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Stardust Memories

Stardust Memories

List Price: $14.95
Your Price: $13.46
Product Info Reviews

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Rating: 5 stars
Summary: Brilliant
Review: Hey, you know the story, brilliant Woody Allen AS PER USUAL.

Rating: 1 stars
Summary: Boring and Confusing- Rent Manhattan or Annie Hall!
Review: I am a new Woody Allen fan having just discovered his brillance this year. With that having been said, this film is not up to par with the rest that I've seen from Woody. It's hard to follow as it switches back and forth from memories to present day and he seems to have a hard time making it all mesh together into one cohesive film. Trust me and skip this one- watch Woody at his best and forgive him for this waste of time.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: A diamond in the rough, an ignored classic
Review: I am baffled that this film does not receive more acclaim than it has. In the pantheon of Allen films it easily ranks near the top. Allen made Stardust Memories on the heels of Manhattan and, in my opinion, these two films represent Allen at his artistic peak. The writing, the cinematography, the acting, the music . . . all incredibly well done. One of my all-time favorites.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: UNFORGETABLE HAPPINESS
Review: I love Woody Allen and his metaphisical doubts, similar to Federico Fellini and Ingmar Bergman's. I love this film particularly : beautiful black and white photography, careful choice of songs, as always.I remember one of the most beautiful scenes I ever saw: Allen and Charlotte Rampling were sit very quietly on their apartment, after a Central Park promenade and then THEY TEACH US what is HAPPINESS! Louis Armstrong helps to create this magic moment. Please, forgive my poor English. Brazil is my country and Portuguese my language.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: ..
Review: if i received a quarter for everytime i realized what an excellent film stardust memories is, the computer i am writing on would be rotating rapidly around my body.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: superior
Review: One of the most beautiful pieces of art of the 20th Century.

Rating: 5 stars
Summary: DVD enhances a classic
Review: Other reviewers have already said wonderful things about this wonderful film. I concur, but note that most of the existing Amazon reviews refer to the VHS version, which was panned and scanned. "Stardust Memories" is so beautifully filmed that to trim the frame is a crime against art. This DVD version makes it possible to view in the intended aspect ratio, which is quite important here. The transfer is excellent; very few (entirely forgivable) film flaws show at all. Although there are, besides the original trailer, no significant "extras," it hardly matters. The film is the thing. I've watched it several times during the past 20 years, and find new things to enjoy and think about with each new viewing. It's difficult in retrospect to understand why it was generally trashed in 1980. Along with "Raging Bull" and "The Elephant Man," it endures as one of the eternal classics of that year's releases. Interesting that all three were shot artfully in black and white.

One very nice feature of the DVD is that if one leaves the main menu "playing," a stereo recording of a wonderful old Jazz piece (uncredited, so far as I can discern) plays. Very thoughtful of MGM, very appropriate.

DVD improves the experience of "Stardust Memories" immensely over the VHS. Let's hope that all of Woody's ouvre eventually receives such respectful delivery to home media.

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: dreamy
Review: People either seem to love or hate this film. It is easy to see why.

On the one hand, it is full of Woody's usual intelligent yet hilarious one liners. It is also a very bold and interesting satire on how contemporary America deals with its famous yet intelligent artists. This is set in the context of an increasingly absurd weekend 'seminar' in which the Woody character shows and comments on his films. This brings out the zaniness in the audience, really the U.S. film audience. The comments the film tries to make are indeed profound (how can one make funny movies when one is a depressed person in a depressing world? what is the point of artistic creation? when is the line crossed between admiration of an artist and obsession? can the affluent be happy, or will they create problems?)

On the other hand, the film is almost incoherent. It is supposed to have a dream-like effect, and it hurtles through past and present to try to give life to several sub-plots (noticeably the love story(ies)). Yet they only acheive a kind of artifical ressucitation. The film is shot in an over-lighted black and white which has its purpose but really gets on the nerves!

One has to give it to Woody, how honest he is in his movies about himself, even the 'scandalous' aspects of his real life. In this film his lover suspects him of flirting with a 14 year old cousin. In Deconstructing Harry his sexual 'weakness' causes him to lose his son, his lovers, and almost his freedom. Even in the more care-free movies like Curse of the Jade Scorpion he hints at his inability to resist young women.

The message of many of his films seems to be, yes life is awful, but there is time for love and laughter and we need to focus on this. The message of this film is essentially the same, as the opening scene of a movie the main character is directing plays: Woody is trapped on a train with sad, depressed losers. He can see another train, with beautiful winners on it. He seems to think he belongs on that one, but instead he hurtles to his doom with his assigned lot. The film however ends with Woody reconciling with his lover on a much happier train. Of course, then that seems to be another film within a film, and Woody himself leaves the screening looking like he has found little answers, only giving us the happy answer that the public forces on him (and that he, like us all, must to some degree force on ourselves).

Rating: 3 stars
Summary: Good, but not great
Review: People either seem to love or hate this film. It is easy to see why.

On the one hand, it is full of Woody's usual intelligent yet hilarious one liners. It is also a very bold and interesting satire on how contemporary America deals with its famous yet intelligent artists. This is set in the context of an increasingly absurd weekend 'seminar' in which the Woody character shows and comments on his films. This brings out the zaniness in the audience, really the U.S. film audience. The comments the film tries to make are indeed profound (how can one make funny movies when one is a depressed person in a depressing world? what is the point of artistic creation? when is the line crossed between admiration of an artist and obsession? can the affluent be happy, or will they create problems?)

On the other hand, the film is almost incoherent. It is supposed to have a dream-like effect, and it hurtles through past and present to try to give life to several sub-plots (noticeably the love story(ies)). Yet they only acheive a kind of artifical ressucitation. The film is shot in an over-lighted black and white which has its purpose but really gets on the nerves!

One has to give it to Woody, how honest he is in his movies about himself, even the 'scandalous' aspects of his real life. In this film his lover suspects him of flirting with a 14 year old cousin. In Deconstructing Harry his sexual 'weakness' causes him to lose his son, his lovers, and almost his freedom. Even in the more care-free movies like Curse of the Jade Scorpion he hints at his inability to resist young women.

The message of many of his films seems to be, yes life is awful, but there is time for love and laughter and we need to focus on this. The message of this film is essentially the same, as the opening scene of a movie the main character is directing plays: Woody is trapped on a train with sad, depressed losers. He can see another train, with beautiful winners on it. He seems to think he belongs on that one, but instead he hurtles to his doom with his assigned lot. The film however ends with Woody reconciling with his lover on a much happier train. Of course, then that seems to be another film within a film, and Woody himself leaves the screening looking like he has found little answers, only giving us the happy answer that the public forces on him (and that he, like us all, must to some degree force on ourselves).

Rating: 4 stars
Summary: dreamy
Review: Strange movie, undoubtably influenced by some of the European masters. A bit different than the typical Allen fare, almost melancholic. Look out for the young Sharon Stone, she was only 18!


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