User Reviews

There's one great scene in Beloved Infidel that's so fantastic, it's mind-blowing. Gregory Peck gets drunk and picks a fight with Deborah Kerr, and it escalates into violence. It's the best scene in the movie, and it's the one that will stick with you afterwards. But, unfortunately, the rest of the movie isn't very good.

From the point of view of notorious gossip columnist Sheila Graham, this movie follows the romance of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Graham in the final years of his life. The screenplay feels very biased, and it makes me wonder how much of it was actually true, since Graham's occupation was to blow up drama and cause a scandal in the newspapers. According to this movie, Graham was so physically attractive, Scott just couldn't resist her, and they constantly had blow-up fights and make up and break ups and it was so emotionally abusive that she was always a victim and cared too much and couldn't stay away because she feared for his safety and believe in him-Are you exhausted yet? Are you wondering whether or not every single scene is true? Don't go into this movie with high hopes, and if you're a huge F. Scott Fitzgerald fan, you're bound to be disappointed.

Ironically enough, Graham herself was disappointed with Gregory Peck's casting and portrayal. She wanted someone lighter colored, specifically Bing Crosby or Richard Basehart. Even more ironically, Fitzgerald's daughter was said to have thought Peck nailed her dad's personality. It just goes to show you that children and romantic partners have different points of view of the same person. Clearly, Graham wanted someone who came across as diminutive, unsure, and emotionally vulnerable (remember The Country Girl?). Gregory Peck doesn't look like F. Scott Fitzgerald in the slightest, and he could never pull off diminutive! Richard Basehart would have been wonderful, not only because of his physical appearance, but because he's a better actor. Don't throw anything at me, but Atticus Finch alone doesn't make an entire career of great performances. Basehart has layers Peck just can't take on, and this movie calls for acting chops Peck just doesn't have. If you doubt it, rent Fourteen Hours and try to imagine Gregory Peck on the ledge.

Deborah Kerr gives a typical Deborah Kerr performance, so if you like her, you'll like her in this movie. She's my mom's favorite actress of the golden age, but I'm not a fan. I wholeheartedly commend her for her desperation in the one great scene, though. On the whole, she showcases her wobbly voice, her strength, and her tearful emotion that she normally showcases in her movies. Weigh the potential pros and cons before renting this movie, and if you end up not liking it, just chalk it up to Hollywood drama and put it out of your mind. That's my advice.

In 1936, the witty columnist Sheilah Graham (Deborah Kerr) leaves her noble British fiancé and travels in the Queen Mary from Southampton, England, to New York. She seeks out the editor of the North American Newspaper Alliance John Wheeler (Philip Ober) offering her services but he sends her to the Daily Mirror. Sheilah becomes successful and John offers a job position in Hollywood to write gossips about the stars. When Sheilah meets the decadent writer F. Scott Fitzgerald (Gregory Peck), they immediately fall in love for each other. Sheilah discovers that Scott is accepting any job to write screenplay to financially support his wife Zelda that is in asylum and his daughter that is in a boarding school. She opens her heart to him and tells the truth about her origins; but their relationship is affected by the drinking problem of Scott.

"Beloved Infidel" is a melodramatic soap-opera based on the true romance of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheilah Graham along the last four years of the life of the American writer. However, the screenplay is based on the book written by Sheilah Graham that is pictured as an angel that helps the decadent and cruel drunkard. I do not know the biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald but this version is shallow and not independent. Gregory Peck is weak in the dramatic parts and the lovely Deborah Kerr is too sweet even when insulted considering the profile of the controversial reporter Sheilah Graham, considered a bitch by the industry. My vote is six.

Title (Brazil): "O Ídolo de Cristal" ("The Crystal Idol")

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

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!!!!

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.

Deborah Kerr and Gregory Peck are Sheilah Graham and F. Scott Fitzgerald in "Beloved Infidel," based on Sheilah Graham's autobiography. 20th Century Fox gave this a big, glossy production, with Henry King as director.

In the movie, Sheilah goes to the set of In Old Chicago with one "Mr. Harris" (Zanuck) and we see an actual scene from the film re-enacted. Graham has apparently criticized the actress Jane Pierce (Alice Faye) and Miss Pierce isn't happy to see her. In the cafeteria, there is a large photo of Shirley Temple, and next to her is Tyrone Power. Yes, we're at Fox, all right.

Graham is an aspiring writer looking for work, and at a party, she meets F. Scott Fitzgerald, who has come out to Hollywood and is writing screenplays. The two fall in love. Zelda, Scott's wife, has been institutionalized by then, and his daughter Francis is in school. Fitzgerald needs the film work to pay his bills.

History tells us that Fitzgerald was a big flop writing for movies; most of his work is uncredited or just not used. His glorious prose did not translate to the screen. In this version of his story, he starts drinking heavily after he is fired from the studio. In reality he had been an alcoholic since college. The alcohol temporarily breaks them up.

Certainly one of the most fascinating people who ever lived is F. Scott Fitzgerald, and Sheilah Graham pulled herself up from nothing to become an important columnist. But neither of these people come off as especially fascinating or interesting.

For me, Gregory Peck was miscast as Fitzgerald, whom I believe was, for one thing, much less robust, had a weaker character, and was probably drunk most of the time. Peck does as well as he can, but I think he was smart enough to know there was no way he could convey the personality of the real Fitzgerald. It wasn't in the script. Deborah Kerr, in my opinion, was an underrated actress, and she gives a marvelous performance here. But she probably wasn't playing Sheilah Graham.

The script simply isn't specific or detailed enough to give us an idea of who these people really were.

People have speculated how much of this story is true. Most of it - Fitzgerald did move to Hollywood, he did flop out in movies, he did fall for Sheilah Graham, they did live together, he did start to write The Last Tycoon; the incident toward the end of the movie at the theater did happen, and the end of the film was basically correct. As far as what they were both like -- you'll have to find another source for that.

It is rather strange that the story of the great American novelist, F. Scott Fitzgerald (Gregory Peck), ends up being told, here, by the transplanted American gossip columnist, Sheilah Graham (Deborah Kerr). But, however melodramatic this picture may come off, we must remember that it is HER story--not his. His full life story is referred to, here, more in retrospect, but his struggle with alcohol is well documented.

I find that great film scores often elevate a movie, and the score by Franz Waxman does wonders here. This was the era of great film scores, scores that often outlasted the overall effect of the movie.

This is one of 3 movies in which Gregory Peck and Eddie Albert co-star, so this combination must have worked for both of them.

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.

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 based on the memoirs of Hollywood columnist Sheilah Graham, specifically her three year affair with F. Scott Fitzgerald, who is still a legend in American literature, and a genuine legend in his own time.

That's the key to the film. Can you imagine in the previous century Charles Dickens whose works in the United Kingdom were also acclaimed in his time getting a contract and asked to turn out potboiler drama three or four times a year for the London stage? In the late 1930s F. Scott Fitzgerald was in Hollywood having to pay mounting bills for his wife Zelda's care and his daughter schooling and the way to quick cash was in Hollywood writing screenplays.

But the studios don't want genius, they want entertainment churned out quickly on a mass scale. That isn't how Fitzgerald operates. So he's fired and returns to the alcoholism that was his lifestyle during his literary hey day in the Roaring Twenties.

As Fitzgerald, Gregory Peck's one consolation in his final years is the love affair with Hollywood columnist Sheilah Graham. I have to disagree with the other reviewers who say this film is too rosy a portrayal. Remember this is Sheilah Graham's work this is based on and it's through her eyes we see Peck's disintegration. Deborah Kerr is once again a prim and proper Sheilah Graham whose slum background she's worked like a demon to overcome.

Peck and Kerr work well together, but as this is a Henry King film from 20th Century Fox, I wouldn't be surprised if the film might have been intended for Tyrone Power at one point. If it had been Power would have been well cast in the part of Fitzgerald.

This is also Henry King's next to last film and take a look at his film credits and the astonishing list of classic films that he did over 50 years in Hollywood. I guess as a followup to Beloved Infidel, King chose to do a film adaptation of F. Scott Fitzgerald's Tender is the Night. That one for some reason is never shown.

Beloved is a classic old fashioned romantic drama the kind that sadly is not being made any more.

There is a scene in this film at about the 42 minute mark that is among the worst I have seen in some time. As F. Scott Fitzgerald (Gregory Peck) and Sheilah Graham (Deborah Kerr) are lounging on the beach, suddenly things become tense and Sheilah begins to cry--at which point she tells her lover about her sordid past. This "dramatic scene" becomes so terribly overdone and histrionic I couldn't help but turn to my wife and exclaim how stupid it all was...as dramatic music swelled on the television as it all came to a phony crescendo. NO ONE experiences moments like this--no one. Now how much of the rest of the film is true, I cannot say, but this particular moment was laughably bad and as fake as an $8 Rolex--and leads me to assume that some of the other reviewers were correct--the film is a lot of bunk. However, I am not an expert on the life of these two people and the internet didn't seem to clear this up, either.

Just who were F. Scott Fitzgerald and Sheilah Graham and what was their relationship really like? What I do know about Fitzgerald, however, does seem different from what I saw in the film. Was he the suave and decent man we initially see in the film? Well, considering he was married at the same time he was carrying on with Graham and drank like a fish, I'd assume he wasn't. Was he as obnoxious and boorish as we later see in the film? Perhaps, but if he was this bad AND yet Ms. Graham stayed with him, then this makes her out to be a complete dummy--and not someone you'd like to see featured in a film. And, if he wasn't, then the film does a poor disservice to his memory. Either way, it made for a painful and not particularly pleasant viewing experience.

The sum total of this film appears to be a tale of two not particularly likable or healthy people. In a dark and salacious way, some might find this all very entertaining, but most are sure to see this as a train wreck with no surprises along the way! Unpleasant but with glossy production values (especially the music, which was lovely but way over the top) it begs the question "why did they even choose to make this in the first place?". The bottom line--it's a pretty bad film all around and probably not worth your time--even if, like me, you are big Gregory Peck fan.

This film purports to be about the last years of F. Scott Fitzgerald and his life with his paramour Sheila Graham as seen through the eyes of Ms. Graham. Sorry, wrong number! Obviously, Ms. Graham remembers through rose colored glasses. Granted, she was there and we were not but this is a very sanitized version of life with a hopeless alcoholic, has-been. Fitzgerald was the darling of the jazz age who, with his unstable wife Zelda, ran rampant through life with a joy for living which set a standard for the time. But he dried up artistically, Zelda was committed to an institution and he took to the bottle with a vengeance. The film begins when he is on his last legs, trying to make it in Hollywood as a screen writer and having an affair with Ms. Graham, a Hollywood gossip columnist. Gregory Peck is just not believable as Fitzgerald. He is not gritty enough, not desperate enough and is just.....well, he is just Gregory Peck, not F. Scott Fitzgerald. Deborah Kerr is so wrong for this part that it is ludicrous. It appears that she was chosen for the role because she had an English accent as did Ms. Graham. Sheila Graham was a kick-ass opportunist (which she had to be to make it in the business) and Kerr is much too genteel and ladylike. I'm sure Ms. Graham loved her man and that her memories (at least some of them) were romantic and wonderful but it is just all too good to be true. Fitzgerald's last days are well known enough to make this film a saccharin fairy tale.

Based on a self-serving novel by one-time girl friend and groupie of F. Scott Fitzgerald, gossip columnist Sheila Graham wrote this trashy story. Gregory Peck carries on in shameless excess as a forceful be-drunk-or-be-damned alcoholic; in contradiction to the gentle and soft spoken real Scott Fitzgerald. Focusing on Fitzgerald's Hollywood writing era, late in his life, the much-honored author was, in fact, living a quiet life and effectively fighting his alcoholism at a time when AA was not yet well known. Fitzgerald was none-too-proud to be recycling his flapper stories in order to support both his wife (in a mental hospital) and his daughter (in college). Living in a small apartment and driving a second hand Chevrolet his life was 180 degrees different than as portrayed in this movie.

Virtually every 20th Century-Fox movie made during Daryll F. Zanuck's leadership, as well as virtually every film directed by Henry King, was a work of excellence. Beloved Infidel was the exception.

written by an opportunist Sheilah Graham, who was before my time but I do recall my mother reading her column, if one takes this film with only a few grains of salt, its okay.

The film starts with Fitzgerald working on "The Last Tycoon" and struggling...He was in reality struggling with alcoholism, but this film was made in an era of denial, people didn't have addictions or suicide, or depression, they just died suddenly of a heart ailment.

That in itself could be excused if the story was flavored with some weightier topics, Fitzgerald did not write pulp fiction and his thoughts and ideas about Hollywood were probably quite interesting. We do see Gregory Peck in an amusing scene where he mocks Graham's producer of a radio gossip show. Graham was apparently chastised for sounding too educated for mid-western audiences.

The side story regarding Scott's wife Zelda, and the golden age they thrived in could also have been developed. Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, who was afflicted with schizophrenia, ended her tragic life in an Asheville, North Carolina asylum, as a result of a tragic fire.

The reality is Sheilah Graham was another false face, who attempted to reinvent herself in Hollywood. The story could work if she was not so ingratiating, whiny and annoying. I do like Deborah Kerr and "Tea and Sympathy" was one of her best performances, but the portrayal of Sheilah Graham here is simply to saccharine and dated.

Sad that F. Scott Fitzgerald one of our greatest writers from that time period has been so poorly represented in film. The material and audience interest is there. Fox...Tom Rothman, you honor "All About Eve" on Fox Movie Channel, how about a remake of "Beloved Infidel" with a talented actor as Fitzgerald?. I confess I may care too much about the material and story here, I enjoy literature, Shakespeare, and talented actors portraying the authors material. Maybe someday we will see a good remake because the story is here. 5/10.

It's hard to say which of Peck and Kerr is the most embarrassing as their respective celebrity. Gregory Peck as the world's greatest forgotten novelist F. Scott Fitzgonzo, starts drinking and behaving badly about the hour mark, unless you count the unprovoked violence against Sheilah - Deborah Kerr as ambitious gossip columnist Sheilah Gonzo does her 'Heaven Knows, Mr. Allison' turn, a starchy governess.

Visually, it's nice to look at as a sort of animated Norman Rockwell - you can try to spot how much of the scenery is painting, in the slow moments of which there are many. Any sense that it's the 1930s is nonexistent, except for a short radio broadcast.

Zelda, Fitzgonzo's severely mentally ill wife (no doubt partly thanks to contemporary treatments) gets many namechecks, but if only we got to see her, or her influence on him, or maybe her art once or twice, it would relieve the utter mundanity of this tedious holiday slideshow.

Music by Franz Waxman, which is appropriate considering the resemblance of the cast to wax figures. And Gregory Peck's booming voice is even more irritating than Deborah Kerr's clipped radio-announcer. The actual Fitzgerald was a dreadful chronic drunk, but he probably didn't fancy himself half as much as the totally miscast Gregory Peck appears to. Nor did he die in front of Sheilah.

Henry King is a master of making a storybook love movie;but when it comes to biography,(with the exception of "the song of Bernadette" which owed a lot to Jennifer Jones)his art becomes ineffective:in spite of two great actors,nothing works here.The scene on the beach where Kerr tells everything ,warts and all, turns up at the most awkward moment:why does she feel compelled to tell the whole truth when things are working so fine for her?Besides,Gregory Peck is much too famous and too "straight" to portray FSF successfully,we never forget he is Gregory Peck:he's so handsome it's impossible to believe he is an out-and-out alcoholic. Oddly,King's swansong the following year was a FS Fitzgerald adaptation, "tender is the night' but Jones had become too old for the part and it was a disappointment.

I thought it was fun. The acting was captivating to me. But I missed the beginning and the end. I wonder if they lived happily together for a long time. I thought the Last Tycoon was a great movie. Didn't the New York Publishers give him the advance he wanted? ; ) You think he drank too much? She was sort of a party pooper wasn't she?

As far as I know, that's the only film speaking of Scott F Fitzgerald's life, at least the second part, not the first, when he was with his first wife, who was sent to a psychiatric hospital. Gregory Peck is awesome in this role, the tortured writer, a close performance to the one he had in another movie: THE SNOWS OF THE KILIMANDJARO, directed by the same director Henry King, for whom Gregory Peck was the fetish actor, with Tyrone Power too. The latest film was inspired from Ernest Hemingway, a close friend of Fitzgerald. Henry king seemed to be highly inspired by Fitzgerald, he gave us TENDER IS THE NIGHT, also adapted from Fitzgerald's novel.