Stardust Memories (1980)

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen (written by)

Release Date:

26 September 1980 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Drama | Fantasy

Plot:

While attending a retrospect of his work, a filmmaker recalls his life and his loves: the inspirations for his films.

Plot Keywords:

Weekend | Filmmaking | Fan | Hotel | X Rayed Skeleton

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Woody Allen	...	Sandy Bates
Charlotte Rampling	...	Dorrie
Jessica Harper	...	Daisy
Marie-Christine Barrault	...	Isobel
Tony Roberts	...	Tony
Daniel Stern	...	Actor
Amy Wright	...	Shelley - Sandy's Bed Hopper
Helen Hanft	...	Vivian Orkin
John Rothman	...	Jack Abel
Anne De Salvo	...	Sandy's Sister
Joan Neuman	...	Sandy's Mother
Ken Chapin	...	Sandy's Father
Leonardo Cimino	...	Sandy's Analyst
Eli Mintz	...	Old Man
Bob Maroff	...	Jerry Abraham

Runtime:

89 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Brazil:14 | Spain:13 | Finland:K-8 | France:U | Sweden:11 | USA:PG (PCA #26157) | West Germany:12 | Singapore:PG | UK:AA (original rating) | UK:15 (video rating)

Filming Locations:

Asbury Park, New Jersey, USA

Company:

Rollins-Joffe Productions

Trivia:

Feature film debut of Brent Spiner.

Quotes:

Young Girl: I understand you studied philosophy at school.
Sandy Bates: Uh, no, that's not true. I-I-I did take - I took one course in existential philosophy at, uh, at New York University, and on, uh, on the final... they gave me ten questions, and, uh, I couldn't answer a single one of 'em. You know? I left 'em all blank... I got a hundred.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in St. Elmo's Fire (1985)

Soundtrack:

Easy to Love

Stardust Memories (1980) ***

A self-indulgent yet enjoyable fantasy by Woody Allen, where he models his style after Fellini's "8 1/2".

Allen plays a world famous film star/director not unlike his real self, who's now approached a mid-life crisis and has tired of making "funny movies". Though he's become embittered, he reluctantly agrees to be the guest of honor at a weekend celebration where the best of his films are going to be shown. While there he has to contend with sycophants, obnoxious autograph seekers, childhood flashbacks and different women on a surreal journey to self-realization.

Woody received some hard knocks from fans and critics for making this type of highly personal movie, but I think it's very stylish and dream-like. Photographed in glorious black and white.