The Rose ***** (1979, Bette Midler, Alan Bates, Frederic Forrest, Harry Dean Stanton, Barry Primus, David Keith) – Classic Movie Review 9682

The colourful 1979 romantic musical drama film The Rose stars Bette Midler as self-destructive rock star Rose, who takes up with chauffeur-drifter Huston Dyer (Frederic Forrest). Midler won a Golden Globe and both stars were Oscar nominated. 

Director Mark Rydell’s 1979 romantic musical drama film The Rose stars Bette Midler as unfulfilled, frustrated, self-destructive rock star Rose, who is blocked by her ruthless Svengali business manager Rudge (Alan Bates) when she tries to take a sabbatical. She takes up with chauffeur-drifter Huston Dyer (Frederic Forrest) and for a while finds love. On drink and drugs, she faces her greatest test – performing for her home town audience.

Oscar-nominated Midler is great in both the singing and dramatic departments in her first major movie and there is plenty of attack in the colourfully-written script which cleverly fuses the Janis Joplin-style self-destructive singer story with Midler’s own act. Forrest was also Oscar nominated and Vilmos Zsigmond’s photography is outstanding.

The emotionally over-powering title track provided Midler with one of her standards and biggest hit singles. And the movie was a big hit too. Costing $9.3 million, it took $29.2 million at the box office.

Midler was Oscar nominated as Best Actress in a Leading Role and won the Golden Globe for Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, and a second Golden Globe as New Star of the Year in a Motion Picture – Female.

Frederic Forrest received Academy and Golden Globe Award nominations as Best Supporting Actor.

Despite four Oscar nominations, there were no wins.

The screenplay is by Bill Kerby (story and screenplay), Bo Goldman (screenplay), Michael Cimino (story, uncredited) and Marvin Worth (story, uncredited).

It also stars Harry Dean Stanton, Barry Primus, and David Keith. Also in the cast are Sandra McCabe as Sarah Willingham, Will Hare as Mr Leonard, James Keane as Sam, Doris Roberts as Mrs Foster, Danny Weis as Danny, band leader and guitarist of The Rose Band, Steve Hunter as guitarist of The Rose Band, Sylvester as drag queen, and Michael Greer as Emcee.

Mark Rydell also directed Midler in For the Boys (1991).

Midler has four Golden Globes, including for Best Performance by an Actress in a Miniseries or Motion Picture Made for Television for Gypsy (1993).

The Rose was originally titled Pearl, after Joplin’s nickname and title of her last album. But the story was fictionalised after Joplin’s family declined rights to her story.

Ken Russell opted to direct Valentino instead of The Rose and described this decision as the biggest mistake of his career. Michael Cimino was later slated to direct and makes uncredited contributions to the script, but he chose to direct Heaven’s Gate instead.

Frederic Fenimore Forrest Jr. (December 23, 1936 – June 2023).

Frederic Forrest (December 23, 1936 – June 2023) earned a nomination for the Golden Globe Award for Most Promising Newcomer for When the Legends Die (1972). He portrayed Jay ‘Chef’ Hicks in Francis Ford Coppola’s Apocalypse Now (1979), and worked with Coppola on four other films: The Conversation (1974), One from the Heart (1982), Hammett (1982) and Tucker: The Man and His Dream (1988). Other notable credits include The Missouri Breaks (1976), The Two Jakes (1990) and Falling Down (1993).

 The Rose star Bette Midler wrote on Twitter on 23 June 2023: ‘The great and beloved Frederic Forrest has died. Thank you to all of his fans and friends for all their support these last few months. He was a remarkable actor, and a brilliant human being, and I was lucky to have him in my life. He was at peace.’

© Derek Winnert 2020 Classic Movie Review 9,682

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