| | | | Starman
(1984) |
outed as Columbia's answer to 'E.T.', this magical, sweet and wonderfully-acted story of love between an extra-terrestrial and a human woman won the hearts of critics and audiences everywhere.
A gentle, kind alien (Bridges) crash-lands in Wisconsin, and assumes the human form of Jenny Hayden's (Allen) recently deceased husband, at least physically. Like a child, Starman is charmingly inquisitive, intuitive, and unintentionally funny, accompanied by an awkward walk and jerking head movements with an almost emotionless, yet poignant expression. In order for the 'Starman' to return home, he must get to a rendez-vous point in Arizona, so, after her initial shock, the grieving Jenny agrees to drive him there.
The audience quickly grasps what Jenny does not: that Starman means her no harm. She spends the first half of her enforced trip from her remote Wisconsin house trying to escape. Starman repeatedly coerces Jenny's help in escaping nasty government scientist-types (often very stiff and too hard-edged in their portrayal- namely National Security Agency baddie (Jaeckel), dissecting table at the ready), who wish to capture and study the otherworldly visitor, and are perpetually hot on their trail. In contrast, the agents are led by curiously sympathetic Agent Mark Shermin (Smith), which works to the pair's advantage.
Despite the obvious 'E.T.' modus operandi of the piece, this film has a different edge. As Starman learns how to be more human the alien begins to take on more and more qualities of Jenny's late husband, ever drawing the woman closer to him, and eventually falling in love.
Now Starman must decide whether to remain on Earth and risk his life, or go home and leave Jenny forever...
 Don't forget that Starman is now available to order on Widescreen DVD using our special 80s Retro Assistant...
|
| | | | 
Allen and Bridges seem to work perfectly as a team, with similar low-key, yet comedic naturalism.
Charles Martin Smith really allows the audience to identify with this supernatural film, as he represents our curiosity and awe at the extra-terrestrial. This film is smart and captures the imagination.
|
| | | |  | 
You can now correct/update any item of trivia by clicking the "Update" button next to it...
| |
Jeff Bridges was nominated for a Golden Globe and an Oscar for his brilliant performance. 
A short-lived TV series spin-off was made that now has a large cult following.
« Click
here to add some Starman trivia
Find much more great trivia in the filmmaker's commentary on the Starman DVD.
Rediscover your favorites! If you like
Starman or 80's Sci-Fi / Fantasy classics, then be sure to
check out this list: ..... Empire Strikes Back ..... Night of the Comet ..... Aliens ..... Back To The Future ..... Last Starfighter ..... Star Trek IV: The Voyage Home ..... Circuitry Man ..... Brazil ..... Blade Runner ..... Thing ..... Star Trek 2: The Wrath of Khan ..... Return to Oz ..... Somewhere In Time ..... Strange Invaders ..... Short Circuit .....[More]
| | | |
Michael Douglas was the film's Executive Producer.
Then-Twenty-Somethings Kevin Bacon and Tom Cruise were each considered for the lead in 'Starman', but after Karen Allen was cast as Jenny, John Carpenter looked for a lead man closer to her age. In his early thirties, the part finally went to Jeff Bridges.
In preparation for the alien role, Jeff Bridges studied birds, borrowing their sudden jerky head movements among other subtle nuances to add to his character. This of course translated well, since this alien would not have natural human mannerisms, being "encased" in a human's body for the first time. -Thanks to Sean K.
The "rendez-vous" point Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen climed down into, to meet up with his ship, is a crater located outside Flagstaff, Arizona and is about 49,000 years old, 570 feet deep, and a mile wide. The equivelant force of 20 to 40 million tons of TNT from a 100-165 foot diameter asteriod resulting in the force of an atomic bomb. (Information from National Geographic)
«
Click
here to add a new Behind-the-Scenes item for Starman
|  |  |  | | Starman
Locations |
|
| | |
Lynchburg, Tennessee (former Texaco gas station on courthouse square appears in one of the scenes). Being a "road" movie, many cities were used, but Lynchburg (home of Jack Daniel's) was one.
The scene where Jeff Bridges brings the shot deer to life outside the Bus Stop restaurant still stands, but slowly crumbles, along side I-24 near Kimball, Tennessee. It right next to a gas station/firework store at an exit just north of the Kimball/ Jasper exit where the big Tennessee Alabama fireworks store is, about 20 minutes from Chattanooga. [Thanks to Diamond Tim Pleshaw]
Can you help? Do you know any of the filming locations used for Starman? [Please send them in]
|  | | | | ![[16:9 -Widescreen Enhanced]](16_9.gif) | ![[STEREO or SURROUND]](dd2.gif) | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette |
| | | | Trailer, Commentary, Featurette |
|
| | | |
Soundtrack score by Jack Nitzche. Tracks are:
1. Jenny Shot
2. Here Come The Helicopters
3. Honeymoon
4. Road Block
5. Do You Have Somebody?
6. Pickup Truck
7. What's It Like Up There?
8. All I Have To Do Is Dream
9. Lifting Ship
10. I Gave You A Baby
11. Morning Military
12. Define Love
13. Balls
14. Starman Leaves/End Title
At the beginning of the movie, when Jenny Hayden is watching home movies, she and her late husband harmonize on the Everly Brothers' "All I Have to Do is Dream." That is really Jeff Bridges and Karen Allen doing their own singing. While only a part of the song is used in the movie, the soundtrack contains a complete version.
«
Click here to add new music trivia for Starman
Soundtrack Available:
On CD
| | | |
 NEW!
Use our radical Retro Assistant to show you the most accurate information for hard-to-find Starman products anywhere on the web...
At a glance, you can now see all the Movie
releases, Soundtracks
or Movie
Posters, Scripts and Books ever available with online price comparisons, even if they're
rare, out of print or only available in another country!
Over 3 years in development and covering more than 10,000 of the
best products hand picked by our editors, we think it's the most fun and retro way to celebrate the era --and find what you
want.
It covers Starman DVD,
VHS,
Blu-ray,
HD-DVD,
Downloads,
Soundtrack
CDs, Movie
Posters, Scripts, Books and more... Why not give
it a try...
The
80's Movies Rewind is proudly a spam-free
non-commercial site, written by movie fans... for movie fans.
If
you enjoy this site, please help to support us and keep us
POP UP & SPAM FREE by ordering your stuff through our services.
As you probably already know, we
are not a corporation, but just 80's fans like you...
| | |
 | | Recent
Additions |
March 3, 2008: Commando USA / UK Blu-ray Coming Soon.
February 28, 2008: Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai Soundtrack Update.
Previous
additions
We're always updating and improving, so please and check back with us regularly...
|
| | |
