Someone once asked a novelist, “which character in the story is you?” The writer responded, “all of them.” Inspiration for a story is fueled by life experience and knowledge of the subject. Some writers like Conrad believed that they needed to have certain experiences before they could write about them. Whatever the case it seems that it is imagination that ultimately creates the story. Gatsby In Connecticut: The Untold Story explores the notion of what influences F. Scott Fitzgerald’s living in Westport Connecticut with his wife Zelda may have had on his writing the novel The Great Gatsby.
Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story, directed by Robert Steven Williams, begins in Westport, Connecticut where F. Scott Fitzgerald and his recent bride Zelda lived for a short time. Their house was a cottage adjacent to a large 175-acre estate owned by Frederick E. Lewis, a millionaire who was known for throwing lavish parties at his mansion. Since the central plot of The Great Gatsby has a similar situation, the question becomes, was this millionaire, with his lavish parties and the proximity of his mansion to the Fitzgerald cottage the inspiration for the novel? Most scholars up until now barely acknowledge that Fitzgerald lived in Westport. So the mystery is, was his living in the Westport cottage the inspiration for the Great Gatsby novel? The novel is set on Long Island, N.Y. not Westport, Connecticut. The Fitzgerald’s also lived in Great Neck, Long Island.
“Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story was inspired by the 1996 New Yorker article by Barbara Probst Solomon, which unveiled her theory that the West Egg in Fitzgerald’s “The Great Gatsby” was not based on an actual place in Long Island, but rather in Westport, Connecticut which held a special place in Scott and Zelda’s hearts.”
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Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story presents its narrative against a wonderful backdrop of footage and photographs of the 1920’s in the New York and Connecticut areas. Visuals and music combine to create a feeling for the era and an understanding of the influences on Fitzgerald. A combination of interviews with knowledgeable individuals and narration by Keiv Dullea tells the story. The documentary features Sam Waterson who played in the 1974 Gatsby film. While exploring the main subject of where the inspiration for the setting of Gatsby may have come from, the documentary also looks at the trials and tribulations of being a writer to some extent. What factors might have motivated F. Scott Fitzgerald, to get his first novel published? Also how his relationship with his wife Zelda developed. How they may have collaborated on some of their novels.
The story begins the summer Zelda and Scott spent in Westport Connecticut. In the process, we learn how Zelda and Scott met and ultimately married when his first book This Side of Paradise was published. After having been rejected two times by Scribner & Son Publishers it was finally accepted. Zelda and Scott got married immediately after it was published. The lived in New York City for a few weeks. They then moved to a cottage in Westport, Connecticut which is about 55 miles from New York City.
You don’t necessarily have to be a fan of the Gatsby novel, a literary or film buff to enjoy this documentary. It is entertaining and informative with new insights. The pace of the editing, as well as the period photographs and music keep things moving. Actor Sam Waterston, who portrayed Nick Carraway in the 1974 The Great Gatsby film says, “This film does an excellent job of capturing an important aspect of Westport’s literary history and it helps to establish the town’s rightful place in Fitzgerald’s legacy.”
Vision Film Synopsis
“”The untold story of the summer Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald lived in Connecticut which inspired one of the world’s most beloved novels: “The Great Gatsby”. Everyone knows the book, the films, and series, but who knows the truth? Track down the mystery millionaire who threw extravagant parties, uncover new evidence of the location and players, and dig deep to discover the real-life Jay Gatsby himself.”
“Initially I thought this was just a three-month project to document the Fitzgerald’s Westport period for the local historical society,” says director, Robert Steven Williams. “But as we dug deeper, we realized how important the Westport period was to both Scott and Zelda. Along the way, we uncovered academic secrets and a lawsuit to stop the leading Fitzgerald scholar from rewriting parts of Gatsby. Most important, we were able to bring to life an overlooked period of Scott and Zelda’s that had a profound impact on their lives including their art, the novels, their love.”
“Scott and Zelda Fitzgerald were larger-than-life individuals and director Robert Steven Williams was able to capture the excitement and decadence of the roaring 20’s in Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story,” says Vision Films CEO/Managing Director, Lise Romanoff. “The history behind one of the world’s most beloved books and films, “The Great Gatsby”, is so intriguing that this incredible documentary will not only be loved by Fitzgerald and literary fans, but by anyone who has an interest in American history.”
Gatsby in Connecticut: The Untold Story will be available on September 1, 2020, on DVD from all major online retailers and on digital for an SRP of $4.99 – $9.99 from platforms including iTunes, Vudu, Google Play, Xbox, Amazon, and FandangoNow, as well as cable affiliates everywhere.
Review by James R Martin
Author: Documentary Directing and Storytelling
