Stardust Memories (1980)

Stardust Memories
Directed by Woody Allen
Written by Woody Allen
1980/US
IMDb page
First viewing/Amazon Prime rental

Sandy Bates: But shouldn’t I stop making movies and do something that counts, like-like helping blind people or becoming a missionary or something?

 

Voice of Martian: Let me tell you, you’re not the missionary type. You’d never last. And-and incidentally, you’re also not Superman; you’re a comedian. You want to do mankind a real service? Tell funnier jokes.

This is a comic tribute to Fellini’s 8 1/2 (1963) with Woody Allen in the Marcello Mastroianni part.  I am on the fence about whether it worked or not.

Sandy Bates (Allen) is a director of comedy films but has decided to make something different.  Well not so different because Fellini had already made something quite similar.  Anyway, Bates is beset by annoying fans and meddling studio executives.

In the meantime he looks back at his relationships with Dorrie (Charlotte Rampling), Isabel (Marie-Christine Barrault) and Daisy (Jessica Harper).

Comedy klnd of trivializes what makes 8 1/2 so great and Allen doesn’t really have the gravitas to put anything deeper over.  He does get at the Fellini imagery with some stunning B&W cinematography and found extras with the Master’s freakish “interesting” faces.  There is much to enjoy here but it is not top-tier Allen.

This is the only Woody Allen film between 1973 and 1993 not to star Diane Keaton or Mia Farrow.  Sharon Stone made her film debut as Allen’s (wordless) starlet dream girl.

Missing theme song