Stardust Memories (1980)

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

Director:

Woody Allen

Writer:

Woody Allen

Stars:

Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper

1 nomination.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Woody Allen	...	Sandy Bates
Charlotte Rampling	...	Dorrie
Jessica Harper	...	Daisy
Marie-Christine Barrault	...	Isobel
Tony Roberts	...	Tony
Daniel Stern	...	Actor
Amy Wright	...	Shelley
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

Storyline

Renowned filmmaker Sandy Bates is in a professional transition, directing largely comedies early in his career now wanting to direct more serious movies so that he can explore the meaning of life, most specifically his own. Most are fighting him all along the way, including the movie going public, who continually tell him that they love his movies especially the earlier funny ones, to studio executives who are trying to insert comic elements wherever possible into his current movie in production. He reluctantly agrees to attend a weekend long film festival of his movies. Despite the throng of requests for his time, he is further able to reflect on his life as he addresses the questions at the post screening Q&A sessions. He also reflects specifically on his love life as his current girlfriend, married Isobel, shows up unexpectedly, and as he starts to fall for festival attendee Daisy - at the festival with her Columbia professor boyfriend, Jack Abel - who reminds him of Dorrie, a ...

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Plot Keywords:

midlife crisis | film director | man wearing glasses | image of groucho marx | reference to arthur schopenhauer | 

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Genres:

Comedy | Drama

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English French Persian

Release Date:

26 September 1980 (USA)

Also Known As:

Recuerdos

Filming Locations:

The Great Auditorium, Ocean Grove, New Jersey, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$10,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$326,779, 28 September 1980

Gross USA:

$10,389,003

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$10,389,003

Company Credits

Production Co:

Jack Rollins & Charles H. Joffe Productions, Rollins-Joffe Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

89 min

Sound Mix:

Mono

Color:

Black and White

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Film debut of Cynthia Gibb, credited here as Cindy Gibb.

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Quotes

Sandy Bates: I gotta give my one classical-music joke which I put in every single picture and I invariably cut it out.
Daisy: Yeah?
Sandy Bates: Um - the, eh, uh..."I don't know much about classic music. For years I thought the Goldberg Variations were something Mr. and Mrs. Goldberg tried on their wedding night."

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Connections

Referenced in The Meyerowitz Stories (New and Selected) (2017)

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Soundtracks

Easy to Love
(1936)
Written by Cole Porter (uncredited)
Piano Music Arranged and Performed by Dick Hyman

User Reviews

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