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 | weekend | retrospective | 

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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, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$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

The scene where Shelly has made her way into Sandy's bed without his knowledge is an homage to John Huston's Wise Blood (1979), made just one year earlier. Actress Amy Wright does exactly the same thing to that movie's main character, Hazel Motes.

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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.

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Connections

Features Bicycle Thieves (1948)

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Soundtracks

Three Little Words
(1930)
Music by Harry Ruby
Lyrics by Bert Kalmar
Arranged by Kirk Nurock
Performed by The Jazz Heaven Orchestra (as Jazz Heaven Orchestra)
Sung by Judith Roberts
Danced by Barry Weiss

User Reviews

Interesting, and profound, but surprisingly misunderstood.

It seems that Stardust Memories does not get the credit that it truly deserves. Everyone has such distaste for this film because they thought that this was an autobiography and it was Woody's attack on his fans/critics. Woody himself has said many times that this is not the case, but even if it were, I believe that the fans/critics deserve to be lowered down a peg. After all, Woody's interpretation of his fans (via Fellini's style of awkward and hilarious faces) is valid. Fans and critics alike should never have verbally abused him so much after the release of Interiors (1978). Why should directors be type-casted? Let him have his freedom! After all, Interiors wasn't such a bad movie. It was different, but not bad. Stardust Memories has also been accused of Woody's most self-indulgent film, but this is an outrage. All of Woody's films have something to do with his personal life, but if he had casted someone like John Cusack as Sandy Bates, then everyone would have stopped complaining about it's self-indulgence and start understanding how much of a creative genius Woody Allen is. Overall, Stardust Memories will be one of his films that lasts; but only time will tell.