Star 80
| Star 80 | |
|---|---|
 Promotional poster |
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| Directed by | Bob Fosse |
| Produced by | Wolfgang Glattes Kenneth Utt |
| Written by | Teresa Carpenter Bob Fosse |
| Starring | Mariel Hemingway Eric Roberts |
| Music by | Ralph Burns |
| Cinematography | Sven Nykvist |
| Editing by | Alan Heim |
| Studio | The Ladd Company |
| Distributed by | Warner Bros. |
| Release date(s) | November 10, 1983 |
| Running time | 103 minutes |
| Country | United States |
| Language | English |
| Budget | $12 million |
| Box office | $6,472,990 |
Star 80 is a 1983 American film about the true story of Playboy Playmate of the Year Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered by her estranged husband Paul Snider in 1980. The film was directed by Bob Fosse, and starred Mariel Hemingway and Eric Roberts.
The film was shot on location in Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California; the death scene was filmed in the same house in which the murder-suicide actually took place. The story is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning Village Voice article "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter; the film's title was taken from Snider's vanity license plates.
The fictionalized director Aram Nicholas (played by Roger Rees) is based on Stratten's real-life lover, Peter Bogdanovich. Hugh Hefner sued the producers of the film because he did not like the way he was portrayed, perhaps in part because the article the film was based on suggested that Stratten was as much a victim of Hefner and Bogdanovich as she was of Snider. Hefner also later sued Bogdanovich for the negative portrayals in Bogdanovich's book about Stratten, The Killing of the Unicorn. In a 1998 interview, Hefner stated that he still disliked the film because it was a poor portrayal of Stratten, although he did commend Eric Roberts for "an excellent portrayal of the sick husband who murdered her."
Hemingway underwent breast enlargement surgery before filming began, but she has denied that she had the surgery for the film role. She would later have the implants removed after they ruptured.
Star 80 was the second movie based on the murder of Stratten. It was preceded by the 1981 television film Death of a Centerfold: The Dorothy Stratten Story in which Jamie Lee Curtis portrayed Stratten and Bruce Weitz portrayed Paul Snider.
Roberts earned a Golden Globe nomination for Best Dramatic Actor for his performance in the film. Star 80 was the last film Fosse directed.
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Cast [edit]
- Mariel Hemingway as Dorothy Stratten
- Eric Roberts as Paul Snider
- Cliff Robertson as Hugh Hefner
- Carroll Baker as Nelly Hoogstraten
- Roger Rees as Aram Nicholas
- Dean Hajum as George
- Josh Mostel as Private Detective
- David Clennon as Geb
- Lisa Gordon as Eileen
Crew [edit]
- Bob Fosse - Director/Screenwriter
- Wolfgang Glattes — Producer
- Kenneth Utt — Producer
- Sven Nykvist - Director of Photography
- Grace Blake — Associate Producer
Reception [edit]
The film was screened out of competition at the 34th Berlin International Film Festival.[1] The film received a mixed reception upon release although it was generally agreed that Eric Roberts gave an impressive performance as Snider.[2] The Washington Post called it "Bob Fosse's latest stylish stinker." Gene Siskel placed the film on his top ten list of the best films of 1983, taking into account that the film was very unpleasant to watch. Roger Ebert gave the film four out of four stars.[3] The film opened in 16 theaters grossing $233,312 its opening weekend. Eventually the film grossed a total of $6,472,990 domestically with 502 theaters being its widest release.[4] Star 80 maintains an 89% "fresh" rating from Rotten Tomatoes.
References [edit]
- ^ "Berlinale: 1984 Programme". berlinale.de. Retrieved 2011-01-06.
- ^ "The Best of 1983", Siskel & Ebert At The Movies, 1983.
- ^ "Star 80". Chicago Sun-Times.
- ^ http://www.the-numbers.com/movies/1983/0ST80.php
External links [edit]
- Star 80 at the Internet Movie Database
- Star 80 at AllRovi
- Star 80 at Rotten Tomatoes
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