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Stardust Memories
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Stardust Memories | |
|---|---|
 original film poster |
|
| Directed by | Woody Allen |
| Produced by | Charles Joffe |
| Written by | Woody Allen |
| Starring | Woody Allen Charlotte Rampling Tony Roberts |
| Editing by | Susan E. Morse |
| Distributed by | United Artists |
| Release date(s) | September, 1980 |
| Running time | 91 min |
| Language | English |
| IMDb profile | |
Stardust Memories is a film written and directed by Woody Allen which was released in 1980. Allen considers this to be one of his best films in addition to The Purple Rose of Cairo and Match Point.[citation needed] An homage to 8½ by Federico Fellini, the film is shot in black-and-white in the style of Fellini's surrealist films of the 1960s, and examines the semi-autobiographical story of a famous filmmaker, played by Allen, who is plagued by fans who prefer his "earlier, funnier movies" to his more recent artistic efforts, while he tries to reconcile his conflicting attraction to two very different women, the mercurial and unstable Dorrie (Charlotte Rampling), and the earnest, intellectual Daisy (Jessica Harper). Allen, however, denies that this film is biographical and regrets that audiences interpreted as such.[citation needed]
The film featured Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, Daniel Stern, Tony Roberts, and Amy Wright.
Among the extended cast members was an ingenue named Sharon Stone, in her first film appearance, future political commentator Alan Colmes (Hannity & Colmes, the Fox News Channel) in his first role, a young Brent Spiner, later famous as the character "Lieutenant Commander Data" on the television series Star Trek: The Next Generation, and Laraine Newman of Saturday Night Live fame.
The filmmaker tries to reconcile his conflicting attraction to two very different women, the earnest, intellectual Daisy (Jessica Harper), and the more maternal Isobel (Marie-Christine Barrault) while being haunted by memories of his ex-girlfriend, the mercurial Dorrie (Charlotte Rampling). The conflict between the maternal, nurturing woman and the earnest, usually younger one, is a recurring theme in Allen's films. It was nominated for a Writer's Guild of America award for "Best Comedy written directly for screen".
Like many of Allen's films, Stardust Memories incorporates several jazz recordings and includes classic performances by such jazz notables as Louis Armstrong, Django Reinhardt, and Chick Webb.
The film sharply divided both audiences and critics, and to this day it provokes strong reactions, with some Allen fans proclaiming it his best picture and perhaps just as many classing it among his worst.[citation needed]
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Allen considered naming this film 4 indicating that it was not half as good as Federico Fellini's 8½.[citation needed]
Stardust Memories opened in North America on September 26, 1980 to on onslaught of bad reviews. At 29 theatres, it grossed $326,779 ($11,268 per screen) in its opening weekend. The film failed to attract more than Woody Allen's loyal fanbase in the long run, and it grossed a modest $10,389,003 by the end of its run. The film's budget was $10 million, so it likely made a profit after foreign revenue was taken into account.[1]
- Woody Allen on Woody Allen: In Conversation With Stig Bjorkman (1995), ISBN 0-8021-1556-X