The Star (1952)

Not the best for Ms. Davis. Trite and empty. Sterling Hayden was the Keanu Reeves of his era--flat, expressionless and contrived. A few good lines delivered by others regarding the shallowness and boorishness of Hollywood. Other than it's a 'Bette' movie, it's boring, predictable and silly. And, she looks awful. Natalie Wood was way over the top trying to be a cutesy 12-year old and looking like a ripe teenager--which she was. This movie is at the bottom of my collection.

A dour film that allows Davis to chew the scenery in a one-note performance she plows through like a histrionic General Patton. Her Maggie Elliot is a washed up movie star who can't make the necessary adjustments to aging. In short, she just can't let the celebrity dream die, even when it causes her to flunk a screen test that calls for an older woman. Had the script allowed some softer moments, I might have felt more sympathy. But as the narrative stands, the tendency is to observe Maggie's behavior instead of engaging with it. Certainly can't say a dowdy Davis was playing it safe. As written, it's an unhappy role that she plays in an extremely unprettified manner. Then too, the bleak photography may mirror Maggie's mood, but drains Hollywood of Hollywood. Thus we get the lemon without the seductive honey. It would have helped to show more of the glamour that Maggie can't leave behind. Then there's towering outdoorsman Sterling Hayden miscast as her erstwhile anchor, along with a pat 1950's ending. Overall, the result is a dour excursion through Hollywood's hall of human castoffs. In my view, it's for Davis fans only.

In some ways, this story seems like a SUNSET BOULEVARD knockoff. That is not necessarily a bad thing, but THE STAR does come two years later and the similarities do seem obvious. In both pictures, we have a fading actress whose public may no longer want her and whose colleagues no longer seem willing to hire her. This is because they do not look at her as being vital or as young as she still regards herself. There are other borrowed elements, too.One of those borrowed elements is the presence of a hunky and somewhat younger man that she now finds herself living with. In SUNSET BOULEVARD the hunk was William Holden; and in THE STAR it is Sterling Hayden. Another element these movies share is the comeback attempt that the actress obsesses over, and the hunk supports her emotionally through this process. Of course, she must fail and realize that screen test or not, she's finished in the picture- making business.While Norma Desmond (played by Gloria Swanson) has a tragic climax, Margaret (played by Bette Davis) gets a much happier, and perhaps sappier, ending. And though Norma's time on top seems to have occurred much earlier-- back to the silent days in Hollywood-- Margaret's story is more contemporary. Both characters, however, are rooted in the present day while desperately trying to cling to the past. I won't say which one is more outrageous, or which one chews more scenery. I will leave that up to you to decide.

Tragic but redeeming film about a fallen movie star called Margaret Elliot, played by the incomparable Bette Davis. Once one of the great Hollywood faces, her face now seems to be a cynical mirror of disillusionment. A 'washed up' and 'over the hill' actress's struggle with life, identity and human alienation is the story of this very moving and poignant film. Wat struck me about this film are more things than I could mention, but in particular the way this film plays with reality and illusion; fact and fiction. For the film is about a vain, self-absorbed, older movie star struggling with the loss of her appeal and beauty. And, her confrontation with the new young stars that have taken her place in the publics perception. All things that Bette Davis herself must have been dealing with at that time. There for it's a very brave and dramatic film and part for her to chose in that phase of her career. I truly admire her for that. "The Star" has obvious parallels with Billy Wilder's "Sunset Blvd" (1950), but this film is a little more raw and down to earth. Less stylish but a little more human and dramatic perhaps. Some of the metaphors and uses of symbolism are beautifully sharp and touching at the same time. I love the scene where Margaret in her desperation steels a bottle of her famously worn expensive perfume 'I Desire', and then has an awakening when the bottle turns out to be odorless; a display bottle - an illusion; empty and meaningless. Watching this picture gave me another great title to put on my list of favorite films about film. Also a true recommendation for fans of classic cinema, in particularly Bette Davis fans.