I'm About to "Tender"-ize You!

I'm going to confess to you up front that this is not a play-by-play tribute to the movie in question. It's really just a sort of fashion show. I first saw 1962's Tender is the Night way back in the day on cable TV, cropped, faded and grainy and thought it was a complete snore. I still don't consider it a scintillating piece of cinematic entertainment, yet upon checking it out again recently I was stunned to see how incredibly beautiful the location scenery is and how intriguing some of the costumes are. I say intriguing because they're not all exactly good... but they are generally just odd. Some are odd in a good way and some not. I guess that's what happens when a film set in the 1920s is designed through the filter of a 1950s/60s designer. As it happens, I tend to like the work of said designer, but in this I only found some of his work appealing. Nevertheless, alluring or atrocious, I felt the need to run down most of the clothing found in this flick because the three women who wear all the concoctions are well known to most cinemaphiles.  

I was yesterday years old when I found out that world famous novelist F. Scott Fitzgerald (ever heard of The Great Gatsby??) penned a total of only six books! One of those was a novella and one was unfinished, but published posthumously. I figured he'd done far more than that. Tender was his last completed novel and he'd been working on it for nine years, with many revisions and refocuses, before it finally came out in 1934. It concerns an American couple living in the South of France. He is a psychiatrist and she was one of his patients. 

The rather belated screen adaptation has three ladies wearing concoctions of one Pierre Balmain, a famous French designer who dressed thousands of ladies along with designing for a number of stage productions and movies. You'll see virtually all the pieces in this post. 

 

The film opens with Jason Robards water-skiing with his son on his shoulders as he and his friends and family luxuriate along the coast.

Get a load of this gold lamé swimsuit! (And I'm glad there's some sort of pad under the towel... those rocks!)

The lady seen in the suit is Miss Jill St. John. She plays a young actress who finds Robards fascinating. (On that point, we disagree. With apologies to his fans, I appreciate him in supporting character roles, but as a romantic leading man I'm afraid it's Zzzzzzzz all the way for me.) 

Following his dismount, a small group of folks await his arrival under their beach tent. A young daughter is in the foreground with Tom Ewell, Cesare Danova and Jennifer Jones behind. 

Italian actor Danova is apparently the magnetic "hunk" of this movie, but he's another one who just never did it for me. Miss Jones is sporting a blue-on-blue ensemble with sizeable sun hat. 

There's no substitute for glorious location filming of this sort. The water is beautiful.

Here, Jones is having a Neely O'Hara moment with her necklace. (IYKYK)

Among the nosy and gossipy folks in a nearby spot, we see Bea Benaderet, famed as the voice of Betty Rubble and the co-star of Petticoat Junction, among other things. 

Now all dolled-up for evening, the gents are in tuxedos while Jones has on a white silk gown of 1920s inspiration. I almost always prefer long hair on women, but this look was really chic on her. 

Ewell plays a sarcastic, boozy composer. Though he's not based on Oscar Levant, he serves a similar purpose as Levant did in a number of movies. St. John is seen in an embossed peach gown. For my money, she consistently winds up with the short end of the stick in this movie when it comes to clothes. Yes, her character is meant to be young and a bit naive, but some of the things go beyond unimpressive and are... well, you'll see. 

Here are a couple more glimpses of Jones' sleek hairdo. 

Jones clearly loved wearing white, as she did so many times, especially in her later career. What I loved here is how heavy her makeup is! I'm not used to seeing her with quite this level of eye and lip makeup and I adore it. 

The following morning finds Robards on their veranda with Ewell tickling the ivories. Again, the widescreen cinematography of this eye-popping location is really something. From this point, a series of flashbacks ensue. 

Paul Lukas as seen as a psychiatric physician who's treating Jones at a Paris clinic. Joan Fontaine is seen as her sister. 

Fontaine is rarely seen in this film without her gargantuan cigarette holder. Many of the more showy wardrobe selections came her way for the wealthy, sometimes haughty role she plays. That on the table, by the way, is her matching purse! Not a throw pillow...

Fontaine is very arch, demonstrative and "on" in this role, but thank God for it because otherwise it could have been one seriously dreary affair. I love characters like this and always have.

Jones' biggest mental problem is that her father sexually abused her (this is suggested more than spelled out, but anyone paying close attention will get it.) Robards, brought in to consult, introduces himself and the two hit it off well. She seems to be channeling Natalie Wood in that chair...!

The two go on an outing, with Jones making some bizarrely stiff arm movements and donning a hat that makes it seem like she's recovering from cranial surgery. 

Later, after she's been released, the two run into one another again and she invites him to join her at a dinner party. 

I gasped at the sight of Fontaine's look, but Jones... Well, I wondered if this one had been designed by John Belushi in anticipation of a toga party!

I can't figure out if it's just strange or ugly or unique or what! It doesn't seem to have anything to do with what other guests are wearing and seems almost like a masquerade costume than an evening gown. 

In the end, it really does nothing for her, especially when not in motion.

Fontaine, on the other hand. Well, I just adored this combination of up'do and statement necklace. 

She reminded me of another Joan who is a fixture here in the Underworld. 

Still in flashback, we see the wedding reception of Jones and Robards, like many sequences, shot on location.

Coming forth to greet the groom is a fur-covered figure in a large picture hat.

Although we scarcely see her face in this scene, it's Fontaine. Only Balmain and/or director Henry King could have explained why she's hidden away under all this. 

She did, however, pose for some portrait photos in this getup, which were widely distributed during and after the release of the movie. 

Both Jones and Fontaine has Best Actress Oscars on their shelves at home (Robards would win a Best Supporting Actor one himself about 15 years after this.) I don't know if these two ladies got on well or not, but it would be interesting to know if there was any sort of professional rivalry.

The honeymooners take a romantic cruise. 

Here, in an arena, Jones had a vividly appointed hat. 

Still on the extended honeymoon, Jones chats with her sister on the phone. (Unsaid, but presumed, is that she's already with child by this point.) 

Because the next thing we know, a white-clad Jones is in the hospital, having given birth to the first of their two children. 

New Year's Eve brings another fancy party. Fontaine's dress is barely seen at all in her fleeting moments during the scene. Jones is in her favored tone again, this time with a statement necklace. 

It's likely a nod to the jazz age era of the setting, but I noticed that many times the ladies have many bracelets and bangles on their wrists. And here is a better look at thatclanker of a necklace. 

Morningwear, back in the present after all those flashbacks.

Here we find a reunion with St. John and an example of how drab and plain her costumes tend to be next to the chic lines of Jones'. 

St. John does get a luxurious fur-trimmed coat as they exit, but Jones has a scene-stealing feather in her cap!

At the next big shindig, Jones is decked out in red (a color that I think suits her well) with dark fur while St. John makes and entrance in something akin to Cookie Monster Chic.

Incidentally, there is no truth to the rumor that this wrap once had large black & white buttons such as the ones depicted here... 

I don't know who these caricatures are supposed to be depicting. Does France have a place called "vingt et un vant?"

Here's a glimpse of St. John's bracelets.

And here, following an incident with one of their children, we see the baubles adorning Jones' wrists. 

Casual daywear for a picnic lunch.

I did like the way this ocean blue robe stood out against the gilded tones of Jones' boudoir. If you are a viewer of Jones' movies, particularly as her career reached its later period, she was known to do a lot of unusual things with her mouth. Sometimes it's hard to catch a shot of her without a contorted kisser.

St. John is seen here in chartreuse. I like the style of the dress, but I don't think this color really does her any favors. But note the coordinated beads around her neck. 

I got a kick out of Fontaine's early morning phone call annoyance facial expressions here. 

A bit later, she's visited by Robards as she's preparing to dress for the day. 

As she's rummaging for the right thing to wear, we get a good look at her dressing gown and camisole. The green dress is not worn in the film.

As her character begins to become more sophisticated, St. John's clothing reflects this a bit. 

As Fontaine is seen entering a restaurant (with a rather dashing escort), we can imagine what it might have been like had Walt Disney offered a live action rendition of One Hundred and One Dalmatians (1961) in 1962! JF would have slain as Cruella de Vil.

At the same place, St. John is seen in a golden sequined dress with chiffon draping at the shoulder. Nope. I just didn't care for this one either...! 

One way to stand out against the dazzling scenery is to wear zesty lemon yellow and carry a coordinating parasol. 

On a luxury yacht, Fontaine sports a silk ensemble in blush and bashful. 

Upstairs, Jones is watching Robards water-skiing rather recklessly (while half-crocked.) 

After helping him onto the yacht and ordering him to take a hot shower, she and Danova hold a frank conversation about Robards' drinking, her marriage and their mutual affection... right next to a huge vent.

Said vent is directly linked to Robards' room where he can easily hear everything they're talking about! 

Sadly, this sequence with Robards constitutes virtually the entire beefcake content of the 2 and a half hour film. And as you can see, it's not earth-shattering.

As the story wends to its finale, Jones again dons her signature white for an al fresco lunch with Danova and Robards.

I did like the casually elegant way this scarf was worked into the strap of her dress.

Just look at this vast, finely-appointed set! 

Fontaine's final scene is in this vivid blue, which pops against the muted tones of the decor. 

I cannot say that Tender is the Night is spellbinding, but it is beautifully appointed and looks amazing. I loved the old school cinematography by Leon Shamroy with DeLuxe Color (red makes such an impression when it appears.) The movie was not a financial success upon release. Should you wish to take it in, a beautiful print (free with occasional ads) can be seen on YT right here. 

Until next time, that is all!