DIVINE MADNESS

US, 1980, 82 minutes, Colour.
Bette Midler.
Directed by Michael Ritchie.

Bette Midler is certainly a presence with star quality and versatility. In 1979 she made an impact in The Rose and received an Oscar nomination and won a Golden Globe Award. In The Rose she proved she could act. In this film of three live concerts (quite dynamically adapted for the screen and photographed by veteran William A. Fraker and recorded in Dolby Stereo ) she sings with a range from ballad to Andrews Sisters to rock. She is also a farceur, tells a story well, even if the stories are crude and she keeps highlighting this. This is especially true in her Sophie character. She mocks, sends up English royalty, Princess Grace and Princess Caroline, the Germans and topples over the borderline of offensiveness - but wards off much adverse criticism because she mocks herself as much as anybody.

She wanted this film to be something of a time capsule of her concert performances. Advertising says she is 'trash with flash' and this seems certainly true. She has more of this than divinity! Bette Midler certainly makes impact for her fans - others, no. She represents entertainment from the United States of the '70s - the verve, vitality, vulgarity, sheer impact on an audience as well as inviting them to participate. One could ask what she represented of the mood of America at the time. Her music range is quite strong. She is supported well by a seemingly unattractive looking group called the Harlettes. However, they are versatile entertainers with Bette Midler. The film was directed by Michael Ritchie - who made such very American razzamatazz films as The Candidate, Smile. He was also the director of Downhill Racer, Prime Cut, The Bad News Bears, The Island.