Stardust Memories [DVD]

This is one of Woody Allen's most interesting movies, imo. It owes more than a little to Fellini's 8 1/2 and Amarcord and shares the semi-autobiographical theme of another film that came out in the same year, Bob Fosse's All That Jazz.The film is worth watching for the opening scene alone. It is one of the best in movie history, imo. It has the effect of grabbing without letting go; you just have to keep watching. And like the aforementioned 8 1/2, it's a great example of metacinema.The action is non-stop, flipping between past and present, fantasy and reality. The dialogue, in typical Woody-Allen fashion, consists of never-ending questions about the meaning of life and is dispensed with such machine-gun speed that the few pauses there are, bring on a palpable sense of relief. The overall pacing of this film is a true work of art.The characters are vintage Woody Allen with Jessica Harper in the role of the appealing jejune intellectual. French actress, Marie-Christine Barrault, of Cousin, Cousine fame, and the always arresting British actress, Charlotte Rampling, play the main love interests. As usual, Tony Roberts makes an appearance as the same character he always plays, although not as prominently in this pic.I watched it because my husband worked on the film and we were curious to see if it held up at all. It really did. It was totally worth watching again, and I think it is also worth watching if you've never seen it before.

Woody Allen's Stardust Memories(1980), is a film about a director at a creative standstill in his career. It is a satirical look at the price of fame that is sharply funny about a disillusioned filmmaker who is just about ready to jump off a cliff. Woody plays a famous comedic director Sandy Bates, who is tired of making just funny films and wants to make a serious film about the meaning of life. Federico Fellini masterfully crafted this in his famous 8&1/2, from 1963. In Fellini's great Italian masterpiece, filmmaker Guido, played excellently by Marcello Mastroianni, finds himself at a creative impasse in his career. Stardust Memories picks up from Fellini's film right from the opening scene. Sandy Bates also wants to make a serious film about the meaning of life. Woody's Sandy Bates finds himself at a existential crisis. What & who is he? What has he made of his life and his films? Woody attends a weekend seminar of his films. There he is hounded by fans, groupies, studio-executives, relatives, and both lovers and ex-lovers. Everybody else wants him to focus on making more comedies, while Woody wants to make a serious film. There are many scenes in Stardust Memories that come from both Fellini's masterpiece, as well as from the great Swedish director, Ingmar Bergman. It is a real howl of a film that is a pointed seriocomic look at fame and success. When it first came out in 1980, many less knowledgeable critics dismissed as too self-indulgent. But Stardust Memories has only improved since then. Naturally, only serious cinema-goers will understand the satire and underlying humour. Woody is backed by stars Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, and Tony Roberts. Although only serious film-goers will get all of the humor, it is still a treat and very funny. Give it a chance. You won't be sorry! You have my 4 star guarantee!! SMRZ!!!

The music and characters are great, and it's very funny.

When this film was released in 1980 the critical reaction was lukewarm and it bombed at the box office. The last time I saw the film was in 1982 at a Woody Allen film festival and my teenage mind perceived it as narcissistic and self indulgent. The film can now be viewed properly in context with Allen's previous work and anticipates his subsequent output to this day. Consider that at the time of the film's release Allen wasn't an arthouse darling but a viable commercial director. It took a lot of chutzpah for Allen to translate his angst as an artist onto the silver screen but it must have been cathartic as well. He probably foresaw the hostility that would be hurled at this work but ultimately it freed him as an artist. Allen has interesting perceptions about his audience and his relationship to them. Some are well-meaning while others are just parasitic. The fantasy sequence involving Allen's character being shot by an admirer preceding the John Lennon assassination by a few months is not only prescient but fascinating. Though he's essentially playing himself Allen is terrific giving a poignant performance demonstrating complexity and dramatic heft. Charlotte Rampling is stellar as a manic-depressive actress who is romantically involved for a spell with Allen's Sandy Bates. I recommend this film wholeheartedly and primarily to those who recognize its import to the Allen canon..

A favourite Allen film of mine; this is a sharp comedy about celebrity and the craziness of the film industry; Allen has claimed it isn't autobiographical, but it's difficult not to see some parallels in the film's characterisation and the relevance of the comedy director trying to make more serious films within the Hollywood system.Allen shoots it rather like a Fellini movie with a general supporting cast of outlandish characters and situations that probably aren't quite as bizarre as they first appear, given the nature of film festivals, fandom and the industry; there are actually some really deep issues raised, despite it's blackly comic treatment.And, like most of Allen's films it has a wonderful soundtrack of original jazz classics and some piano tracks by Dick Hyman – the MD on the film – though special mention must go to Louis Armstrong, whose recording of “Stardust” is the highlight of the film and inspired the title.As with all of Allen's films there are no extras on the DVD; English subtitles are available.

Stardust Memories (1980) for me is one of Woody Allen's very best films even though it doesn't seem to have dazzled critics in the same way as Manhattan or Annie Hall. The humor is bitter - verging on sour - as we chart the visit of film director Sandy Bates (Woody himself) to a festival held in his honor. Everyone congratulates him on his previous funny movies that now he'd rather forget, intent as he is on making 'serious' films. At this stage of his career Woody had had enough of the celebrity side of the film business and used the film to vent his bile on all his pet hates. In between the sycophants and fan geeks who latch on to him like leeches, Woody takes us through the women of his life, most significantly the manic depressive Dorrie (a superbly neurotic Charlotte Rampling), his current mistress, Isobel (a sexy and very feminine Marie-Christine Barrault) and the inevitable young new attraction, Daisy (Jessica Harper). His perceptions are by turn witty, poignant, bitter-sweet and revealing about the mechanisms that lie behind this nebbish schlemiel from the Bronx. His ripping-off of 8 1/2 enraged the Fellini family at the time, but it didn't stop Woody from later ripping off La Strada for Sweet and Lowdown as well! Also, there is a fair bit of borrowing from Ingmar Bergman, most notably in the 2 minute close up jump-cut feast on Dorrie's face. At the time many attacked Woody's stealing from his favorite European directors. Looking back after 30 years or so however and his 'stealing' now seems vindicated because he still managed to turn his films into something both honest to himself and uniquely American. He had spent much of the early 70s churning out 'funnies' such as Sleeper, Bananas and Love and Death. It now seems obvious that Woody felt his Oscar for Annie Hall and the critical acclaim for Manhattan allowed him to go beyond his stand-up comic routine and make exactly what he wanted to. The fact that the totally serious Bergman-inflected Interiors bombed (it's a very good film by the way) no doubt forms the core inspiration for the sarcasm showcased in Stardust Memories. Far from being a 'steal' the film now seems a remarkably honest portrait of the artist at that stage of his career in 1979. Going back to it after watching his more recent efforts (superficial fluff like Whatever Works, Scoop!, Cassandra's Dream and Anything Else?), it comes as a wonderful blast of fresh air from the past. In the late 70s and early 80s he really was one of the best around. I urge anyone who hasn't seen this film to buy it and see how good he used to be. The soundtrack is wonderful as per usual, Gordon Willis's b/w photography looks fabulous and the jokes come thick and fast. It's one to relish, especially at this give away price...

This is one of Woody’s more complicated movies and whilst quite stunning to look at and full of his usual wit; it is not easy to follow. It’s probably best not to worry about it too much and just go with the flow!The story is about a famous director who has a nervous breakdown; he revisits the loves of his life, searching for some harmony and sense to it all. Where ever he goes he is bombarded by his fans for autographs and showered with questions – his manners here are exemplary all things considered – you can certainly see why some stars shun public life?The plot, if any is told through a series of flashbacks, fantasy sequences, his own movie clips and mental snatches from his breakdown - in no particular order!We take Woody’s humour for granted of course but the B&W cinematography in this film is quite stunning. It was filmed by Gordon Willis, who has helped make many of Woody’s films, but is most famous for the ‘Godfather’ trilogy.The ‘shooting’ is most memorable for its ‘Strange Days,’ almost nightmarish, grotesque, close ups of the crowds’ faces, as they surround the popular director in the public areas. It highlights their strange and surreal characteristics – I can still see one woman with outlandishly huge glasses and people with all sorts of ridiculous hair styles, large noses, crooked teeth etc. It’s just fascinating to see and take in. It’s a never ending flow of wonderful caricatures.This is a film that will linger with you for a long time, and you’ll soon realise that to enjoy it to the max it doesn’t have to make too much sense – as indeed, a breakdown certainly wouldn’t?This is as good as any of Woody Allen’s 5 star efforts and by his own admission is one of his favourites and is NOT about himself.

Stardust Memories had obvious been the choice of pet project that Allen wanted United Artists to release instead of Manhattan, where he felt uncomfortable when a tried and tested approach to showcasing his character having a relationship with a young, mature girl underage, was not the right way to go for his reputation. Allen hated Manhattan and made no secret of it with the dealing of this main theme, he was discontent of such vile.Hence this came along, unlike Manhattan, Stardust Memories is relaxing, often confusing, bizarre and impressive, you feel drawn into the whole persona, of a man who just wants to understand who he really is, is it him that is the fault, his own personality or his awareness of the poor being neglected by the rich that they don't want to know. He expresses his once loved pastimes such as magic tricks which he performed in his bedroom, but can't find a love for it anymore, is it lack of interest or does it revolve around so much, he can't be bothered with it anyway, he only had to think about it. His nervousiness may be the route to the often dead end relationships he suffers, ones that start maybe he can make himself attractive, his posture, his sense of humour, but whom can't relate to or feel passionate enough, it is like a sour taste afterwards a sort of boredom, not knowing how to control himself.Stardust Memories is also a film that deals in particular with his relationship with his fans and his fierce critics, the continous crowds proclaming him their hero, all around, but with no real depth, such a set of statements.He may be using the character of Sandy Bates to protray this, but really this is his own thoughts and feelings.Could this be the greatest Woody Allen film, without the fuss or motivation, surrounding this small masterpiece? This could well be.

This is one of Woody Allen's best films. Shot in black and white after the highly rated Manhatten, this film seems to have been underrated and neglected. In fact, it has an excellent script and great cast. Both funny and serious by turns, the film explores the dilemmas and temptations facing a popular and successful artist. The artist in question is undoubtedly Woody Allen himself, by another name. Perhaps this self-reference caused critics and audiences to baulk at the time. Influences include Ingmar Bergman and Federico Fellini but the film is typically Woody with some hilarious throw-away lines. Charlotte Rampling is terrific as the unstable love interest but there are other possible lovers, from casual to serious. The opening sequence (which includes a brief glimpse of Sharon Stone) is incredibly funny summing up feelings which we all have sometimes.Highly recommended to everyone but especially to Woody Allen fans.