The Last Tycoon

Director: Elia Kazan Elia Kazan

Overview

Based on an unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald adapted by the notable playwright Harold Pinter and brought to the screen by Elia Kazan, this movie explores the life and machinations of the troubled movie producer Monroe Stahr (Robert DeNiro). The real-life inspiration for the leading character was Irving Thalberg, a producer at MGM. The focus of this leisurely-paced movie is on the characters of these show-business people. This star-studded film was expected to be a more conventional drama, and was not well-received by the film-going public.

Product Details

Release Date:	05/26/2020
UPC:	0032429342867
Original Release:	1976
Rating:	NR
Source:	ALLIED VAUGHN
Language:	English
Time:	2:03:00
Sales rank:	6,075

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Robert De Niro	Monroe Stahr
Tony Curtis	Rodriguez,Mrs. Rodriguez
Robert Mitchum	Pat Brady
Jeanne Moreau	Didi
Jack Nicholson	Brimmer
Donald Pleasence	Boxley
Ingrid Boulting	Kathleen Moore
Ray Milland	Fleishacker
Dana Andrews	Red Ridingwood,Popolos
Theresa Russell	Cecilia Brady
Peter Strauss	Wylie
Morgan Farley	Marcus
John Carradine	Guide
Jeff Corey	Doctor
Diane Shalet	Stahr's Secretary
Seymour Cassel	Seal Trainer
Anjelica Huston	Edna
Bonnie Bartlett	Brady's Secretary
Sharon Masters	Brady's Secretary
Eric Christmas	Norman
Lloyd Kino	Butler
Brendan Burns	Assistant Editor
Carrie Miller	Lady in Restaurant
Peggy Feury	Hairdresser
Betsy Jones-Moreland	Writer
Julian Burton	Actor
Patricia Singer	Girl on Beach
Maurice Jarre	Composer

Technical Credits

Harold Pinter

Elia Kazan	Director
Harold Pinter	Screenwriter
Sam Spiegel	Producer
Dick Vorisek	Sound/Sound Designer

Editorial Reviews

The Last Tycoon, released in 1976, is one of the last vestiges of old Hollywood merging with new Hollywood. Adapted from the unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald, it is an effective tribute to a time when the movie industry was in its infancy. Robert DeNiro stars as Monroe Stahr, a thinly veiled depiction of film pioneer Irving Thalberg, who is burdened by his overwhelming position as a studio production head, by the loss of his movie star wife, and by his weak heart. While DeNiro's portrayal is the centerpiece of the film, there are several other elements involved which lend an extra aura of prestige. Directed by Elia Kazan, the film is technically competent, but, as it is based on a work which its original author left incomplete, the ending is a bit forced and contrived. To lend additional sparkle, there are appearances by a multitude of stars such as Tony Curtis, Robert Mitchum, Ray Milland, and Theresa Russell who vie for screen time on the periphery of the main plot line involving Stahr's encounter and subsequent infatuation with an extra, played by Ingrid Boulting, who is his dead wife's twin. Kazan captures the spirit of the time and place well, but the pacing is slow and sometimes confusing. While The Last Tycoon represents Elia Kazan's last directorial effort, it is also notable for featuring the only joint screen appearance to date of Robert DeNiro and Jack Nicholson.