The Rose, starring Bette Midler, Alan Bates and Fredric Forrest, directed by Mark Rydell, was the movie that proved to the world that Bette Midler could act!
In 1978, people knew Bette Midler as the oddball who sang old songs in the gay bath houses. And that was if you even knew who she was. With her flamboyant singing style, odd costumes and voluptuous body, Bette sang her heart out for the gay population of America. But, she had a voice and style that quickly caught on with mainstream America. You either loved her, or hated her. (I love(d) her!)
In 1979 she was given her big break to star in a musical, drama movie, loosely based on the life of Janis Joplin.(The 60’s rock singer who died from an overdose of drugs.)
Miss Midler proved to everyone that she could act up a storm as well as sing. The little girl from Hawaii, belted out such songs as,
Let me call you sweetheart
Love me with a feeling
Homecoming
Stay with me
The Rose
Whose side are you on
Midnight in Memphis
Concert
When a man loves a woman
Sold my soul to rock ’n’ roll
Keep on rockin’...
while portraying the tormented singer (Joplin) during her ups and downs with drugs and men.
When Miss Midler got up on the stage to sing or when she was coming down off a drug high, her heartwrenching performance made you think it was really happening, and you were there.
With wonderful co stars Fredric Forrest and Alan Bates, Miss Midler kept you glued to your seat. When she cried, you cried, when she screamed, you felt it deep down inside, and when she finally realized she was on the road to destruction, you wanted to reach out and help her up.
If I am not mistaken, the movie (and possibly the stars) were nominated for academy awards that year but sadly, didn’t win any.
The Rose, in my opinion is a movie worth seeing, if only to see the wonderful performance of ’’The Devine Miss M’’.
Later, she went on to make, Down and Out in Beverly Hills, Outrageous Fortune, Scenes from the Mall, Drowning Mona, For the Boys and many other movies.
As I said, this little (4ft 9inch) girl, who grew up in Hawaii proved to the world that she could act up a storm and went on to prove it over and over again even after The Rose.