Description
Star 80 is a 1983 American biographical drama film written and directed by Bob Fosse. It was adapted from the Pulitzer Prize-winning Village Voice article "Death of a Playmate" by Teresa Carpenter and is based on Canadian Playboy model Dorothy Stratten, who was murdered by her husband Paul Snider in 1980. The film’s title is taken from one of Snider's vanity license plates. The film would also be Fosse's final film before his death in 1987.
The film stars Mariel Hemingway as Stratten and Eric Roberts as Snider, with supporting roles by Cliff Robertson, Carroll Baker, Roger Rees, Stuart Damon, Josh Mostel and David Clennon. The film chronicles Stratten's relationship with Snider, their move to Los Angeles, her success as a Playboy model, the dissolution of their relationship and her murder.
Star 80 was filmed on location in Vancouver, British Columbia and Los Angeles, California; the death scene was filmed in the same house in which the real murder-suicide took place. The film was released on November 10, 1983. It initially received mixed reviews from critics, although the performances of Hemingway and Roberts received critical acclaim. The film has been reappraised over the years and has been reviewed positively.
