Films, TV, and Theatre
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| Divine
Madness! (1980)
Entertainment Weekly
Amazon.com Editorial Review, Keith Simanton Audacious,
brazen, funny, and perhaps the unconscious inspiration for Madonna's shows, Divine
Madness Variety
Staff Yahoo,
Puh-Leeze!!!:-) Self-defined
diva Bette Midler performs her take on comedy and perverse pop music in this unforgettable
Bette Midler is almost at full throttle in this film record of the singer's sensational, perpetual motion stage show. For those who have been to the Moon and don't know, the divine Ms M on stage is a sort of non-stop Lenny Bruce, telling the foulest possible jokes in between singing soulful, but gutsy ballads. The woman is so outrageous you wonder what she can possibly do next. Then she does it... Far from her now-cosier film image, this is the real thing.
E-OnLine Bette
Midler gives a stunning performance before a sellout Pasadena crowd.
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And
now for the moment you've all been waiting for- Midler in that mermaid costume,
propelling around in a wheelchair, sprouting legs ("Wait'll Jerry Lewis hears
about this!"), and zipping offstage whilst belting out the last note of "My
Way." The rest of the time, her tiny high-heeled feet flit like hummingbird's
wings as she tells jokes and sings rock ballads. It's uneven. But it's a good
"Auld Lang Syne" to the '70s. B+ 
makes an absolute spectacle of itself. Bette Midler's raunchy, entertaining persona
is on high in this concert film filmed in Pasadena. Midler tells dirty jokes,
berates herself and the audience, and most of all belts out (some may say shrieks
out) covers of Bruce Springsteen and rock and swing classics. Somewhere between
"Everything's Comin' Up Roses" and "Vogue," Midler seems a
bridge between eras, that of burlesque, do-anything-to-please-'em showmanship
and shocking, pyrotechnic exhibitionism and aloofness. (A hint at just how old
this 1980 movie feels, Midler unabashedly makes a reference to Georgie Jessel!)
Directed by Michael Ritchie, whose Smile and The Bad New Bears were interesting
takes on America, Divine is also a slice of the American experience. It's dirty
enough to be fun and clean enough to stay just this side of bawdy. That used to
be a fine American tradition. Note: The songs "Shiver Me Timbers" and
"Rainbow Sleeve," which appeared in the theatrical release of this picture,
are not included in this DVD. That's a shame because with Midler, more is more.
After
years of honing her act in gay baths and on concert stages, Bette Midler in 1980
committed it to film in four days at the Pasadena, Calif, Civic Auditorium. 'Because
this is the time capsule version of my show,' she tells the aud, 'I might as well
do everything I know.' Well, she doesn't quite do everything but she does not
stint on energy and showmanship. 
concert
performance, filmed live at Pasadena's Civic Auditorium. Rotating between comic
monologues and energetic musical numbers, DIVINE MADNESS proves why Midler has
such a dedicated legion of fans. Vocal luminaries the Harlettes and Luther Vandross
appear to help out Midler, which makes for a far more soulful experience. The
film features 16 hit numbers, including "Leader of the Pack," "Big
Noise From Winnetka," "Paradise," "Shiver Me Timbers,"
"Fire Down Below," "Stay With Me," "My Mother’s Eyes,"
"Chapel of Love/Boogie Woogie Bugle Boy," "Do You Want to Dance,"
"You Can’t Always Get What You Want/I Shall Be Released," and many more.
A must-have for fans of the pop diva, DIVINE MADNESS is also a perfect introduction
to those unfamiliar with the entertainer’s staged performances. 
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