Mark Rydell

The Rose

The Rose

Bette Midler exploded onto the screen with her take-no-prisoners performance in this quintessential film about fame and addiction from director Mark Rydell. Midler is the rock-and-roll singer Mary Rose Foster (known as the Rose to her legions of fans), whose romantic relationships and mental health are continuously imperiled by the demands of life on the road. Incisively scripted and beautifully shot—by Vilmos Zsigmond, with assistance on the dazzling concert scenes by a host of other world-class cinematographers, including Conrad L. Hall, László Kovács, Owen Roizman, and Haskell Wexler—this is a sensitively drawn and emotionally overwhelming melodrama that made the popular singer into a movie star as well.

Film Info

  • United States
  • 1979
  • 134 minutes
  • Color
  • 1.85:1
  • English
  • Spine #757

Director-Approved Special Edition Features

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Vilmos Zsigmond, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD master audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • Audio commentary featuring director Mark Rydell
  • New interview with actor Bette Midler
  • New conversation between Rydell and film historian and filmmaker Charles Dennis
  • New conversation between Zsigmond and cinematographer John Bailey
  • Archival interviews with Midler and Rydell, with on-set footage
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Paula Mejia

    Original typography on cover by Erik Marinovich

Purchase Options

Director-Approved Special Edition Features

  • New 4K digital restoration, supervised by director of photography Vilmos Zsigmond, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD master audio soundtrack on the Blu-ray
  • Audio commentary featuring director Mark Rydell
  • New interview with actor Bette Midler
  • New conversation between Rydell and film historian and filmmaker Charles Dennis
  • New conversation between Zsigmond and cinematographer John Bailey
  • Archival interviews with Midler and Rydell, with on-set footage
  • English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
  • PLUS: An essay by critic Paula Mejia

    Original typography on cover by Erik Marinovich
The Rose
Cast
Bette Midler
Rose
Alan Bates
Rudge
Frederic Forrest
Dyer
Harry Dean Stanton
Billy Ray
Barry Primus
Dennis
David Keith
Mal
Sandra McCabe
Sarah
Will Hare
Mr. Leonard
Rudy Bond
Monty
Don Calfa
Don Frank
James Keane
Dealer
Doris Roberts
Rose’s mother
Sandy Ward
Rose’s father
Michael Greer
Emcee
Claude Sacha
Female impersonators
Michael St. Laurent
Sylvester
Pearl Heart
Credits
Director
Mark Rydell
Produced by
Marvin Worth
Produced by
Aaron Russo
Screenplay
Bill Kerby
Screenplay
Bo Goldman
Story
Bill Kerby
Cinematography
Vilmos Zsigmond
Production design
Richard MacDonald
Executive producer
Tony Ray
Music arranged and supervised by
Paul A. Rothchild
Costumes designed by
Theoni V. Aldredge
Film editor
Robert L. Wolfe
Unit production manager
Ira Loonstein
Assistant director
Larry Franco
Second assistant director
Chris Soldo
Casting
Lynn Stalmaster & Associates
Second unit director
Barry Primus
Coeditor
C. Timothy O’Meara
Choreographer
Toni Basil
Still man
Peter Sorel
Additional concert photography
Bob Byrne
Additional concert photography
Conrad Hall
Additional concert photography
Jan Kiesser
Additional concert photography
László Kovács
Additional concert photography
Steve Lydecker
Additional concert photography
Michael Margolies
Additional concert photography
David Myers
Additional concert photography
Owen Roizman
Additional concert photography
Haskell Wexler

Current

Bette Midler on The Rose
Bette Midler on The Rose
We were thrilled to sit down with the iconic Bette Midler about her dazzling breakthrough performance as a Janis Joplin–esque rock star at the end of her rope in The Rose, a wild, energetic turn that was the result of intensive training and rehears…
Three Reasons: The Rose
Three Reasons: The Rose
Those are our three reasons. What are yours?
The Rose: High Tragedy on Tour
The Rose: High Tragedy on Tour

A music star burns brightly and flames out beautifully in Mark Rydell’s visceral rock-and-roll film, starring a sensational Bette Midler.

By Paula Mejia

Remembering Vilmos Zsigmond, Master of Light and Dark
Remembering Vilmos Zsigmond, Master of Light and Dark

In honor of the great cinematographer, our technical director shares some memories of encountering the man and his work.

By Lee Kline