Star!
This is a movie based on the life of Gertrude Lawrence (Dame Julie Andrews), on and off-stage. It takes the opportunity to feature extravagant musical production numbers with Andrews acting, singing, and dancing.
The film underperformed commercially against its small-scale budget of $14.3M, earning $14.0M globally (-2% loss).
Plot Structure
Story beats plotted across runtime
Narrative Arc
Emotional journey through the story's key moments
Story Circle
Blueprint 15-beat structure
Arcplot Score Breakdown
Weighted: Precision (70%) + Arc (15%) + Theme (15%)
Star! (1968) demonstrates strategically placed story structure, characteristic of Robert Wise's storytelling approach. This structural analysis examines how the film's 15-point plot structure maps to proven narrative frameworks across 2 hours and 56 minutes. With an Arcplot score of 7.1, the film balances conventional beats with creative variation.
Characters
Cast & narrative archetypes
Gertrude Lawrence
Richard Aldrich
Noël Coward
Charles Fraser
Jack Roper
Rose
Main Cast & Characters
Gertrude Lawrence
Played by Julie Andrews
Ambitious British actress and music hall performer who rises from poverty to international stardom in theater and film.
Richard Aldrich
Played by Richard Crenna
American businessman and theatrical producer who becomes Gertrude's third husband and provides stability in her turbulent life.
Noël Coward
Played by Daniel Massey
Witty British playwright, composer, and Gertrude's longtime friend and creative collaborator who helps shape her career.
Charles Fraser
Played by Michael Craig
Gertrude's manager and close confidant who guides her career through its various ups and downs.
Jack Roper
Played by Robert Reed
Gertrude's first husband, a vaudeville performer whose relationship represents her early theatrical years.
Rose
Played by Beryl Reid
Gertrude's mother, a struggling music hall performer who instills ambition and showmanship in her daughter.
Structural Analysis
The Status Quo at 2 minutes (1% through the runtime) establishes Young Gertrude Lawrence performs in a shabby music hall in London, dreaming of stardom but stuck in poverty and obscurity, establishing her world of struggle and ambition.. The analysis reveals that this early placement immediately immerses viewers in the story world.
The inciting incident occurs at 22 minutes when Gertie gets her first real break—an opportunity to perform in a legitimate West End production, offering a pathway out of music halls and into serious theater.. At 13% through the film, this Disruption is delayed, allowing extended setup of the story world. This beat shifts the emotional landscape, launching the protagonist into the central conflict.
The First Threshold at 44 minutes marks the transition into Act II, occurring at 25% of the runtime. This shows the protagonist's commitment to Gertie makes the active choice to commit fully to her career, accepting a major role and adopting the stage name "Gertrude Lawrence," leaving behind her old life and identity., moving from reaction to action.
At 88 minutes, the Midpoint arrives at 50% of the runtime—precisely centered, creating perfect narrative symmetry. The analysis reveals that this crucial beat Gertie reaches the peak of her success, starring on Broadway and becoming an international sensation—a false victory, as her personal life crumbles beneath the glamorous surface., fundamentally raising what's at risk. The emotional intensity shifts, dividing the narrative into clear before-and-after phases.
The Collapse moment at 132 minutes (75% through) represents the emotional nadir. Here, Gertie faces bankruptcy and professional humiliation; her personal relationships are destroyed, and she confronts the emptiness of a life lived entirely for applause and public adoration., reveals the protagonist at their lowest point. This beat's placement in the final quarter sets up the climactic reversal.
The Second Threshold at 141 minutes initiates the final act resolution at 80% of the runtime. Gertie accepts a wartime entertainment tour, finding new purpose in performing for troops—not for glory, but to give something meaningful, reconnecting with the joy that first drew her to the stage., demonstrating the transformation achieved throughout the journey.
Emotional Journey
Star!'s emotional architecture traces a deliberate progression across 15 carefully calibrated beats.
Narrative Framework
This structural analysis employs a 15-point narrative structure framework that maps key story moments. By mapping Star! against these established plot points, we can identify how Robert Wise utilizes or subverts traditional narrative conventions. The plot point approach reveals not only adherence to structural principles but also creative choices that distinguish Star! within the biography genre.
Robert Wise's Structural Approach
Among the 6 Robert Wise films analyzed on Arcplot, the average structural score is 6.7, demonstrating varied approaches to story architecture. Star! represents one of the director's most structurally precise works. For comparative analysis, explore the complete Robert Wise filmography.
Comparative Analysis
Additional biography films include After Thomas, Taking Woodstock and The Fire Inside. For more Robert Wise analyses, see West Side Story, The Andromeda Strain and The Sand Pebbles.
Plot Points by Act
Act I
SetupStatus Quo
Young Gertrude Lawrence performs in a shabby music hall in London, dreaming of stardom but stuck in poverty and obscurity, establishing her world of struggle and ambition.
Theme
Gertie's father tells her that talent alone isn't enough—"You need luck and timing, and you have to want it more than anything"—foreshadowing the cost of fame.
Worldbuilding
Establishment of Gertie's early life in Edwardian London: her struggling performer parents, her determination to rise above poverty, and the vaudeville world she inhabits.
Disruption
Gertie gets her first real break—an opportunity to perform in a legitimate West End production, offering a pathway out of music halls and into serious theater.
Resistance
Gertie navigates her first professional opportunities, receives guidance from theatrical mentors, and debates whether to pursue fame at the cost of personal relationships and stability.
Act II
ConfrontationFirst Threshold
Gertie makes the active choice to commit fully to her career, accepting a major role and adopting the stage name "Gertrude Lawrence," leaving behind her old life and identity.
Mirror World
Gertie meets Noël Coward, who becomes her creative partner and closest friend, representing the authentic artistic connection she craves beyond mere fame.
Premise
Gertrude Lawrence's meteoric rise to stardom: glamorous performances, international acclaim, lavish parties, and the intoxicating promise of fame delivered in spectacular musical numbers.
Midpoint
Gertie reaches the peak of her success, starring on Broadway and becoming an international sensation—a false victory, as her personal life crumbles beneath the glamorous surface.
Opposition
The costs of fame mount: failed marriages, estrangement from her daughter, financial mismanagement, and growing isolation as Gertie realizes stardom has consumed everything else.
Collapse
Gertie faces bankruptcy and professional humiliation; her personal relationships are destroyed, and she confronts the emptiness of a life lived entirely for applause and public adoration.
Crisis
In her dark night of the soul, Gertie reflects on the sacrifices she's made, the people she's hurt, and questions whether the fame she fought so hard for was worth the price.
Act III
ResolutionSecond Threshold
Gertie accepts a wartime entertainment tour, finding new purpose in performing for troops—not for glory, but to give something meaningful, reconnecting with the joy that first drew her to the stage.
Synthesis
Gertie's final performances and reconciliation with her choices; she achieves a mature understanding of her legacy, balancing her artistry with acceptance of her flaws and losses.
Transformation
Gertie takes her final bow, no longer the desperate girl seeking validation but an artist who understands that her gift was both her salvation and her burden—fame achieved, but at great cost.