The Rose
Short description
The Rose is a 1979 American drama about Mary Rose Foster, a rock singer known to her fans simply as Rose. As her career reaches its height, the pressures of touring keep her from any stable life. Her manager, Rudge Campbell, pushes her onward, while she drifts into drink and drugs and struggles with loneliness. A relationship with Huston Dyer, a former soldier, offers her a chance at something steadier, though it is strained by the pace of her life on the road. The story moves toward a concert in her hometown that carries a great deal of expectation for her. The character and the film draw on the life of Janis Joplin.
Mark Rydell directed, working from a screenplay by Bo Goldman and Bill Kerby. The film was the third he directed, following The Cowboys and Harry and Walter Go to New York, and it came before On Golden Pond. Bette Midler plays Rose, with Alan Bates as Rudge Campbell, Frederic Forrest as Huston Dyer, and Harry Dean Stanton, Barry Primus and David Keith in supporting roles. The credited cast runs to 73 names.
Made for about 9 million US dollars by 20th Century Fox, the film took roughly 29 million worldwide, a strong return on its budget. On IMDb it holds a rating of 6.7 out of 10 from 138 votes, while the critics' score stands at 7.1 out of 10 from 23 reviews, so reviewers rated it somewhat higher than the wider audience did. It runs 125 minutes.
What's left behind the scenes
- Initially, a biographical film about Janis Joplin (1943-1970) was planned, titled "Pearl" (Joplin received this nickname after the release of her fourth studio album in 1971, after her death). The script was shown to Bette Midler, but she decided that not enough time had passed since the singer's death to portray her life on screen. The script was rewritten with Midler's help; some scenes were removed altogether, while others were revised. The rewritten script was titled "Rose," and Midler agreed to play the lead role.
- Mark Rydell agreed to direct only if Bette Midler would play the lead role. Until that point, she was known as a nightclub singer and had only appeared in televised comedic performances.
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