F. Scott Fitzgerald - A Troubled Life Cut Short | Documentary

Now regarded as one of the most important voices in American literature, F Scott Fitzgerald died in obscurity, ignored and largely forgotten. The glitzy lifestyle of endless parties, cocktails and everyone wanting to be his friend a distant memory.

In the nineteen twenties, he and his high-spirited wife Zelda, were the living embodiments of the Jazz Age – handsome, successful and buzzing with energy – but like the Jazz Age their lifestyle was unsustainable.

In this video, I explore the brilliant but all too short life of F Scott Fitzgerald. A burdened life, fatally intertwined with that of the artistic but troubled Zelda. I reveal how the lives of two of America’s brightest young things slowly unraveled, with Zelda in and out of mental hospitals and Scott drowning his sorrows with alcohol.

It is a sad story of two lives prematurely extinguished, but also a story about love, about how their love endured through all the temptations and troubles that fate put in their paths.

Finding Out More:

F Scott Fitzgerald – a Troubled Life, Cut Short | Documentary

Academic References;
Bruccoli, MJ (2002) Some Sort of Epic Grandeur: The Life of F. Scott Fitzgerald (2nd rev. ed.), Columbia, South Carolina: University of South Carolina Press.
Goodwin, D. W. (1970). The Alcoholism of F. Scott Fitzgerald. JAMA, 212(1), 86-90.
Esteve, N., and Huertas, R. (2018). Zelda and Scott Fitzgerald and psychoanalysis: The construction of Tender Is the Night (1934). Culture and History Digital Journal, 7(1). Irwin, J. M. (1987). F. Scott Fitzgerald's little drinking problem. The American Scholar. 56 (3), 415-427.
Mizener, A (1951) The Far Side of Paradise: A Biography of F. Scott Fitzgerald, Boston, Massachusetts: Houghton Mifflin.
Seeman, MV (2016) Gendering psychosis: the illness of Zelda Fitzgerald. Med Humanities, 42: 65-69.
Wood, ME (1992) A Wizard Cultivator: Zelda Fitzgerald's Save Me the Waltz as Asylum Autobiography. Tulsa Studies in Women's Literature. 11 (2), 223-264.

Copyright Disclaimer:
The primary purpose of this video is educational. I have tried to use material in the public domain or with Creative Commons Non-attribution licences wherever possible. Where attribution is required, I have listed this below. I believe that any copyright material used falls under the remit of Fair Use, but if any content owners would like to dispute this, I will not hesitate to immediately remove that content. It is not my intention to infringe on content ownership in any way. If you happen to find your art or images in the video, please let me know and I will be glad to credit you.

Images:
Wikimedia Commons
Princeton University Library

Music:
Scott Joplin – The Entertainer – User.IE (public domain)
Scott Joplin - Gladiolus Rag - Pathé Dance Orchestra (public domain)
Scott Joplin – March Majestic (public domain)
Scott Joplin – Solace - performed by Constantin Stephan. CC4.0
Original Dixieland Jazz Band - Livery Stable Blues (1917, public domain)
Jazz Clarinet – Serolillo – CC2.5
Jazz Trombone – Serolillo – CC2.5
Sweet Georgia Brown - Dixieland Band of the United States Army Field Band's Jazz Ambassadors (public domain)
Scott Joplin - Ragtime Betty - João Pedro Cunha, violin, Pedro Carlos Silva, piano. CC3.0
Cinus Laurent - Etude n°6 Free Art Licence
Vladan Kuzmanović - Concert for Half Piano in E Flat Major CC4.0
Jonathon Little - Sacred Prelude, Op.1, for string quintet. Soloists of the Czech Philharmonic Orchestra CC3.0
Lloyd Rogers Slow – CC0
Carl Reinecke - Wind Octet Op. 216 - 3. Adagio - Soni Ventorum Wind Quintet: Felix Skowronek, flute; Laila Storch, oboe; Clarinets: William McColl and Julie Oster, Horns: Christopher Leuba and David Cottrell, Bassoons: Arthur Grossman and Gary Claunch. CC2.0
Sergei Rachmaninov – Vocalise -Roxana Pavel Goldstein, violin and Monica Pavel piano CC2.0
Sergei Rachmaninov – Concerto No 2 for Piano and Orchestra in C minor. Pianist. Kuneu (Ku Hanho) Piano, Citi Philharmonic Orchestra. CC Reuse Allowed.
Sergei Rachmaninov - Prelude in B Minor, Op. 32, No. 10, performed by La Pianista. CC3.0
Claude Debussy – Deuxième Arabesque - Patrizia Prati. CC ‎4.0
Claude Debussy – Rêverie – David Hernando Vitores ‎CC4.0

Video produced by Graeme Yorston and Tom Yorston.

[gbpjnsx]

My father, my older brothers (most of them) were alcoholics. Two of the bunch were very mean drunks.
I got caught up in drinking after a time of great sadness and anxiety...but was delivered...by the grace of God.

[deanadams]

My dad was a bad alcoholic. Hes been dead fifty years yet the pain and chaos he caused live still today.

[jamesl]

As an alcoholic who was able to quit I can understand his dilemma. Very unfortunate that he never quit and was able to get proper treatment. I think there’s much better understanding now and better treatment.

[KathyButkus]

Hearing these stories makes me fully aware that life beats the crap out of each and every one of us.

[LANCSKID]

How refreshing to have access to a well-researched documentary that is delivered without being overbearing or patronising. A truly moving story which has prompted me to undertake further research. Many thanks.

[jwhend]

Impressive biography. You portrayed the life of Fitzgerald in a beautiful and deeply meaningful way. As a reader who regards The Great Gatsby one of the best works of American literature I appreciated and was moved by your creation.

[CSchaeken]

Thank you, it is always a nice day when you post another video! Alcoholism, such a devastating illness…

[rezzer]

An eminent production. Deeply researched. Succinctly written. Authoritatively yet pleasantly delivered. Kudos to the creator!

[a.jlondon]

Love the channel. A YouTuber who is knowledgeable, educational and an expert in his field. Thank you.

[Lunaslair]

Wow, I never knew just how much his personal life was directly reflected in his novels.

[l.georgealexander]

I knew the story of F. Scott Fitzgerald and had read all his books, but I loved this version as it included the romance of his life.

[c.a.savage]

Dispite a less-than-ideal childhood, Fitzgerald was the Golden Boy of the 1920s - a literary success at a young age, handsome, talented, financially solvent, married to the woman he loved... for someone as sensitive and perceptive as Fitzgerald it's amazing to me that he didn't or couldn't see the destructiveness of his marriage and his own alcoholism.... personally, I'll save my pity and sorrow at a life cut short for John Keats, a budding poet at 18 and dead of TB at 25 years of age, deeply saddened that he and his poems would be forgotten. Fitzgerald burned himself out at 44.
Excellent video.

[dsantamaria]

I'm surprised he and Zelda lived past 30..
Shame, they brought on so much suffering to their lives..😥😥

[Century]

All that the world has to offer when it is not enough! This was a very good biopic.

[marvwatkins]

Poor Zelda. She was obviously a frustrated creative who had some, if not great talent and wanted to make something of her life, as most folks do, to no avail. Her need to significantly achieve consumed her like Scott. And made her existence, like Scott did this and she too him, unbearable.

[alayneperrott]

Such a sad story, beautifully and sensitively researched and narrated. Thank you. Fitzgerald's prose and its record of an extraordinary era in US history are remarkable. But as someone who has seen the harm done by alcoholism close up, I can only wince at the level of co-dependency shown by this tragic pair.

[jillwanlin]

A very engaging review of Fitzgerald’s life. As you’ve stated, it’s obvious that Zelda is a huge part of his story. Glad you’ll be dedicating a separate video to her.

[NicoleLan]

An excellent portrait, and so well produced. Loved the images as much as the excellent narration. As a dedicated Fitzgerald fan, I feel you have got him fair to rights.

[carolann]

The Great Gatsby, one of the best novels ever written .

[katarinaliljedahl]

Found this gem today, a combination of two of my greatest interests; literature and psychiatry! I used to read 'everything' about Vivien Leighs mental illness when I was young and when I compare the treatments today it's painful to imagine how she suffered, even though she had a strong spirit. Looking forward to the video about Zelda. Thank you very much for creating this channel.