Synopsis
The Rose (1979) is a raw music drama you can watch online on iFILM. Bette Midler makes her screen debut as a rock singer coming apart at the end of an endless late-'60s tour.
On stage she owns the crowd. Off it she's running on booze, pills and no sleep, while her manager (Alan Bates) treats her mostly as a revenue stream. A drifting army deserter named Dyer (Frederic Forrest) offers her something like love, but it isn't enough to slow the crash. The character is loosely modeled on Janis Joplin, with names and details reworked.
Rydell stays locked on Midler's face, and her concert numbers were sung live on set. The performance pulled two Oscar nominations and turned a stage star into a movie one. Harry Dean Stanton drops by in support. Stream The Rose online on iFILM.
Starring
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