Seen on PBS

Written By: F. Scott Fitzgerald

Starring: Shelly Duvall, Bud Cort ("Harold & Maude")

Description: It's the hot summer of 1919. Visiting her cousin Marjorie (Veronica Cartwright), sweet-but-dull Bernice (Shelly Duvall) is transformed into a smooth-talking man-trap by her vampish kin. However, the "make-over" works too well, Bernice becomes the belle of the ball, captivating every boy's interest…even Marjorie's boyfriend Warren (Bud Cort). The now worldly Bernice has the last laugh…a clever and ironic twist. One of the best screen translations of F. Scott Fitzgerald's literary work, Bernice also includes the delightful supporting role performances of Dennis Christopher ("Breaking Away") and Polly Holliday ("Alice").

DVD Extras: About the Author, Actors’ Bios, About the American Short Story Collection, Henry Fonda Intro, Printable Study Guide

Average Customer Review: ( 14 customer reviews )
Write an online review and share your thoughts with other customers.

This F. Scott Fitzgerald story is one of the best from the series as it captures the attitude of the times, the '20's. The teenagers are all affecting such sophistication. Bernice isn't used to this New York City sophistication, and is painfully shy at first on her visit, but finds herself prodded and pushed. The lesson is eventually learned, the lesson that it's best to be yourself since nobody else can do as good a job at being you as you can.

Importantly, the lesson is given to us in a most entertaining manner. One who hasn't become acquainted with Fitzgerald should find this taste of his skills addictive.

Well worth watching.

8 of 8 found the following review helpful:

Good adaptation; poor qualityJan 11, 2007
By Edward Aycock
This adaptation actually merits four stars; Shelley Duvall and Veronica Cartwright shine in their roles as Bernice and her more popular cousin Marjorie. Duvall is especially well-cast as the gawky, socially-inept outsider. The period details (furniture, clothing, hair) are exact and give this period piece authenticity so that when Bernice finally goes through with the title act, we can see why bobbing one's hair would be considered so shocking. The scene in the barbershop, where the audience just sees the horrified faces of the onlookers with the sound of scissors snipping away at Bernice's hair in the background, is the high point of the story.

The problem is with the DVD itself. This transfer looks as though it was pulled right off a set of film reels that had been sitting in a closet for years. There is an omnipresent hiss throughout the movie, the audio is muffled at times, and the picture looks washed out. The film should have been remastered before being put on the market; this production deserves a lot better.

5 of 5 found the following review helpful:

life is sometimes fair after allFeb 23, 2000
By Robin
This was a hard film to find. I had to finally track it down through my local library and they had to find it and have it shipped to Indpls. just for me to watch. I am a Bud Cort fan so it was worth the wait, and the hunt. It is a hoot! It is very slow moving, but don't be fooled. it allows Bud Cort and Shelley Devuall to play and I loved it.

1 of 1 found the following review helpful:

Sweet adaptation. Woeful transfer.Mar 13, 2008
By Randy C. Baer
I remember screening the whole series in 1976 when I interviewed Bob Geller, the executive producer. A variable project with some wonderful moments, "Bernice" was one of the very best of these adaptations. Joan Silver perfectly contrasted jazz age innocence with the sometimes confusing mores of the era Fitzgerald was so expert at capturing. The casting and direction were near perfect. Shelley Duvall was wonderful as the title character. Ditto Veronica Cartwright and Bud Cort (check out "Heat" to see what the years can do). Now, the caveat. This film, indeed, this series, deserves a superior transfer. This is plain awful. The image reveals all of the uncorrected flaws of the 16mm original. And, the sound reproduction offers endless unfiltered analog tape hiss. The wonderful Dick Hyman score (several other key production members also worked for Woody Allen around this time) is essentially wasted in this aural mess.
Too bad, too. These little gems offered top talent in front of and behind the camera. And, as was the intention of the project, they served as an introduction to important American short literature. If only someone could redo these DVDs state of the art, with valuable extras such as interviews, story to film comparison, commentaries, production and costume design, etc. And, the price is a little high for a single short film, too,

2 of 3 found the following review helpful:

I'm getting extra credit in English for thisMay 03, 2001
By Emily
This was a pretty good movie, as far as films for English class go. It's based on a book by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which is why we watched it in English. The actress who plays Bernice looked like she was starving to death and would keel over at any minute. She also had quite a massive wig. But beyond it being painful to look at the main character, it was a pretty decent film. In it, a girl named Bernice goes to stay with her aunt and her cousin, Marjorie for a few weeks of her summer. Bernice wasn't too popular with boys, and as Marjorie got sick of asking boys to dance with her, she complained to her mother about how Bernice was ruining her summer. Bernice overheard her cousin complaining, and got really depressed and refused to go out for about a day, before asking Marjorie to help her become socially appealing. Marjorie told her a few lines, and showed her a few moves, and, sure enough, Bernice became instantaneously popular. To make herself appear more daring, Bernice announced that she intended to bob her hair, after Marjorie suggested it. Soon, all the boys were calling on Bernice, including Warren, the boy that had been persuing Marjorie for years. Marjorie became jealous, and decided to remind Bernice of her promise to bob her hair, while the two of them were on a picnic with Marjorie's group of friends. Instead of backing out, like Marjorie expected her to, Bernice announced she would bob her hair, and they all piled into their cars and took off for the barber shop at the breakneck speed of 10 miles per hour. Even when the barber told her he had never cut women's hair, Bernice didn't back down. So, the barber bobbed Bernice's hair, but the results weren't quit what Bernice had imagined. In conclusion, this was a decent movie that tells a lot about teenagers, and has some funny scenes and lines, and a hilarious ending. I'd recommend watching it as an entertaining and educational experience.

See all 14 customer reviews on Amazon.com