"The Star", released in 1952 and starring Bette Davis as aging and washed up actress Margaret Elliot is an absolute riot to watch. Margaret is an actress who had her decades in the spotlight, but has lost her fortune and lost her career. From the onset of the film, the desperation Margaret feels is almost tangible. Because of a series of bad investments, a leeching family and an ex-husband or two, Margaret is left with $3 in her purse, her belongings are being auctioned off by her creditors, and her young teenage daughter Gretchen (Natalie Wood, almost unrecognizable, she's so young and fairly awkward in this film), who desperately wants to live with her, can't because Margaret's just been evicted from her apartment. One night, she goes on a bender (uttering what is clearly the best line of the film, after grabbing an Oscar she had won, "C'mon Oscar, let's you and me go get drunk!") and ends up with a DUI. One of her former co-stars, Jim Johannson (Sterling Hayden) comes and bails her out and tries to help her turn her life around. At first, she goes to work at a department store, but when someone recognizes her and insults her, she throws a fit and quits. Begging her agent to talk to a producer about a part she wants in a film she used to have an option for, the producer finally agrees to give her a screen test for the part of the dowdy older sister of the "star". Margaret concedes to a test, but clearly has her own agenda, and disillusions about her star power, because she fails the test miserably by acting how she feels the part should act, rather than how the director would like to see the part played. In a moment of clarity, when she is screening the test, she actually realizes how ridiculous she has become, and decides to move on to the next phase of her life.
"The Star" was made two years after "All About Eve", and the difference in Davis is stunning. Going from the glamorous (but insecure) Margo Channing to the very unglamorous (and insecure) Margaret Elliot, Davis shows how truly versatile she is. More importantly, it shows that she was also unafraid to take roles like this, roles that arguably reflect on not only her own career, but the careers of many aging actresses of the day. With fresh-faced actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Debbie Reynolds and even the up and coming Elizabeth Taylor, there weren't a lot of roles for women in their 40's to play, a trend that seems to continue today to some extent. Davis plays the role with dignity and camp, and I thought she was fantastic.
During "The Star" I couldn't help but think that it was the personification of what would have happened had Norma Desmond had another chance, and the results are not pretty. From what I gather, this is a pretty rare film, but it's worth watching if you're a Bette Davis fan; I had never heard of it before stumbling across it online, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 7/10 --Shelly
"The Star" was made two years after "All About Eve", and the difference in Davis is stunning. Going from the glamorous (but insecure) Margo Channing to the very unglamorous (and insecure) Margaret Elliot, Davis shows how truly versatile she is. More importantly, it shows that she was also unafraid to take roles like this, roles that arguably reflect on not only her own career, but the careers of many aging actresses of the day. With fresh-faced actresses like Marilyn Monroe, Debbie Reynolds and even the up and coming Elizabeth Taylor, there weren't a lot of roles for women in their 40's to play, a trend that seems to continue today to some extent. Davis plays the role with dignity and camp, and I thought she was fantastic.
During "The Star" I couldn't help but think that it was the personification of what would have happened had Norma Desmond had another chance, and the results are not pretty. From what I gather, this is a pretty rare film, but it's worth watching if you're a Bette Davis fan; I had never heard of it before stumbling across it online, and I thoroughly enjoyed it. 7/10 --Shelly