GLITTER
US, 2001, 104 minutes, Colour.
Mariah Carey, Max Beesley, Tia Texada, Ann Magnusson, Terrence Howard, Dorian Harewood, Eric Benet.
Directed by Vondie Curtis Hall.
Glitter is a star vehicle for singer, Mariah Carey. It is a variation A Star is Born, the story of the woman with talent, a capacity for singing, who makes it big in 1983 in the record industry as well as a sellout concert in Madison Square Garden. It is also the story of her mentor, Julian Dice, Max Beesley, who recognises her talent, promotes her, clashes with some of the record company executives, and his career starts to go down as hers goes up.
There is a subplot with Terrence Howard who has promoted the singer and has made a deal with Dice for money for him to promote her. It ends in violence.
Glitter received fairly universal negative critical response, as well as from the public. Mariah Carey continued her singing career and performed in some films, including a welfare officer in Precious.
1. Show business story? Critical response and public response? Negative?
2. The American setting, singers, clubs, opportunities, the 1980s, records, stardom? Personal lives?
3. The music, the songs, the performances, Mariah Carey?
4. The singer, with her daughter, performances, drink and drugs, the bond between mother and daughter, the daughter being taken away, in the institution, the mother’s disappearance? The later glimpse of her walking past her daughter? Dice finding her? The final reconciliation?
5. Billie in the institution, singing? Adult, the group, backup? Louise and Roxy as her friends, supporting her, singing, in difficult times? The characters, comic, bold, music, being fired, continuing on?
6. Tim, production, his girlfriend, the backup? Hearing Billy’s voice, building up her voice on the record? Dice, DJ, hearing Billy’s voice, following up, the bond between the two? His buying out her contract? Tim, still with his girlfriend, paying for studio time, wanting his money because of the deal? Dice bashing him? Tim shooting him?
7. Dice, personality, music, composition, production? His support of Billie? Waiting, testing out the offers? Richardson, at the club, his assistant? Going to the studio? The decision to promote Billie? The filming, the temperamental director, the sex emphasis, Billie, the four male dancers, Dice and his reaction against this? Billie not wanting to offend?
8. The publicity agent, enthusiasm, all the bookings, following through, her assistant?
9. Billie, her growing success, the single, its being played, Dice and all the radios in the taxis in the street, her friends listening?
10. The follow-up, wanting the dance track? Billie and her enjoying the stardom?
11. Dice, going down, his compositions, his playing, the team? His being in the background, the agent not contacting him? The party, his drinking, the clash with Billie, her walking out? His trying to compose, the music for her, her change of heart, going to the apartment, the lipstick on his manuscript, his seeing it? The bashing of Tim? In the street, his being shot?
12. Madison Square Garden, the anxiety, the news of Dice’s death, her talking to the crowd, keeping in touch, losing those loved, the success of her concert? And her going to find her mother?
