The gamecock. (Columbia, S.C.) 1908-2006, October 15, 1980, Page Page 14, Image 16
Entert
Allen
By David B&kor
FMm Critic
"Stardust Memories,"
Woody Allen's tenth
directorial effort, which he
also wrote, is a complete
success at what it sets out to
do. That is, however, neither
entertaining nor
enlightening, two qualities
that we have come to expect
irom anv uroiect with which
^
Allen associates himself.
Like the sad-eyed puppy
lhat turns vicious after he's
been petted too much, Allen
has turned on his audience,
making his admirers out to
be fools simply because they
enjoy his work. "Stardust
. Memories" is Allen's
filmatic equivalent to
standing atop the World
Trade Center, putting his
thumbs in his ears, waving
his fingers, and telling all
humanity to goto hell.
It's almost inconceivable
that a filmmaker of Allen's
^ '" I
p ^ ' I*
Jt p
FftOPiCANft L ?
m j
v
Jessica Harper and W
character almost identica
Costell
By Maik Plai
If the . oad to riches v\ Uv
included a prerequisite <
arrogant, crass and inno'
IClvis Costello story could U
careers.
In a span of three si
cosieno ?inert1 s oniy one
i sham ul conventional
mainstream tastes by bre
;n the book. His appearane
his personality is unpopuhi
and his songs are long if p
minutes.
Costello has shuifled to
labeled albums since 1977
production work of the bril
and still has his fans screar
"My Aim is True" ai
Model' established Costel
new wave rocker with the j
a listener's attention bv
humdrum of a synthesi/er,
toned, gargled singing. Ki
entrenched himself w here 1
his greatest rewards - iYrt'fA
With the Attractions,-M*
?lten unnamed backup ti
done something which is
released hit albums from tl
improved on them with
production.
The fact that Costcllo las
{wo albums, and came ba
the stupendous "Armed F
i978, had people truly bel
iust a Buddy Holly clone
combination of attention-gr
The London whiz was r
voice seldom played on th<
;ainmer
'hirnt
SU^VLJHL JL IV.
warmth and insight could
concoct a film so odious and
insulting, especially since
his most recent projects
were so obviously born out of
love. "Annie Hall" came
from Allen's love for
Diane Keaton, "Interiors"
from his love for Ingmar
Bergman films, and
"Manhattan" from his love
for New York.
THIRTY MINUTES
before the picture ended, my
companion, an avowed Allen
fan, announced in words
more colorful than my own
that she could stand no more
of Allen's condescension,
and that she intended to sit in
the lobby until the movie was
over. Meanwhile, I waited in
the auditorium, hoping the
movie would be saved by
some brilliant comic flourish
that was never to come.
As most Allen fanatics
know, his past few comedies
have been growing more and
oody A/len star in "Stardu
/ to himself.
o's lates
te personality wl
microscope. 1
tured or anal
e music business tollowing wit!
of being brash, Happy," prob
vative, then the The only
lunch a thousand Costello was
recording his
lort years, Mr. "Party Girl"
Elvis) has made Costello hasr
U.S. because of t
aking every rule compositions
e is unattractive, "Chemistry C
ir with his peers, brilliantly wt
lav ed over three the diehard C
His latest i
pother five U.S. "Taking Lib<
w ith the inspired vague stab ;
lliant Nick Lowe, knowhehasn
ning for more. A typical Cos
id 'This Year's easily forgetl
lo as a bonafide of songs beinj
ability to capture "Taking 1
' the consistent tunes, but nu
or with his deep- songs that m;
ther way, he has Talk" and "
le's likely to reap are B-sides o
UriUttf 'Htcttta.' 1 MiK'-HhnW' h
rio, Costello has The proble
unique. He has remakes arc
ie oeginnmg, ann onginais. n J
each successive sent home a
better reworl
ted alter his first become hits,
ck stronger with excellent soi
orces" album in extended in
ieving he wasn't monotony at
capitalizing on a mighty jump
abbing names. as it appeare
nAr'e than just a About half
? radio. He was a its number ol
'on!
more auiooiograpnicai, an<
"Stardust Memories'
continues in that trend. Ii
fact, the line between Allei
and the character he i
portraying disappears en
tirely here. Allen is Sand;
Bates, an Oscar-winninj
filmmaker famous for hi
off-the-wall comedies, who i
forever being driven t
distraction by a sea of loya
fans.
The picture is set at th<
Stardust Hotel, where ;
prominent female critic ii
staging a "film weekend,'
with Bates as the feature<
guest. Intercut into this stop
are scenes depicting Bates
problems with the women ii
his life: Dorrie (Charlott<
Rampling), Isobel (Marie
Christine Barrault) ant
Daisy (Jessica Harper).
Also included in the rathei
ncoherent narrative an
snippets from the hit films
Bates has directed, and c
;t Memories," a movie
it relea
o critics tried to hold under
;ut Costello couldn't be ca]
rzed, and baffled his fervei
a 20-song 1980 release, "G
ibly his finest work to date,
ime people took notice
.vhen Linda Ronstadt start<
compositions like "Allison
and "Talking in the Dark
't received his own airpl;
in pnrtnocc Af hie cr?r?cJc
IV VU1 VI tllkj UVt *0 |
like "Love for Tender
lass," and "Radio, Radio," ;
tten, are only appreciated I
>stello fan.
elease, or re-release, entitl
rties," does just that. It is
t letting Costello's audien
t dropped out of the pop seer
tello track is short, making
able in the wake of thousan
released each day.
iberties" gives us 20 mc
ny of them are remakes of t
de him famous, such as "Gii
ralking in the Dark". Otht
simile releases, and there ;i
Wave never bef(j
>!A
n with this album is thai \
simply not as good as t
almost as it Costello had be
id forced to come up with
ing of tunes that have alrea
It just can't be done. Kven t
ig, "downtime is Over,"
0 a state of excrueiati
hree minutes and 39 seconds
from two minutes, 211 secor
1 on his last album.
)f this album works because
songs.
lis folk
d handful of flashbacks to
' Bates' childhood, each of (
n which was included, and
n used more effectively, in
s "Annie Hall" as one of Alvy I
i- Singer's childhood flash- ]
y backs. 1
g THROUGHOUT the
s seemingly endless 89
s minutes of "Stardust
0 Memories," Bates is
1 descended upon by patheticlooking
creatures who: 1)
e want his autograph on a <
a piece of paper or, in the case j
s of a bizarre-looking you ng
woman, on her left breast, 2)
i ask him to contribute to their
/ favorite charities, 3) want to
be cast in his next picture, or
i 4) are just dying to nave nim
3 read their hilarious new
screenplays. Typical of the
\ picture's sour attitude, one
of the scripts offered Bates is
r a comedy about the Guyana
i massacre. <
> With the exception of
i Bates and his ladies, the i
1
I
I
^v^-v:'
:,. Xt \i% ^!
^.'
"~~?? .
in which Allen portrays a
se full ol
a 44(I Don't Want to Go to) <
p- unreleased single, is a fine exa
nt Costello, the kind of music that
listen to its throbbing lyrics a
beat. The pithy, 44My Funny \
?f pure Costello, with a solo voice
-d song throughout the entire one
25 seconds. ''Stranger In the 1
attempt at country and we
*y which works well as "a tor
so output.
*11 ffl
by
ed
I i^l
|?S H'
ie. 9 ii^
it H - Ik
ds J/?! IgM
jgjjjfl '
he
ris m ~ v ^ :
;rs
ire - "
)vii
dy B
is '
Elvis Costel/o and the /
i of
The album includes sever,
">u/pr?
appearance of the picture's
every character ii
nauseating. They're slack
jawed with bulbous noses
thin, scraggly beards hiding
pockmarked faces, huge
hairy moles on their chins
whatever unattractiv<
feature you care to nam<
will be seen on someone ii
this movie. And Gordor
Willis' ultra-high contrast
black and white photography
only heightens theii
ghoulishness.
Inasmuch as disgust fo
these escapees from car
nival sideshows is the onl;
emotion rendered by Bate
in the course of the picture
we can only assume tha
Allen is equally repelled b;
the people who made hin
one of America's to]
boxoffice draws ? us.
ALLEN'S FINAL insul
comes at the film's end
when the actors appear a
themselves and rebuke th
picture in which they've jus
been seen. Such an epilogu
only adds to the viewer'
feeling that he's been invitei
to Allen's house for a forma
dinner, only to be served ,
plate of cow chips.
This is not to say the
''Stardust Memories" i
wholly devoid of merit. Th
nnlv <;f>pnp? that wnrlr in i
V"V ~..wv *
however, are those whic
harken back to Allen
earlier, more successfv
films. The excerpts fror
Bates' films, for examph
contain some of the be:
moments of Allen slapstic
since "Sleeper." Pai
ticularly funny is the seer
in which the hostility of th
Bates-Allen character, in th
form of a Bigfoot-tyj
creature, escapes and go<
on a murderous rampage.
The ever-so-brief romanti
interludes between Allen an
Harper work equally wel
t>i : ? r.. 11
I I1CSC diu ctllliUol pdllllUiJ
reminiscent of the man
wondrous scenes shared b
Allen and Keaton, the lack <
whose presence may hav
contributed to the film
fforme
Chelsea," an However,
mple of solid ends. The
forces one to either been
nd pulsating be on the f
ralentine," is failed in th
carrying the early to a
i minute and who's know
House" is an time. Toco
stern music has either a
igue-in-cheek to control ,
has both.
1 >? jj& V vi
\ttractions have recently
1/ remakes of older song
4
mmmmmmmmmammmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmammmmmmammammmm
5
bitterness. (She was in
5 Europe making "Reds" with
Warren Beatty.)
HARPER, THOUGH, is
I superb. Should Allen go back
1 to romance, and Keaton
again should be unavailable,
5 Harper would make a
2 splendid replacement. She
l possesses the same vibrancy
l and sweetness inherent to
, any Keaton performance,
/ and her banter with Allen
r comes off remarkably well.
Rampling doesn't fare as
r nicely as Harper, due in no
short measure to the fact
y that Allen treats her
s character like dirt. Barrault,
s, in addition to being miscast,
t comes off as too shrewish to
y be believable as the saint
n Bates portrays her to be.
P Allen himsel f is a whining
kvetch when the film opens
* and a whining kvetch when it
' ends. His character never
s changes, never grows.
, What sort of stupor must
Allen have been in when he
decided that his inner
j disdain for moviemaking,
j and the celebrity status that
accompanies it, would be
great material for a film?
lt Even the most loyal of
followers will trail their
leader only so far. and with
t this self-destructive bomb,
Allen has passed the point
. where mutiny would be
considered a crime.
o: aii ? i- i
n oniue Alien seems 10 nave
j, created "Stardust
st Memories" to destroy the
k feelings of those who adore
r- him, I suggest that those who
ie adore him retalliate by
ie hitting him where it hurts
ie the most ? in the wallet. If
>e it's your desire to see a
;s comedy this or next week,
try either "Hopscotch" or
ic "Private Benjamin."
id Admittedly, neither of
1. them comes within light
|y years of what Allen aciy
complished with either
iy "Manhattan" or "Annie
)f Hall," but then neither of
re them tells vou vou're an idiot
's for having paid to see it.
r hits
, that's pretty much where it
remainder of the songs have
heard before.or truly deserve to
lip side of singles. Costello has
is attempt only because it's too
:>mpile "rarities" from a man
n, but hardly a legend in his own
nsider himself in this fashion one
i huge ego, or a possessive desire
A ID^ri OOtl rwnnin IT*
nuivi ?,an II1U31L. EJIVIO
-m - JtKlZ
-r/"V j
S flj fig H
\.fr- HJL
NBR
f released 'Taking Liberties.'
s.