Schedule:
6:30 p.m: Star 80
Roger Ebert
Special Guest(S)
Eric Roberts, Actor
Mariel Hemingway, Actor
Bob Fosse dresses all in black and makes films about the demonic under-currents in our lives. Look at his credits: "Cabaret," "Lenny," "All That Jazz" and now, "Star 80." Although his Broadway musicals have been upbeat entertainments, he seems to see the movie camera as a device for peering into our shames and secrets.
"Star 80" is his most despairing film. After the Nazi decadence of "Cabaret," after the drug abuse and self-destruction in "Lenny" and the death-obsessed hero of "All That Jazz," here is a movie that begins with violent death and burrows deeper. There were times when I could hardly keep my eyes on the screen, and a moment near the end when I seriouslyasked myself if I wanted to stay in the theater.
And yet I think this is an important movie. Devastating, violent, hopeless, and important, because it holds a mirror up to a part of the world we live in, and helps us see it more clearly. In particular, it examines the connection between fame and obscurity, between those who have a moment of praise and notoriety, and those who see themselves condemned to stand always at the edge of the spotlight.
