Rent Stardust (1974)

Excellent Drama About The Price Of fame - Stardust review by GI

Although ostensibly a sequel to That'll Be The Day (1973) this is thematically a very different film. Beginning in 1963, a couple of years after the end of the previous film, Jim MacLaine (David Essex) is now a member of a struggling pop group. He seeks out his old friend and mentor, Mike (Adam Faith) to help them by becoming the band's roadie. Mike's ability to wheel and deal soon has an affect and the band's fortunes begin to grow. But fame has a price. This is one of the best films about the music industry and it's a stark condemnation of the reality of fame. In summary it's about the rise and fall of a rock star and Essex gives a quite remarkable performance as the selfish Jim who sacrifices all to get to the top. The soundtrack is a delight with songs from the 60s through to the early 70s and the film borrows snippets from the history of real bands most notably The Beatles in the scenes of the early years in a 'cavern' type bar. This is film that deserves rediscovery, it really is a remarkable story of how business overrides the artist and eventually destroys him. One of the best films about the price of fame. Newly released and restored for DV & BluRay this is worth checking out.