The story of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, a brilliant and beautiful Southern belle who became the original flapper and icon of the wild, flamboyant Jazz Age.The story of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, a brilliant and beautiful Southern belle who became the original flapper and icon of the wild, flamboyant Jazz Age.The story of Zelda Sayre Fitzgerald, a brilliant and beautiful Southern belle who became the original flapper and icon of the wild, flamboyant Jazz Age.
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Summary
Reviewers say 'Z: The Beginning of Everything' garners mixed reactions. Praised for its production design, costumes, and historical setting, the show attempts to vividly depict the Jazz Age and the Fitzgeralds' lives. Christina Ricci's portrayal of Zelda is divisive; some find it captivating, others critique her age and performance. Writing and character development are often faulted for being slow and shallow. The show's abrupt cancellation after one season disappoints many, with some suggesting it could have thrived as a mini-series.
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I cannot believe the negative reviews for this series! I am extremely interested in the Jazz Age/Flapper/Prohibition era as well as the Fitzgeralds who were true embodiments of this time period.
I think it was beautifully filmed, and despite what some reviewers say, I believe Christina Ricci was an excellent choice to play the complicated Zelda Fitzgerald. I won't drone on and on but just need to say I am so disappointed this wasn't picked up for at least one more season.
One more thing: I am so tired of special effects/vulgarity/and fast-paced MTV generation short attention span dialogue that is found in most contemporary shows and films!
I think it was beautifully filmed, and despite what some reviewers say, I believe Christina Ricci was an excellent choice to play the complicated Zelda Fitzgerald. I won't drone on and on but just need to say I am so disappointed this wasn't picked up for at least one more season.
One more thing: I am so tired of special effects/vulgarity/and fast-paced MTV generation short attention span dialogue that is found in most contemporary shows and films!
I have a particular fondness for period dramas & this one didn't disappoint. It didn't get a 9 -10 because I felt the storyline could have had more depth which I was expecting to be developed in a second season. I'm unsure of the time span it was supposed to represent but I didn't get that Zelda was there long enough to be known as the original flapper & icon of the age. It seemed unfinished to leave it where it did.
I am shocked that this series was cancelled! I kept looking for the new season - I'm so disappointed! Amazon, Bring it back! The acting and the storyline was superb. The story of Zelda is intriguing and I would have loved to have seen more!
Starts very, very strong. And then it begins to meander. I feel it would have been better if it'd been created with the intention to be a limited mini-series rather than a TV series, because then the writing team could have crafted a compelling beginning, middle, and end. As it is, without a season 2 renewal, it just sort of... ends.
This show was apparently developed by Ricci after a book that really focused more wholly on Zelda.
The writers here have opened it up to be more about Zelda and Scott, as emblematic of their moment etc. While the show is beautiful and well paced, and Hoflin is pretty good as FSG, it is at its best when it focuses on Ricci who really gives a brilliant performance and manages to assume the moment and it's obvious touchpoints (cigarette holders, champagne glasses, insouciance etc) without apparent cliche.
She is well supported by the more senior players, but some of the actors playing the coterie of friends and hangers on have been unable to see the wood for the trees and just give arch performances that lean too heavily on stereotypes and the aforementioned props. The writers too are to blame: ultimately it is not quite what we hope for, but it's still a bit mean spirited that Ricci wasn't lauded for this performance. She carry's it as far as it goes, and it goes pretty far.
The writers here have opened it up to be more about Zelda and Scott, as emblematic of their moment etc. While the show is beautiful and well paced, and Hoflin is pretty good as FSG, it is at its best when it focuses on Ricci who really gives a brilliant performance and manages to assume the moment and it's obvious touchpoints (cigarette holders, champagne glasses, insouciance etc) without apparent cliche.
She is well supported by the more senior players, but some of the actors playing the coterie of friends and hangers on have been unable to see the wood for the trees and just give arch performances that lean too heavily on stereotypes and the aforementioned props. The writers too are to blame: ultimately it is not quite what we hope for, but it's still a bit mean spirited that Ricci wasn't lauded for this performance. She carry's it as far as it goes, and it goes pretty far.
Did you know
- TriviaChristina Ricci created the series after reading Therese Anne Fowler's novel. However, executive producers Dawn Prestwich and Nicole Yorkin discarded most of Fowler's novel and instead took a wide latitude when adapting the source material. Drawing on outdated biographies, the series promotes many debunked myths about the Fitzgeralds' romance and Zelda's life in the Jim Crow South. Scholars affiliated with the F. Scott Fitzgerald Society described it as "more fantasy than fact."
- SoundtracksA Good Man Is Hard To Find
(uncredited)
Written by Eddie Green
Performed by Vince Giordano and The Nighthawks
- How many seasons does Z: The Beginning of Everything have?Powered by Alexa
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