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the lady's a STAR! - August 19th (1 Viewer)

Greg_M

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 23, 2000
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1,189
"If a lady’s proper but tawdry
and can break a glass when she sings
If she stole an Oscar from Audrey
flying with umbrellas and strings
If her latest movies are trashy and bizarre
The chances are
It’s Julie the Star" - Forbidden Broadway




Just like to thank Petter Staddon for releasing this film on DVD. Never, ever thought this film would see the light of day on DVD. The film didn't do well in it's original theatrical release and no better when released on Laserdisc or VHS. He is clearly throwing musical fans a bone (Maybe for holding back the other titles in the promotion)

This was a Robert Wise film (after "West Side Story" and "The Sound of Music" it wasn't a hit (but 2 out of 3 ain't bad!)

The film has many wonderful moments. The main problem was that it was filmed as a drama with - like 17 musical numbers - all of which were filmed as performance pieces and never moved the plot of the film. Where 2 or 3 songs would have been welcome the production numbers in this film (Though expertly filmed) stopped the film from moving forward. The film was also based on an actress not very familiar to film audiences, which shouldn't have mattered but the character was given a hard edge with no redeeming qualities. The film opened a month after another star bio pic (Funny Girl) opened to critical and commercial success.

Star! was filmed in 70MM and should look beautiful (the Laserdisc looked very good) Star! is worth watching if just for the musical numbers, or the story (you can easily skip the production numbers) not bad for $14.95 retail price
 

Eric Paddon

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 17, 2001
Messages
1,166
$14.95? That sounds suspiciously like a barebones release and I've got the supplement laden LD, so maybe this won't be worth it from my standpoint.
 

Scooter

Screenwriter
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I was in this!!!!

When I was a kid I was an actor..in unions and everything! SO this will be the 2nd movie I was in as a kid to be on DVD. The other is Carnal Knowledge.

Not that you can really spot me tho....
 

SteveP

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 6, 2001
Messages
274
Looking forward to hearing the original descrete sound mix with the difference between the center-channel mono black and white footage and the multi-channel Todd-AO sequences.

Wish they'd hired a better writer who might have made more sense of Gertie as self-dramatizing rather than just so HOSTILE.

A lot of pre-production research was done prior to the script being written, so maybe that's what Gertrude Lawrence was really like--very brave of Julie Andrews to take on such a bitch at that point in her career, even if it was so detrimental to the number one world-wide box office standing that she held prior to this film.
 

BBbrowd

Stunt Coordinator
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Chris
Hey, this is great news! Thanks for posting it. It's not one of the better films, but it's still got some great moments with Julie.

Hopefully a lot of the great extras from the Laser Disc version will be included.

Looking forward to your appearance Scooter! What scenes were you in?

"If the lady's thoroughly modern
and can snub her nose at a pan
If she did a thoroughly odd turn
dressing up in tails like a man
If her TV sitcom could bankrupt Lorimar
the chances are...
It's Julie the Star!"
 

Conrad_SSS

Second Unit
Joined
Feb 19, 2003
Messages
450
I will buy this DVD, as I'm sure a few thousand hardcore fans will. There are some entertaining musical numbers that pop up during the film's three-hour running time. However, all in all, it's easy to see why STAR! was such a financial disaster. I can't imagine Fox Video expects this release to be profitable. Maybe they're releasing it as a goodwill gesture to Robert Wise, since his SOUND OF MUSIC still fills the studio's coffers on a dependable basis.

Whenever I have insomnia and can't get to sleep, putting on STAR! seems to always do the trick. At $14.95, this DVD is a more cost-effective sleeping aid than a prescription for AMBIEN.;)
 

Charles Ellis

Senior HTF Member
Joined
Jan 5, 2002
Messages
2,098
I've always felt that the main reason why "Star!" failed with audiences & critics was because people weren't ready to see Julie Andrews portraying such an unsympathetic person- and in a musical! Gertrude Lawrence may have been a self-absorbed woman who loved her career more than her only child, but 1968 audiences weren't ready yet to see a musical built about this kind of person. It wasn't until a decade later that Fox was successful with two musicals that focused on not-so-nice leads: All That Jazz and The Rose. In the post-Watergate/Vietnam era, people could accept musical which dealt with the darker side of a person. In this context, "Star!" should be viewed. Wise & Co. were simply ten years ahead of their time. "Star!" does have great numbers, especially my fave in the film, "Saga of Jenny". I think with this DVD release (as long as the full version is released with tons of extras) will finally vindicate Robert Wise's vision.
 

Luis Esp

Supporting Actor
Joined
May 25, 2001
Messages
583
Wow! I have'nt viewed this movie in awhile, gotta bring the laserdisc out. Hopefully the studio will release it as a 2 disc collector's edition, I would love to see all the supps from the laserdisc added on, but if the picture can improve upon the laserdisc, I might reconsider purchasing the dvd.
 

Scooter

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In the Central Park scene she and I think Richard Crenna are riding in a horse driven handsome cab....good luck finding me tho! ;)

I did get to meet Julie tho..that was neat.
 

SteveP

Second Unit
Joined
Mar 6, 2001
Messages
274
That's the late Robert Reed (Mike Brady from "The Brady Bunch") in the Central Park carriage scene with Julie.
 

Scooter

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I was something like 9 or 10 when I was in it. Dunno why I thought it was Richard Crenna...thing is..I was star struck by Mary Poppins!

Come to think of it..I never went to see this. Would be interesting to see it finally after ALL these years!
 

Greg_M

Screenwriter
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Mar 23, 2000
Messages
1,189
According to the Bob Fosse thread, "Star!" will have a trailer and - that's it. No comentary or featurettes like the laserdisc. Since the DVD is only $14.95 and on one disc this is understandable as the movie does run 3 hours. Unless FOX made it more expensive they could include more on a 2nd disc, but for the price it should be fine. (Don't know how much it would cost to clear all the laser stuff anyway, and this won't be a big selling title.)

"Hello, Dolly!" Will have a featurette, trailers and a retrospective. Not bad for $14.95 (this film is 30 minutes shorter than "Star!"


"If the Lady is:
Someone, draped in pearls and rubies
Someone, who has bared her boobies
Someone, on the wall at Sardi's Bar
She's a fabulous, genuine
Lerner and Loewe design,
Rodger's and Hammerstein,
Star!"
 

Jefferson

Supporting Actor
Joined
Apr 23, 2002
Messages
979
Cheers to all the posters
who not only know this film,
but its parodied lyrics.:emoji_thumbsup:

I look forward to getting this on dvd.
Has anyone else seen the HOLLYWOOD SCREEN TESTS
dvd (also shown on television) that has
Daniel Massey's screen test as Noel Coward?
Julie is in it with him.
 

BBbrowd

Stunt Coordinator
Joined
Mar 22, 2003
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136
Real Name
Chris
Jefferson, do you know if Vol. 2 of the "Hollywood Screen Tests" DVD has the full tests for "Hello, Dolly!" that was shown on TV? The description says it has some Dolly screen tests, but it only mentions Sandy Duncan and Walter Matthau in them, but not Barbra. So I was wondering if the Barbra tests with her different wigs are on it. Perhaps they were not brave enough to put her name in the description.

Here is one of my favorite parts of the "Star!" theme parody (referring to Julie's 1995 Broadway appearance in Victor / Victoria):

"If her shows on Broadway
fill critics with gases
but bring in the masses
near and far
Then the lady's
Someone, who can tell the press off
Someone, who can take her dress off
Someone, who can chomp on a cigar...

If the lady's starring this season
in a role she did long ago
If her big return is the reason
Broadway seems revitalized so
If the Tony men sent her poison caviar!
The chances are..
It's Julie the Star!"
 

Greg_M

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 23, 2000
Messages
1,189
I would think one of the reasons the film failed was because Julie's character never changed during the course of the film. She was the same determined and "bitchy" woman at the end of the film as she was in the beginning.


Where as in "Funny Girl" Streisand's character started out an innocent underdog, who succeeded, lost her man and grew from the experience. The audience cared a bit more.
 

RafaelB

Second Unit
Joined
May 10, 2001
Messages
447
I think this will still be a purchase for me since there won't be any disc-flipping involved (unless I want to watch the extras again). :)

Rafael
 

Greg_M

Screenwriter
Joined
Mar 23, 2000
Messages
1,189
The extras would be nice, but like "The Sound of Music" Fox would have to make this a five-star collection and press two discs doubling the cost. And sorry Eric, but no way "Star!" will sell anyway near what "Sound of Music" sold.

This film really falls into the "Be glad they released it, ever!" catagory. (Can think of "Half a Sixpence" and "Darling Lili")

Never thought this would see the light of day considering it didn't sell well on Laserdisc (this film still hasn't found it's audience, unlike "Sweet Charity" "Yellow Submarine" or "Chitty Chitty Bang Bang" all musical films from the same year which flopped when originally released. If it ever happens, then we'll see the extras again.

Maybe a low retail price will encourage new sales, unlike the $90.00 price tag on the Laser disc. This was a 70MM roadshow film, and one of the most expensive film musicals ever, so the quality is there to make this an outstanding looking disc, and you won't have the three side changes:emoji_thumbsup:
 

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