Stardust Memories
"Stardust Memories is a joy to experience" -New York Daily News
A sharp, satirical look at the high price of fame, Woody Allen's Stardust Memories is a "wickedly funny" (The New York Times) story about a disillusioned filmmaker who is just about at the end of his rope. Sparking with the confidence of an artist in full bloom, Stardust Memories is "a film to be seen and savored" (Jeffery Lyons)!
Legendary comic filmmakers Sandy Bates (Allen) is tired of being funny. Teetering on the brink of a nervous breakdown, Bates attends a weekend retrospective of his films, only to confront the meaning of his work, the memories of his great love, Dorrie (Charlotte Rampling), and the merits of settling down with new girlfriends, Isobel (Marie-Christine Barrault). Plagued by hallucinations, alien visitations and the bloodless studio executives trying to re-cut his bleak new film, Bates struggles to find a reason to go on living. But when he falls prey to a gun-wielding fanatic, his zany brush with death reveals that there is value to his own existence, and that often, the best reason to go on living...is life itself.
Member Reviews
Rip Off vs Ode - swebb19
I know Woody makes now attempt to hide his inspirations (so I guess it's not stealing if everyone knows what you're doing), but without the incisive comedy of his earlier movies you're really left to wonder why you didn't just watch 8 1/2 instead. For the most partWoody's serious movies are only good for telling us who Woody's favourite artists are.The work of an annoyed celebrity - kap0n3
I can't help comparing everything Woody does to the great early films that preceded Annie Hall (which I've always thought was ingenious but overrated). While Stardust Memories isn't nearly as funny, it works pretty well for what it is, a paranoid fantasy of being a celebrity constantly hounded by strangers who want something from you. There is less of the feeling that Woody is making a knock off Truffaut film Bergman film, and even though there is an obvious Fellini influence this film manages to stand on its own. It's also the only time until Deconstructing Harry when Woody made a film that indicated that he was aware that he's a bit of a jerk; Sandy Bates isn't portrayed so much as a victim as he is someone who is ill suited to deal with the chaos of his own fame. And while the movie isn't hysterically funny, it does have some good lines and nice cinematography (especially the opening sequence). It's not great Allen, but it's good Allen, particularly surprising since it's in the midst of some really tedious movies (he made Interiors and the vastly overrated Manhattan before and Midsummer's Night Sex Comedy and Zelig after, making Stardust gleam more brightly in comparison.)
Author: Charles Herold (cherold) from United StatesWoody's ode to Fellini - Superdave
Woody here makes a fictional autobiography in the tradition of Fellini's 8 1/2. Woody plays a filmmaker attending a retrospective of his work, who finds himself reminiscing about a woman (Charlotte Rampling) and having to field questions as to why he no longer makes movies like his 'early funny ones'. Taken as a whole the movie is a mixed bag of sentiment and navel gazing, but there are many bright and clever moments (such as Woody meeting with extra-terrestrials, who also want to know why his movies are no longer funny) and Rampling gives the film a strong, somber and touching presence to offset Woody's often shallow self-absorption.
Member Reviews
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Rip Off vs Ode - swebb19
I know Woody makes now attempt to hide his inspirations (so I guess it's not stealing if everyone knows what you're doing), but without the incisive comedy of his earlier movies you're really left to wonder why you didn't just watch 8 1/2 instead. For the ...The work of an annoyed celebrity - kap0n3
I can't help comparing everything Woody does to the great early films that preceded Annie Hall (which I've always thought was ingenious but overrated). While Stardust Memories isn't nearly as funny, it works pretty well for what it is, a paranoid fantasy of ...Woody's ode to Fellini - Superdave
Woody here makes a fictional autobiography in the tradition of Fellini's 8 1/2. Woody plays a filmmaker attending a retrospective of his work, who finds himself reminiscing about a woman (Charlotte Rampling) and having to field questions as to why he no longer ...