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Customer Reviews
Average Rating:
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Woody meets Federico in the Stardust Hotel
I was very surprised to find out that Stardust Memories is dismissed by both critics (at least some of them) and viewers as absolutely unwatchable Allen's film, his most chaotic attempt to claim that he can not stand his fans. I found it insightful and witty satire that cleverly (as always; if anything, Woody is a very clever man) fuses the comic and the serious.
Sandy Bates (Allen, of course) - a comic director who does not want to make funny films anymore "because there is so much suffering in the world" (the scene reminds so much of Sturgis's "Sullivan's Travels"). Sandy is depressed because his new "serious" film is not well received by both critics and public and he is spending a weekend at Stardust Hotel during showing of his films. While there, he reflects upon his life, art, and relationships with three different women. Sounds familiar? Like 8 1/2, anyone? You are absolutely right. Woody meets Federico in the Stardust Hotel. The film is delight in gorgeous black and white. It is funny, touching, angry - all in the same time. The film was made twenty four years ago and I am very happy that Sandy - Woody had realized that to help the world IS to do what you do the best - funny movies. "The people survived because they laughed".
One more thing - Charlotte Rampling is breathtaking.
9.5/10 or 4.5/5
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One of my favorite Woody Allen films...
"Stardust Memories" is one of the Woodman's first serious films. It's about a director named Sandy Bates, a man who simply doesn't want to make goofball comedies anymore, and it seems that the comedies are all that society wants from him. He's unhappy at the moment because his first "serious" film isn't well recieved by the public. He decides to stay a weekend at a hotel to reflect upon his life, body of work, and relationships of the past while a festival showcasing his films is occuring. Meanwhile, he encounters groups of his fans who ask for autographs, compliment him on his "early funnies", his dinstinct style of filmmaking, and he encounters a beautiful woman named Dorrie (played by the utterly beautiful Charlotte Rampling), whom of which he falls in love with.
I love "Stardust Memories". It's one of the first films of the Woodman's that I saw, and it turned me into a fan of his.
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Not Great, But Still Underrated
Great photography, music and the rest of the Woody Allen amenities. Jessica Harper is exceptional in this. Funny, the movie should have been about her character. It might have been great.
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Enjoy the Humor Ignore the Pretentions
Allen gives homage to Fellini as he stars as a successful film director besieged by fans and critic who enjoy his earlier, funnier work. Obviously, Allen is playing a thinly disguised version of himself. He always does in his own movies. Given that understanding, its odd to see Allen taking victory laps and making fun of critics and his fanbase so early in his career. If he been allowed to look ahead to the lack of quality of many of the movies he made in the 90's and the new millenium, he might not have been so cocky. Anyhow, much of the humor is smart and funny and pointed. Allen engages in a lot of self indulgent moping about and skirt chasing of groupies have his age. The jokes are funny but the angst rings false.
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Woody Allen's Stardust Memories
This is one of my all time favorite Woody Allen movies. The movie is both fictional and autobiographical. This film came at a time in his career when he wanted to be taken more seriously as a writer/director/filmmaker, and yet much of his fan base wanted more movies like "Bananas". Woody makes a staement, yet remains entertaining and intellectually funny. His use of black and white film is brilliant. Much like "Manhattan", and "The Broadway Danny Rose" (which is my second favorite Allen film), he has a Bergmanesque quality in his cimematography. Close ups and long unflinching soliloquies that hypnotize and fascinate. You feel like a fly on the wall in much of the film. The characters are both real and cartoonish in the same brushstroke. In this film, Allen is a director/filmmaker who is honored at film festival of his films in a quirky seaside town. The events that take place, and the things that happen are both funny and pathetic. His use of flashbacks to his childhood and a past relationship with a mentally unstable actress are both surreal and humorous. The script writing lends itself to filling out these people and situations in a very complete and actual way. I don't want to give any more of the plot away, because when I first saw this film, I knew nothing about it and I was just swept up by it. That's how you should see it. If you like Woody Allen films you'll like this. However, don't expect slapstick comedy and "Everything You Wanted To Know About Sex" type humor.
