Based on an unfinished novel by F. Scott Fitzgerald adapted by the notable playwright Harold Pinter and brought to the screen by Elia Kazan, this movie explores the life and machinations of the troubled movie producer Monroe Stahr (Robert DeNiro). The real-life inspiration for the leading character was Irving Thalberg, a producer at MGM. The focus of this leisurely-paced movie is on the characters of these show-business people. This star-studded film was expected to be a more conventional drama, and was not well-received by the film-going public.