling writer on how to construct a scene and how the cinematic world is about make-believe.
Kazan’s direction which usually brings out the emotional depth in characters unfortunately leaves you with a bland taste in your mouth. While the increasing isolation of Stahr is apparent, the viewer is not taken inside the skin of the character to empathize with him. He remains a black box. Also, the whole New York vs. California battle for movie supremacy is not dealt with in full.
Robert De Niro as Monroe Stahr shows his devotion to the method as he physically transforms himself to show the poker faced studio tycoon. His is the standout performance in a muted role. Ingrid Boulting as Kathleen Moore is effective as the enigmatic object of desire. Jack Nicholson in a cameo as Brimmer, the spokesperson for the writer’s union looks lost and is utterly wasted.
‘The Last Tycoon’ promises much but leaves you with much less. Worth watching for some visual magic.
