Stardust: Une idole face à la foule

Not a truly great film, but one with impact -- especially when viewed with the film for which this 'sequel' is really more of a 2nd act; "That'll Be The Day". Together the two films give us over 3 hours of the life of Jim MacLaine as he goes from bright mid 1950s schoolboy to an aimless drifter shagging every woman he can get his hands on, breaking the hearts of everyone close to him, to stumbling into a career in rock 'n roll, to becoming one of the biggest stars in the world, with all the attendant hollowness of super-stardom in a business designed to make you self your soul and lose sight of what's real.

This 2nd film makes up the rock-star years of Jim's life, but the 1st film makes it clear that his self-destructive tendencies were there long before stardom, And if he's taken advantage of by managers and record labels, he's also a man who was amoral, selfish and at sea long before that.

It's a shame that pop star David Essex isn't an even stronger actor. He's not at all bad, but this is the kind of rich, juicy role in which a great actor could have exposed multiple layers of depth and complexity. Essex does his best, and is always natural, but isn't able to go that step beyond. (director Michael Apted apparently learned that lesson, and had actors play singers to great effect in his later 'Coal Miner's Daughter').

It would also have been great if the film had managed to avoid some of the clichés around rock and roll. It may well be that they're clichés because they're true, but we've also seen them many times, in many films before – even by 1974 when 'Stardust' was made.

One odd thought; on some level the film seems to be channeling Peter Watkins' far more original, political and challenging 1967 U.K. rock film "Privilege', with more slickness, but less grand ambition. No idea if that's intentional, but watching this film made we want to go back and re-visit that one.

As a very young viewer of this film at 19 in 1974 when this film was released, I saw it at the theater as there was no such thing as video tape in those days. David Essex performance had a profound effect on me as did the films plot in general. The deep insight into the life of a famous rock n roll star as can only be experienced by that individual was both riveting to me at the time and has been indelibly etched in my mind ever since. As a matter of fact i have been looking for a copy of this film on video ever since videos inception with no success to this day. A truly captivating and entertaining film if you can find it!

This film is very worthwhile. You can pick out all your fave 60's references from "concept", "rock opera", "managers", dodgy sexual politics and the whole drugs thing. It works so very well because it is not based on one band. Not the Beatles, not the Stones, not the Beach Boys, Tommy Shondell or anyone. It's affectionate and damning of the whole process. It works very well as a "This Is Spinal Tap" without being a lampoon of the music business. Knowing without being smart-ass. A broad covering of its genre without being in broad strokes.

Following on from 'That'll Be The Day', this movie looks at what happens to Jim when he gets the stardom he wants. His band includes Paul Nicholas, Karl Howman, Dave Edmunds, and Keith Moon, with Adam Faith as manager. The band is called The Stray Cats and they make the usual trip through highs and lows of fan hysteria to a rather bleak ending.

Of the two films, this one is the best. Not buying into the pop music myth, there is no happy ending for Jim after all his dreams have been granted and destroyed. The music is good, and the acting excellent (especially from Essex and Faith, and also Larry 'J R' Hagman). Look out as well for Blue Peter's Peter Duncan as the replacement for Nicholas in the band.

Stardust starts off beautifully. Jim McLaine (David Essex) is working at a carnival in England where business is slow that night, as it is Nov. 22, 1963. In the background is Neil Sedaka singing "Happy Birthday Sweet Sixteen". McLaine meets an old mate (Adam Faith) and tells him the little rock and roll band he's in needs a road manager. Faith sees opportunity and moulds the band known as the Stray Cats into a vehicle for Jim McLaine. There are so many great and true to life moments in this movie, the early recording sessions, Faith's behind the scenes manoeuvering, Larry Hagman arriving when the Stray Cats make it big to muscle in on things, and Jim McLaine's typical 1960's rock and roll odyssey. Essex and Faith are excellent (who says rockers can't act?) and it's a still relevent look at the "star maker machinery behind the popular songs". This picture is a sequel to That'll Be the Day, which is more about McLaine's coming of age in early 60's England, that is a great movie in it's own right, but the two can be watched independently of each other. Very highly recommended. Oh yes, the ending is as well directed, dramatic and atmospheric as the beginning. Great job Michael Apted!