Filming and Scripting of War and Empire in Tender Is the Night

Abstract This article offers an intermedial analysis of Tender Is the Night related to World War I and its aftermath. The film industry was threatening literary discourse as a cultural stronghold. Fitzgerald was concerned about the “invasion” of film and its power to shape the perception of historical and contemporary events. The initial focus is on Dick Diver leading his companions on a tour of the battlefield, war memorial, and cemetery near Somme, France. Dick’s speech invites comparison to Lincoln’s Gettysburg Address with ironic intent. D. W. Griffith’s The Birth of a Nation (1915) exemplifies the power of movie directors to influence public perception of historical events. The second scene examined is the duel between Tommy Barban and Albert McKisco interpreted as a satire of the romantic bent of Hollywood films and newsreel coverage of warfare. The final scene examined is the alliance between Barban and Nicole Warren backed by Baby Warren, interpreted as a warning about the rise of fascism in Europe and the continued influence of U.S. imperialism in shaping the global economic and cultural landscape in which the motion picture industry played a significant role.