Stardust 1974

2 April 2018

Stardust 1974

• Director: Michael Apted
• Based on novel: No
• Cast: David Essex, Adam Faith, Larry Hagman, Ines des Longchamps, Keith Moon, Dave Edmunds, Rosalind Ayres
• Personal “oh yeah him/her” reaction, i.e. have seen this actor in
• David Essex – That’ll Be the Day
• Larry Hagman – Superman the Movie, I Dream of Jeanie
• Rosalind Ayres –That’ll Be the Day, Titanic
• Why? Second half of That’ll Be the Day
• Seen: 1 April 2018

The day Kennedy is assassinated Jim (Essex) returns to the amusement park where he had worked and recruits Mike (Faith) to be the roadie for his scruffy rock band. Very Beatle-y. Very Cavern-y. Mike sets them up with a vaguely Epstein-y manager. They make a recording. They do posh gigs. Jim does interviews. The single gets radio time. Jim is the star. Girls scream. TV. Number 1.

It’s such blatant plagiarism of the real Beatles story and A Hard Day’s Night that I cringe. Essex is just as cute as McCartney but McCartney he isn’t. Nor is he Lennon though he tries to be with his lame political statements.

Big business takes over and the pressure grows. Etc. Etc.

It’s very hard to care about the blasé still self-centred Jim and this story. Either make it about the Beatles or make it about a fictional band. This hybrid doesn’t work. The quasi-religious homage to woman and mother is embarrassingly dreadful (maybe it’s meant to be) and the last half hour is boring then melodramatic.

I had so been looking forward to these two films for a long time. What a disappointment.

2 * of 5 (Hal gave it 3* and liked it better than That’ll Be the Day)

PS A clever? cheeky? snide? nod to the Beatles: while Jim is doing an interview and asked how he found America one of the band members said sourly, “At least he didn’t say ‘Turn left at Greenland”.’

PPS A few of the background songs: ‘Do You Want to Know a Secret’, Monday Monday’, Doo Wah Diddy Diddy’, ‘A Whiter Shade of Pale’, My Generation’, ‘White Rabbit’.  They help.