Papa: The Man, the Myth, the Legend

This filmed drama, directed by and starring Jordan Rhodes, focuses on the morning of July 2, 1961, as an aging and depressed Ernest Hemingway shares flashback biographical vignettes with an unseen audience before killing himself with one of his prized hunting rifles. Costar Lynn Moore plays five women he loved—Agnes von Kurowsky, Hadley Richardson, Pauline Pfeiffer, Martha Gellhorn, and Mary Welsh. Alternating between pride, anger, and humor, Hemingway recalls his unhappy boyhood, his service with the Italian ambulance corps in World War I, and the serious injury he received. Later, he talks about the “moveable feast” of life in postwar Paris, and assorted adventures in Africa, the Spanish Civil War, and World War II. Throughout, “Papa” Hemingway expresses his love of bullfighting, hunting, and fishing, and his passionate, turbulent affairs with a procession of wives and lovers. Always known for his strong opinions, he also describes friendships and rivalries with literary lights such as Ezra Pound, Gertrude Stein, and F. Scott Fitzgerald, and his commitment to writing “one true sentence” as the foundation for his body of work. While Rhodes is fine as Hemingway, the piece falls a bit short as compelling theatre. Nonetheless, followers of Hemingway's eventful life and career should find it interesting, making this a strong optional purchase. Aud: C, P. (S. Rees)