Review of Stardust Memories (1980) by Weaam M — 04 Aug 2013

If "Husbands and Wives" is one of Woody Allen's most overlooked films, then certainly "Stardust Memories" is one of his most misunderstood films. It's easy to call "Stardust Memories" one of his most self-indulgent movies. Ever. But I think audiences missed the point Allen was trying to make. He wasn't attacking his audience or his critics. If anything, "Stardust Memories" has one of the most uplifting endings of all of Allen's pictures. Love, essentially, is the answer to all of his questions in the movie.

Let's take the opening sequence (it's one of my all-time favorite Woody Allen moments - even though it's absolutely drenched in references to Fellini's "8 1/2" and Bergman's "Wild Strawberries"). We're shown two trains (each train represents the path you take in life). One is filled with depressed looking souls (including Sandy Bates, played by Allen). The other is filled with beautiful, happy people. The two trains, ultimately, end up at the same place - a landfill (or death). So, the question that arises is: What does it matter which train you're on? You wind up at the same destination, anyway. But as Sandy Bates looks around at the people he's surrounded by, he realizes that he wants to be on the other train. He realizes that he wants happiness in his life, and he wants to enjoy life. This sets up the rest of the movie. "Stardust Memories" becomes a "life quest" (and I'm not a fan of using that term, but I'll use it anyway) for Sandy Bates. Can he (finally) find love and acceptance from the right people? He's constantly shrouded in love and acceptance from his fans (just as long as he continues to make funny pictures). But he knows that love isn't real. Once he stops feeling funny and stops making funny pictures, he knows those fans will turn their backs on him. Not only will they turn their backs on him, but they'll attack him as well. (Maybe that's why they look so grotesque - because they're not "true" fans of his.).

All of his fears and anxieties, then, become projected outwardly, and the line between reality and fantasy becomes blurred during the weekend-long film retrospective devoted to Sandy's (earlier, funnier) movies. He's visited by many people during this weekend; some are real, some are imaginary fragments of his past. But all of the people (and intergalactic beings) that visit him help him on his journey, and help him figure out what truly matters in life (even if it is telling funnier jokes).

Charlotte Rampling plays Sandy's long-lost love, Dorrie. She seems to be the catalyst for Sandy's downward spiral. One of her best scenes comes when Sandy remembers how she broke up with him. Woody Allen frames Rampling in a close-up shot, and we see how she breaks up with Sandy -- only we witness the break-up in several different (rapid) takes. It's almost as if Sandy is reliving the break-up over and over (and over). It also seems that Sandy is still broken from the relationship with Dorrie, and he can't (or doesn't want to) move on with life without her.

Woody Allen has said that a majority of "Stardust Memories" takes place in Sandy's mind (in fact, after Sandy sees the dead rabbit his maid is about to cook for him at the beginning, what follows is all fantasy). Whether or not this is true, Sandy still goes on a journey (whether it's real or all in his mind) -- and he still comes to the conclusion that life is better when you are in good company and when you have someone who loves you and accepts you. He realizes this at the end, and that's why he chases after Isobel. That's also why he tells her, "This has been an interesting weekend for me... I feel differently about a lot of things... I feel lighter... we're on the same train and it's not as terrible as I thought it was because we like each other and we have some laughs and we have some closeness." That's all anyone could ask for.

When you find that right person, it doesn't matter which train you're on because you will no doubt enjoy the ride.