While we wait for a Miracle of... Star! (1968) (1 Viewer)

[trajan007]

I love this story! I really love the cover for this laserdisc! Now I want to see this film again....

STAR! is on youtube.

 

[Garysb]

I think the musical numbers in "Star" are exceptionally good. The excerpt from "Private Lives" made me hope that one day she and Daniel Massey would film a remake . My problem with the film is the character of Gertrude Lawrence as written in the film. I have no idea how close to real life the story was but she is portrayed as self centered , only interested in her career and in no one and nothing else including her daughter. She doesn't give you a reason to care what happens to her. I can understand wanting to get away from everything related to the "Sound of Music" but I think they went to far in the other direction. As for not continuing the story through the "King and I" there could have been a rights problem though Fox produced the movie version of 'The King and I" I don't think they could do it without Jerome Robbins permission. Also if they wanted to be accurate, she was ill during much of the work on "The King and I" and was having vocal problems, eventually finding out it was cancer. It would not have been a triumphant ending so they went with "Lady In The Dark."

 

[SwatDB]

STAR! is on youtube.

Taken from 2004 DVD Master (PAL sped up) :-(
Newsreels are Sepia and Intermission/Entr'acte and Extended Cast Credits are MIA.

 

[KPmusmag]

I have read that it was the Rodgers and Hammerstein organization that said "no" to including The King and I in Star!, but I will be darned if I can find documentation for that at the moment. I thought it was in Saul Chaplin's autobio, but not so.

Chaplin does, however, say that they had counted on Julie's inherent warmth to make up for Gertie's prickly personality, but acknowledged it did not work the way they hoped and that audiences disliked the character. I agree with that, especially with Funny Girl in release at the same time with a heroine everyone loves and roots for.

If they had included The King and I, in 1968 Yul Brynner was quite alive and well - wouldn't that have been something for him to do a cameo and dance the polka with Julie, perhaps he would have done it in tribute to Gertie (who told her agent to make sure that Yul got top billing after she was gone). One can dream!

 

[John Skoda]

I've been fixated on this movie for a long time. The first major movies I remember seeing were MARY POPPINS and THE SOUND OF MUSIC, so I was excited to hear about a new Julie Andrews musical coming out. This was heightened by the vast amounts of publicity for it at the time. I remember seeing in one of the record stores a whole row of nothing but STAR! albums.

Unfortunately, after the roadshow engagements petered out in the fall of 68, it all but disappeared and never had a general release in its original form.

Years later I eventually got the great laserdisc and even saw it in 70mm at the AFI theater. But I have to confess I also got (portions of) one of the dancers costumes from "The Saga of Jenny" on eBay years ago. There had been no revival of interest in the film yet at that time, so I was able to get it for like $60.

 

[OliverK]

I saw "Star" in 70mm. Although not a big fan of musicals I loved seeing films in 70mm no matter what the subject matter. I enjoyed the film but can't recall much about the picture quality, unlike "Hello Dolly" which opened around the same time which I remember looked magnificent and spectacular in 70mm,

I have seen both old and new 70mm prints of Hello Dolly! and Star! and it seems to me that the original release print of Star! looked very crisp, possibly best of all the musicals shot in 65mm with the exception of Oklahoma!

I prefer Hello Dolly! and it has a fantastic production design but the vintage Star! print with very little fading was quite a sight, the new print not so much.

 

[SwatDB]

I have seen both old and new 70mm prints of Hello Dolly! and Star! and it seems to me that the original release print of Star! looked very crisp, possibly best of all the musicals shot in 65mm with the exception of Oklahoma!

Did the Extended Cast Credits (after End Titles fade out) have black background and no music in background, unlike the 1993 Restoration? (i.e. 1993 VHS and 1995 LD)

New 70mm being the 2008 DTS 70mm Print or a recent print?

 

[OliverK]

Did the Extended Cast Credits (after End Titles fade out) have black background and no music in background, unlike the 1993 Restoration? (i.e. 1993 VHS and 1995 LD)

New 70mm being the 2008 DTS 70mm Print or a recent print?

Sorry but I have no recollection of the extended cast credits

The then new print ran at the Schauburg cinema in Germany at the 2008 70mm festival and I thought it looked a bit dark and greenish at the time and somewhat noisy / grainy. The slightly faded release print that I saw some 15 years later indeed looked better except of course for the fading. At the time I was not that impressed with the new prints as they seemed somewhat rushed and with various issues.

Those Fox prints came from Fotokem at the time and may have been produced on a budget. They all had issues in various areas and I was somehow disappointed. A bit later I managed to see some prints of other Fox and Sony movies that were struck at Deluxe laboratories and they looked great.

 

[SwatDB]

Sorry but I have no recollection of the extended cast credits

1993 VHS/1995 LD [Live background/2nd section of extended main title from a 45rpm LP (found on the 1993 Fox Music CD):

70mm Print [probably from the same (DTS 70mm) print mentioned above] (Black Background and No music):

In retrospect, I believe the Recent 70mm Print in question stays true to the original presentation.

Like to hear your thoughts.
- David

 

[OliverK]

I would lie if I said that I have any recollection about that

 

[KPmusmag]

This is a fun radio spot for a special screening of STAR! in San Jose in the 1990s. Includes Julie, Robert Wise, Michael Kidd, Saul Chaplin and Donald Brooks.

STAR! radio spot San Jose 1990s

 

[SwatDB]

This is a fun radio spot for a special screening of STAR! in San Jose in the 1990s. Includes Julie, Robert Wise, Michael Kidd, Saul Chaplin and Donald Brooks.

STAR! radio spot San Jose 1990s

This must be taken during the 25th Anniversary, I believe.
I don't suppose this is found anywhere on Home Video?

Nice find.
- David

 

[KPmusmag]

This must be taken during the 25th Anniversary, I believe.
I don't suppose this is found anywhere on Home Video?

Nice find.
- David

Not on home video. I acquired it some years ago from an acquaintance who was affiliated with the screening. (Shared with permission.)

 

[DarkVader]

I think the musical numbers in "Star" are exceptionally good. The excerpt from "Private Lives" made me hope that one day she and Daniel Massey would film a remake . My problem with the film is the character of Gertrude Lawrence as written in the film. I have no idea how close to real life the story was but she is portrayed as self centered , only interested in her career and in no one and nothing else including her daughter. She doesn't give you a reason to care what happens to her. I can understand wanting to get away from everything related to the "Sound of Music" but I think they went to far in the other direction. As for not continuing the story through the "King and I" there could have been a rights problem though Fox produced the movie version of 'The King and I" I don't think they could do it without Jerome Robbins permission. Also if they wanted to be accurate, she was ill during much of the work on "The King and I" and was having vocal problems, eventually finding out it was cancer. It would not have been a triumphant ending so they went with "Lady In The Dark."

After doing some research on Lawrence the filmmakers of "STAR" actually toned down aspects of Lawrence's personality. One account goes on to say that her own daughter described her as a nymphomaniac. She wedded and bedded quite often, was a social climber and had a habit of embellishing her history. She was by all accounts self indulgent.

 

[John Skoda]

This must be taken during the 25th Anniversary, I believe.
I don't suppose this is found anywhere on Home Video?

Nice find.
- David

There's a featurette on the 25th Anniversary event on the U.S. DVD, and it's been posted to YouTube here:

 

[KenInNY]

When the laserdisc of Star! came out, there was a launch party that was attended by Robert Wise, Michael Kidd and Saul Chaplin. Not only did I miss a day's pay to attend, but I paid $80 for the laserdisc (adjusted for inflation that is $175!) The launch was held at Virgin Records in West Hollywood, in a new complex on the site where Schwab's Drugstore had once stood.

The three men could not have been more generous with their time and autographs. Mr. Wise and Mr. Chaplin signed my West Side Story LP (which I gave to my aunt, her fave film) and Michael Kidd signed my Seven Brides laserdisc (and he mentioned how pleased he was that it was a widescreen disc, as he hated seeing that movie cropped). And of course, all 3 signed my shiny new laserdisc package of Star!. Also in attendance was Mr. Chaplin's wife, Betty Levin, who had served as script supervisor on The Sound of Music, and she also was so gracious and generous with her time. I also talked a bit with Mr. Wise about Star Trek: The Motion Picture and he divulged that he was trying to get Paramount to allow him to revisit the film for a new home video release. What a tantalizing tidbit at the time! (And, of course, it finally happened 8 years later and by then, of course, DVD was the format of choice.)

About 2 years later, I was lucky enough to acquire Julie's autograph on the laserdisc package as well. The short story is that she signed it for me at the stage door of the Marquis Theater in NYC where she was performing in Victor/Victoria on Broadway. The long story is that I had heard that Julie did not sign autographs after the show, so instead, I went to the stage door before the show. The door man greeted me tentatively and I explained that I had this laserdisc of Julie's "lost" musical and Julie was my favorite of all time and it was already signed by the creators of the film and it would be so special if she could add her signature and on and on. The man just looked at me inscrutably and let me babble until I felt quite the idiot and wishing he would just say "no" and put me out of my misery. But, amazingly, he took the package from me and said, "I will see what I can do." I watched him walk away with it, acknowledging to myself that I might never see it again. He returned shortly and took his post without looking at me. I did not know what to do, so I just waited. After 10 excruciating minutes, a stagehand appeared with the package. The doorman pointed at me, and the stagehand handed it to me. Julie had signed it! Tucked inside was a small card which read, "With the compliments of Julie Andrews". What a classy Dame!

View attachment 246611

What a great story, Kevin -- thanks!

 

[lionel59]

As an 8 year old I recall this being released in Australian cinemas and I believe it did well. The critical response in England was quite positive and that may have been the case here as well.
I first saw it uncut in 1972 as a double with CAROUSEL. Pristine 35mm prints of both movies. I was a bit too young to appreciate STAR! and its adult approach to the flaws of its main character, plus I was impatient to see CAROUSEL on the big screen and in colour for the first time (TV here was still black and white). Nonetheless I appreciated the lavishness of STAR! and its excellent musical numbers.
When the film premiered on TV here a few years later I was mystified by how re-edited it was. They sadly broadcast THOSE WERE THE HAPPY TIMES under the title of STAR! (which I am guessing would not have made Robert WISE happy). In around 1980 the full 35mm print was shown in an inner city suburb and I greatly enjoyed it. The Astor Theatre had a season of it in the late '90's however the print shown was quite faded by then.
I was quick to buy a laserdisc player when letterboxing became the norm for most Scope ratio films and I still treasure the Special Edition LD, most of which made it to dvd. I still enjoy introducing friends of various ages to this underrated biopic which I think has aged the best of the three big Fox box office bombs of that era (ie DOCTOR DOLITTLE and HELLO DOLLY!, though these have good things in them and are more enjoyable than most other "family entertainment " films of recent decades)
I did not know that TT had planned a blu ray. I would love to see one produced. FUNNY GIRL is good but very fictionalised and biased in favour of Fanny Brice. STAR! is the braver film of the two and possibly the first biographical film to be upfront regarding its main character's flaws as well as great talent. No wonder Julie leapt at doing a more realistic portrayal than her earlier film roles had given her the opportunity to do. I believe Noel Coward praised her and the film. Vocally she was superior to Lawrence and she does full justice to the great songs recreated for the film from a wonderful era of theatre music. Andrews well deserved her Golden Globe nomination for Best Actress (Musical or Comedy) and to this day regards the movie highly as one of her favourite endeavours
I believe Robert Wise has said that it was a conscious decision to end the film on a triumphant note rather than a tragic one. The post-wedding scene in the taxi is comical fun and parallels the dialogue which occurs after her first marriage ("I shouldn't have done it!"). As Wise edited CITIZEN KANE ,I feel he borrowed Welles' idea of using mock-documentary footage to further the narrative and it's quite effective in my opinion. That pseudo-bopic also showed many negative traits of its main character.
Maybe Criterion could come to the rescue of this hugely entertaining musical biopic which, like fine wine, only gets better with age !

 

[Ethan Riley]

I did not know that TT had planned a blu ray. I would love to see one produced.

I think Nick Redman was saying he wanted it, but that Fox didn't have an acceptable transfer at the time (2010's). I keep hearing about screenings, don't know what Fox has at the moment, or how we even get Fox movies at all seeing as how Disney is disinterested.

 

[trajan007]

Lets look forward to the miracle of WEST SIDE STORY in 4K.

 

[SwatDB]

Lets look forward to the miracle of WEST SIDE STORY in 4K.

Stay tuned for KRRR! Mir 70