The tragic life of a self-destructive female rock star who struggles to deal with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager.The tragic life of a self-destructive female rock star who struggles to deal with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager.The tragic life of a self-destructive female rock star who struggles to deal with the constant pressures of her career and the demands of her ruthless business manager.
- Nominated for 4 Oscars
- 5 wins & 12 nominations total
- Female Impersonator
- (as Claude Sacha)
Storyline
Did you know
- TriviaThe movie was originally titled "Pearl", which was a biographical movie based on Janis Joplin's life. The film's screenplay was revised and fictionalized after her family declined to allow the producers the rights to her story.
- GoofsWhen Rose's airplane lands for her St. Louis show, the airport is surrounded by mountains.
- Quotes
Rose: Ain't it just grand layin' there late at night in your bed, waitin' for your man to show up? And when he finally does, at oh about 4 o'clock in the mornin', with whiskey on his breath, and the smell of another woman on his person... Oh honey, I can smell another woman at 500 paces. That's a easy one to catch.
[crowd gets really noisy]
Rose: Oh, the women are getting nasty. So what do you do when he comes home with the smell of another woman on him? Do you say, "Oh honey, let me open up my loving arms and my loving legs. Dive right in, baby, the water is fine"? Is that what you say, girls?
[the women in the crowd scream "No!"]
Rose: Or do you say, "Fuck this shit! I've had enough of you, you asshole! Pack your bags. I'm putting on my little waitress cap and my fancy high-heeled shoes, I'm gonna go find me a real man. A good man, a true man."
- Crazy creditsLyrics of "The Rose" are displayed at the end of the credit crawl, scrolling to the ending of the song.
- Alternate versionsCBS edited 14 minutes from this film for its 1984 network premiere.
- ConnectionsEdited into The Linda McCartney Story (2000)
While the storyline is memorable, and the acting superb, music outshines everything else. This is a movie from 1979, a time when rock and roll was still considered a lifestyle, and big rock bands were treated with absolute god-like adoration. Music mattered. It was a vital part of peoples' lives, and in THE ROSE it reaches the heights of excellence that normally exist only in memories that have improved with age. In this case, the music sounds as vibrant, exciting, and fresh today as when the movie debuted.
Bette belts out these songs with soul and fiery passion. The only other contemporary singer I can imagine doing a similarly credible job is Melissa Etheridge.
Sissy Spacek won the Best Actress Oscar for Coal Miner's Daughter (1980), but in retrospect I'm sure a lot of people regret not having awarded it to Bette Midler. This was not only an amazing, high caliber performance, but one that the passage of time has not diminished. This is a stunning movie. My dream is to rent a movie theatre for an evening, invite 30 friends, and relive this great experience.
Movie theatres used to be bigger, and were aptly called "movie palaces". THE ROSE deserves to be seen in such a grand venue. In the rich pantheon of movie history, THE ROSE is true royalty.
Note added October 9, 2007: It has been over a year, and I have no indication if anyone has ever read this review. If you read it, even if you give it a thumbs down, please answer whether the review was useful to you or not. I just am so curious if anyone will EVER read it. Right now, I'm listening to the soundtrack. This movie is timeless.
- How long is The Rose?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- $8,500,000 (estimated)
- Gross US & Canada
- $29,174,648
- Opening weekend US & Canada
- $793,063
- Nov 11, 1979
- Gross worldwide
- $29,174,648
- Runtime2 hours 5 minutes
- Color
- Aspect ratio
- 1.85 : 1