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DVD: Star! (1968)
 
       
Review Rating:   Good  
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Label/Studio:
20th Century Fox
 
Catalog #:
2221361
 
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A
Region:
1 (NTSC)
Released:

April 20, 2004

 

 

 
Genre: Musical  
Synopsis:
Young Gertrude Lawrence manages to sing and dance her way from Liverpool to the upper crust of London society, always alone despite dozens of enamored fans.  

 

 

Directed by:

Robert Wise
Screenplay by: William Fairchild
Music by: Lennie Hayton, Jay Thompson (dance music)
Produced by: Saul Chaplin
Cast:

Julie Andrews, Richard Crenna, Michael Craig, Daniel Massey, Robert Reed, Bruce Forsyth, Beryl Reid, John Collin, Alan Oppenheimer, Richard Karlan, Lynley Laurence, Garrett Lewis, Anthony Eisley, Jock Livingston, J. Pat O'Malley, Harvey Jason, and Matilda Calnan

Film Length: 173 mins
Process/Ratio: 2.20 :1
Colour
Anamorphic DVD: Yes
Languages:   English Dolby 5.1 and English Mono
Subtitles:   English and Spanish
 
Special Features :  

Side A --- Audio Commentary by Director Robert Wise

Side B --- Original 1968 Production Featurette "STAR! The Sound Of A Legend" (10:52) / New Featurette: "Silver Star" 25th Anniversary Featurette (9:04) / Julie Andrews and Daniel Massey Screen Test (10:35) Production Notes and Still in “The Saga Of Star!” / Production/Art Photos: 4 Still galleries / 4 TV Spots / Theatrical and teaser trailers for "Star!"

 
 
Comments :

The good news first- Star ! didn't kill the musical. Musicals had taken a few shots to the head through the 60's (see Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Camelot and Paint Your Wagon ), and the simple fact of changing tastes probably doomed Star ! before a single frame was shot.

It certainly looked unbeatable. Director Robert Wise was responsible for the groundbreaking West Side Story and the insanely profitable Sound of Music, and Julie Andrews was coasting on the wings of that film and of Mary Poppins . Twentieth Century Fox threw money at the project and gave it the deluxe roadshow treatment, waiting for the accolades to come rushing in.

The bad news is that it didn't work, despite the best efforts of all involved. The film was recut, re-released under a different name (becoming a double-flop) and disappeared for over a decade, remembered fondly only by Julie Andrews fans and Wise himself.

That said, the disc is one of the best production-to-release examinations around. The film was clearly a labour of love for Wise, and his commentary is warm but unflinching (he admits that several numbers aren't what he had intended), offering insight and distance. Screen tests with Andrews and Daniel Massey (playing a note-perfect Noel Coward) provide a fascinating snapshot of the rehearsal-to-completion process, and the (seemingly endless) notes about the production and premiere tell you everything you ever wanted to know about a flop.

The still galleries of promotional art offer a distinct portrait of flop-sweat and panic. Nobody knew how to sell the movie - concepts ranged from art deco to line drawings to Warhol-esque face shots (the final design was a black and white picture of Andrews with a star laid over her eye, causing one exhibitor to ask ‘What's with the black eye?') And the trailers/promo films/TV commercials are so eclectic that you can practically hear the editor muttering “Somebody's got to like it…” to himself in the background.

And few liked it, for good reason. At once static and overblown and curiously bland, with every musical number appearing to have been shot in the same aspect ratio on the same soundstage. Andrews portrayal of Gertrude Lawrence is cold and unsympathetic, perhaps authentic (as Wise suggests), but not fun to watch. Sadly, neither is the film. But for anyone interested in the page-to-screen process, Star ! lets you see how some projects go astray even with the best talent that Hollywood can buy. Highly recommended.

 

© 2004 Michael John Derbecker

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