Stardust Memories
1980
***
Director: Woody Allen
Cast: Woody Allen, Charlotte Rampling, Jessica Harper, Marie-Christine Barrault, Tony Roberts, Daniel Stern, Amy Wright, Helen Hanft, John Rothman
Sandy Bates is a popular comedian, actor and director who wants to make more serious films. At a weekend retrospective of his own work, he is constantly harrassed by fans and hangers-on, and he finds himself torn between two very different women, and reminiscing about a third one. Woody Allen's existential drama comedy is keenly observed but somewhat nasty and condescending. The story feels uncomfortably autobiographical, no matter what Allen claims. Like Manhattan, the film is shot in black and white. This time, however, Gordon Willis' grotesque camera work doesn't flatter the actors.
