Alan Bates and Bette Midler in "The Rose."

'Rose' is a rose is powerful

By Donna Chernin

Originally, it was called "Pearl" before it became "The Rose."

However, the film could really be titled "Bette" so thoroughly is it a vehicle for the extraordinary Bette Midler.

Previously, audiences have been aware of the vocal and comedic talents of the Divine Miss M. Now she demonstrates that she is also an amazing dramatic force with her screen debut in such a demanding role.

Miss Midler stars as Rose, the self-destructive, doomed rock queen of the late 1960s. It is a character loosely based on the explosive personaltiy of Janis Joplin, but one that also pays homage to other tragic celebrities who got caught on the treadmill of fame.

Director Mark Rydell has intentionally made "The Rose" a hard-driving film, a harsh look at a brazen but endearing personality.

The movie is shot against the background of the tumultuous late '60s, with Rose's chanting of "Drugs, sex and rock 'n' roll" as she starts one of her songs matching the tone of the character's life.

"The Rose" is not an easy film to watch because it presents such a sordid closeup of a pained individual. Yet "The Rose" is a daring movie, and it is a courageous portrayal by Miss Midler.

She captures the various facets of Rose's personality, of a star who is boisterous, brash, aggressive and outrageous but at her very core, frightfully frail. Rose has a vulnerability and gnawing loneliness that can't be assuaged by fame or wealth. She is a combination of childwoman with her innocence of feeling and jadedness of experience.

The movie follows Rose on her careening last few days on the road in New York, Memphis and finally back home in Florida. At the start, it shows her desperation to take one year off from performing and her ruthless manager's refusal to allow it. There is her tempestuous romance with the chauffeur she picks up, and, through it all, her increasing dependance upon liquor and, ultimately, drugs.

Two men are central in her life. First, her manager exerts a powerful control over her. Rose rails against his tyrannical reign yet finds that she is unable to leave his grasp. Alan Bates does not seem particularly well cast as the volatile manager. It is frequently difficult, if not impossible, to understand much of what he says, for he is either mumbling or screaming.

In contrast, Frederic Forrest plays the role of Rose's boyfriend, an army deserter turned

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In Review

'The Rose'

Screenplay by Bill Kerby and Bo Goldman, story by Kerby, directed by Mark Rydell, produced by Marvin Worth and Aaron Russo, photographed by Vilmos Zsigmond. 20th Century-Fox.

Rose Rudge Dyer Billy Ray Dennis Mal

Bette Midler Alan Bates Frederic Forrest Harry Dean Stanton Barry Primus David Keith

chauffeur, with sensitive understatement. He responds to Rose's passion and exuberance. He defends her when necessary but finally finds that he must desert her as well. "It's not you so much as your life. It's like a grenade range," he explains.

Both Rydell and Miss Midler have the sense to realize that the almost animalistic singing style of Janis Joplin is impossible to emulate. Instead, Miss Midler gives it her own unique energy and style. For the part, she learned several songs that were representative of the hard rock of the late '60s as well as new numbers. Many of the songs were recorded at live concerts, utlizing authentic synthesizers and amplifiers from the period.

Just as much as the pulsating music, the movie stands as a collection of splashy scenes that capture various petals of Rose: her outrageousness as she races through the Luxor Bath House shocking the half-naked men in frenzied pursuit of her boyfriend; sincerity with which she compliments a popular singer, only to be devastated by his cruel remarks; and compassion when she responds to a lesbian she once loved.

"The Rose" is a rough and unrelenting film, but so is the life of its doomed heroine. If you like Bette Midler, "The Rose" is a must. Here is a bravura performance.

Rated Adult more for language than sex