In Mark Rydell’s The Rose, break-out star Bette Midler champions herself with a performance mirroring that of the late, great Janis Joplin or really any other rocker from that era who was jus
In Mark Rydell’s The Rose, break-out star Bette Midler champions herself with a performance mirroring that of the late, great Janis Joplin or really any other rocker from that era who was just too wild to live.
This portrait of a falling star is fueled by drugs, booze and incorrigible hard-partying ways coupled with a frail ego and an affinity for making bad choices. Set in the late 1960s, Mary Rose Foster—now known to an adoring public simply as “The Rose,” is on the rise rock royalty and beloved by her fans despite her fair share of morale detractors.
Female rock stars certainly need love too and Rose soon falls into a tumultuous affair with a former limo driver (Frederic Forrest) and Vietnam vet once the pressure of stardom and fast living on the road starts to wear her down. Not even her wise but sometimes abusive British manager Rudge (Alan Bates) can prevent her inevitable descent into excess.
Like all music biopics, the film hinges on the star’s ability to deliver not only a believable performance, but one that is unquestionably their own. Midler’s own impressive slide into the role of a self-destructive, open-wound rock-star performer whose destructive personality displays an aching vulnerability and ultimately, a tragic spectacle is quite the depiction.
Since we come upon her already established well into her career, a smart decision was the creation of “Rose,” who is new to the audience, but a similar enough archetype for us to fill in the missing gaps of her background and fraught personal life. Story-wise, the film is worth a tune-up as Midler’s strong performance can’t produce a compelling tale all on its own.
Midler actively avoided being a supporting player in her early film career, so much so that she turned down small roles in Rocky, Foul Play and Nashville; and with The Rose—her first film to gain her notoriety and even an eventual Oscar nomination—she parlayed her background of years as a bathhouse and nightclub singer into an explosive portrayal of a famous songstress we see spiraling out of control.
Casting could not been more important for this version of Joplin, who was a surrogate inspiration for the frame of the character, but still feels like Midler’s own distinct brand. She can skillfully display the glitz, the glamour and the grime that makes her character’s portrayal an interesting, honest and personal one.
A pivotal scene in which country singer Billy Ray (Harry Dean Stanton) meets and quickly rejects a fawning Rose when he asks her to no longer cover his songs. This scene is the harshest point-blank truth Rose faces from the outside world (in this case a peer) and maybe the most insightful to her character.
Instead of sticking up for herself, she retreats into her own anger, frustration, and turmoil. Rose blows through people, feelings, and locations that it all feels like a blur.
The Rose is a nearly forgotten film despite it being a sizable hit at the late ‘70s box-office and jumpstarting Midler’s long career. It easily possesses one of her most visceral performances and a reminder of what she could do that many actresses simply cannot; act and perform.
Her live performances are magnificent and are in fact live with little to no alterations.
These scenes are wonderfully done and really make you a believer in the cult of Rose. The film is also over two hours and shuffles between lengthy but beautifully shot performances and behind the scenes chaos that aren’t creatively sewn together. The juxtaposition of on-stage brilliance and backstage disaster could have been integrated better and more cohesively.
Mark Rydell’s The Rose arrives on DVD and Blu-ray courtesy of Criterion. The film looks amazing with rich detail for the live performances and colorful vibrant scenery from busy city streets to rural small towns. Included is the so-so 2003 commentary with Rydell’s insights on the creative thoughts and decisions that were made.
Three very interesting and new interviews with Midler, Rydell and cinematographer Vilmos Zsigmond are also included along with an essay from critic Paula Mejia.
Very fun inclusions are an archival episode of NBC’s Today in which Tom Brokaw interviews Bette Midler and Mark Rydell during various behind the scenes shooting sequences of The Rose. Also present is an interview from film critic Gene Shalit with Midler during her press run.
Criterion went above and beyond amassing this release, as the sound and picture is top-tier for a film of this clout as it really elevates the material.
The Rose is a studio picture trying to show us the grit and tribulations of rock-stardom but with a lot of gloss and sheen. This consequential mythology of the suffering and ultimately tragic rock-star is what drives the film and one of the bigger problems is Rose never gets close to figuring herself out or why exactly we should try either. Seeking answers seems to be hard within the broad strokes of the film’s mythos, but nevertheless it is entertaining to watch and follow.
