Review of Stardust Memories (1980) by Bob V — 26 Mar 2011

"Let me tell you, you're not the missionary type. You'd never last. And-and incidentally, you're also not Superman; you're a comedian. You want to do mankind a real service? Tell funnier jokes. ".

It's pretty difficult to separate Woody's movies from his own personal life,doesn't matter whether he himself is acting in it or not!! Every movie reflects a part of him, what he felt that time!!..And mostly it is in form of mockery, lampooning the meaningless of it all. So here he starts by mocking his critics, then goes on to mock his fans and eventually as always ends up mocking himself!...And that has always been his way to express his anger,his existential anxiety and his morbid thoughts. The best part is he does that all by staying funny. In the end, that is what he means to achieve and Man!..he can make you laugh!!..

A word of caution though!!..Just because it's shot in B&W don't go looking for exquisite cinematography like Manhattan!!...After all he has no intentions to make city a part of movie here!!...If you hv to look for beauty, look for it in Charlotte Rampling!!..She is gorgeous and has been given the best shots none more beautiful than one towards the end where Woody seems to be trying to capture her beauty through different angles taking several shots and as if failing eventually ends it by her simply saying "How do I look?"....