Star!

Rating:
Summary: ...Julie Andrews at her peak....
Review: ....this is an under-seen and under-rated film.. ...Julie made it...working almost a solid year on it..right after "The Sound of Music". It has wonderful production values. The costumes and locations are awesome, and Julie sings Noel Coward, Gershwin, Porter...a huge and varied score that is delightful and shows off her talent in every way. Certainly this film is not really very much about Gertrude Lawrence. This film is an opportunity to watch Julie Andrews perform beautifully, in lavish clothes at wonderful locations...and it is truly totally delightful!

Rating:
Summary: One of the best movies ever made!
Review: Star! is Julie Andrews masterpiece. It is the story of gretude lawrence how she was poor to becoming the most famouse and buetiful lady on stage ever. Julie andrews is captivating in this type of bitchy role. The music, acting, singing,directing,stage numbers,cimetography,screenplay and more are all top notch!!

Rating:
Summary: Great movie for those interested in early theatre.
Review: This is the story of Gertrude Lawrence and her life in the theatre. The singing, music, dancing and acting, I felt, were great!! I loved it!!

Rating:
Summary: Top Julie,Average Movie
Review: Noel Coward said of this movie,"It will undoubtedly be a marvelous commercial film,and Julie Andrews and Danny will
be wonderful;so will all those nostalgic,unforgettable songs.
But it won't bear the slightest possible resemblance to the
Gertie we knew".Coward,who was one of Gertrude Lawrence's best
friends and wrote some of Daniel Massey's(who played him)dialogue,was so right!"STAR!" is two films in one.First,it's
basically nothing more than a routine Hollywood musical biogrpahy,full of more fiction than fact.Robert Wise,Saul
Chaplin, and Twentieth Century-Fox spent far too much money on
the sumptuous sets and costumes(which do look beautiful in
Ernest Laszlo's gorgeous Technicolor photography).They should
have spent it on William Fairchild's banal script.And who said
it had to be three hours?Wise and editor William Reynolds should
have cut it by at least one hour.
But secondly, "STAR!" is also a Julie Andrews star vehicle, and
on that level it works.Vocally and dramatically,this is one of
Julie's best performances.Although she was wrong for the part
due to differences in voice and personality, Julie is winning
and winsome here.And she's never looked better on film!And,oh,
that soundtrack!Gershwin,Porter,Weill,and the others have rarely
been perfromed so well(magnificent work by arranger/conductor
Lennie Hayton and his crew!).
All in all,though, this is just a typical big-budget 1960s musical-entertaining for an evening,but nothing more.Not the
horror most critics and fans called it,but not a classic,either.
For a much better musical bio,try Doris Day's "Love Me Or Leave
Me".

Rating:
Summary: Missing STAR!
Review: I own the VHS version of STAR! and the Laser Disc too. Both are compete versions of the film. Now I purchased the DVD of STAR! and find it pales to both the VHS and Laser Disc. What happened to the intermission title and Enter-act music? We are talking about a minute and a half of music. The DVD even talks about the intermission music and how to control the presentation of the second act. This is totally unexceptable. I think I will return this DVD and get my money back. I'll stick to the beautiful complete version on Laser Disc.

Rating:
Summary: This "Star" definitely shines!
Review: Julie Andrews received most of the blame for the critical and financial failure of this film. Critics were not kind to her because she sought to drop her so-called "wholesome" image with her performance of Gertrude Lawrence. Actually the problem, if there is one, is the script. With its integration of newsreel footage, both real and re-enacted, and the behind-the-scenes story of the star who was once the toast of the Broadway and London stages, the film takes on a rather disjointed look. But the technique is an original, innovative and generally successful one. The musical numbers are exceptional with "Berlington Bertie...", "Limehouse Blues" and the finale, "Jenny" among the highlights. Daniel Massey as Noel Coward nearly steals the show. But above all there is Julie! She is magnificent! Surely no one else could have taken on the enviable but difficult task of portraying Lawrence in a massive production like this one. Her work is on a par with MARY POPPINS, THE SOUND OF MUSIC, HAWAII, VICTOR/VICTORIA and DUET FOR ONE! The close-mindedness of the critics and audiences at the time of STAR!'s release does not diminish the fact that the acting, singing and dancing of Andrews is a monumental achievement and elevates the film to near greatness! If you can see this film in a letterboxed, surround sound edition or better still in a widescreen movie theatre it is even better. The truncated version that is the most widely seen runs around 120 minutes and should be avoided. Try and catch the 175 minute version. You will not be sorry!

Rating:
Summary: A very lack lustre star.
Review: This film should have it all, it's the story of a great show woman, close friends with the greatest of show men, Noel Coward.
It had a large budget, a potentially great leading Lady, great costumes and a whole plethero of original Lawrence stage numbers, "Poor Jenny" is particularly striking. But somehow none of that is enough to either utilise Andrews to her full potential nor to tell the story of Gertrude Lawrence with the right amount of truth and razzmatazz.
Andrews was largely blamed for it's failure at the time but this seems so wrong, essentially it is problem of script, Gertie's struggle with alcohol is only hinted at. Coward's homosexuality is completely glossed over and Gertie's illness and subsequent death at 50, from cancer, is not even eluded to!
Here lies the problem I feel, how on earth can you set the screen alight with the story of a sensational life if you only tell the bits of the story you think the audience will tolerate? You need to let the audience be the judge of what they can take and they clearly hated this! A shame and a wasted opportunity.

Rating:
Summary: Lovely to Look At, Delightful to Hear--Dreadful to Watch
Review: By 1968 Julie Andrews was one of the most-loved performers of stage and screen, the original Eliza Doolittle of Broadway's MY FAIR LADY, a Best Actress Oscar winner for MARY POPPINS, and the star of film version of THE SOUND OF MUSIC--a movie that was so profitable Hollywood wags dubbed it "The Sound of Money." 20th Century Fox wasted little time in developing a new property for their new star, and (possibly under the influence of FUNNY GIRL, the great stage success that was set to film at about the same time) reached back in time to tell the story of a theatrical legend: Gertrude Lawrence.

It seemed like a winner. Gertrude Lawrence (1902-1952) was known as "The Toast of Two Continents" in an era when the term had an almost literal meaning, and the highs and lows of her extremely public private life were almost as dramatic as her career. Operating with an incredibly large budget and under the direction of Robert Wise, the bio-pic STAR! seemed to have everything: lavish sets, incredible costumes, a truly great collection of songs, an epic running time, and--of course--Julie Andrews. What more could you want?

Well, an interesting movie would be nice.

STAR! opened with tremendous fanfare in 1968 and proved an instant fiasco. All the earnings of THE SOUND OF MUSIC were wiped out seemingly overnight, and with bankruptcy staring it in the face 20th Century Fox cut the film from three to two hours and rushed the film into general release as THOSE WERE THE HAPPY DAYS. As a result, the film holds the dubious distinction of being the only major Hollywood film to completely tank twice in major theatrical release.

At the time, much of the film's failure was laid at the feet of Julie Andrews. Gertrude Lawrence, her remarkable career, and her high-flying lifestyle were still well-recalled in 1968, and Julie Andrews simply did not look, walk, talk, sing, or in any way, shape or form bear any resemblance to her. Seen today, however, this seems an unfair accusation; it is very evident that the project was never intended as a recreation of Lawrence, and Julie Andrews is actually quite good within the very tight limitations imposed upon her. The real problem is the script, which goes nowhere at a slow crawl. Indeed, the single most dramatic event in the entire story is Lawrence's financial bankruptcy!

Yes, you can enjoy the sights and sounds of STAR! But the story is beyond boring: it makes you feel that you're sinking slowly to the bottom of a sea of Jello. The DVD has been criticized for leaving out the few minutes of intermission material that accompanied the original release; frankly, I can't see this as anything more than a mercy, for the less time spent here the better. As for the bonuses, they are okay--which is to say that they are actually more interesting than the film itself. I'll be generous and give it two stars for production values and musical numbers. But unless you are a diehard Julie Andrews fan, do yourself a favor and give STAR! a miss.

GFT, Amazon Reviewer

Rating:
Summary: A Dog is a Dog
Review: Weather its a French Poodle or a mangy mutt. Star may be a French Poodle, but its still a dog. I dont understand all the raves for this film. Its easy to see why it tanked in 68 and I dont understand its cult following today. Yes, Julie (miscast), is beautiful, sings well, oodles of production numbers (way too many); the clothes! But where's the story? Star put the final nail in the coffin for road show pictures. A curiousity piece for those wondering what that era was like. But not a good example of it. Lawrence deserved better.

Rating:
Summary: this star's a star!
Review: have now watched the DVD of STAR! with Julie Andrews,and can only echo what I said when first seeing this movie in 1968,that it rates 10/10 for entertainment value.It seems not a minute too long,and Andrews attempts valiantly (though not always successfully),her interpretation of the volatile,charismatic Gertrude Lawrence.The production values are second to none,and Julie has never looked better.The extra features on the DVD are extensive with trailers,a production featurette,sections of the script,a shooting diary,and sketches and tests of many of the 125 costume changes worn by Julie in the movie(never equalled since in a single movie)A must for all fans,and people into movies that are there to simply entertain.A triumph for Robert Wise and Saul Chaplin.11/10