Divine Madness (film)

Divine Madness
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Michael Ritchie
Produced by	Michael Ritchie
Written by	Jerry Blatt Bette Midler Bruce Vilanch
Starring	Bette Midler
Music by	Tom Jans
Cinematography	William A. Fraker
Studio	The Ladd Company
Distributed by	Warner Bros.
Release date(s)	Toronto Film Festival: September 13, 1980 United States: September 26, 1980 (limited) Finland: April 17, 1981
Running time	Theatrical cut: 94 minutes Home video: 87 minutes (Home Video Version)
Country	U.S.A.
Language	English

Divine Madness is a 1980 concert film directed by Michael Ritchie, and featuring Bette Midler during her 1979 concert at Pasadena's Civic Auditorium. The 94-minute film features Midler's stand-up comedy routines as well as 16 songs, including "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", "The E-Street Shuffle/Summer (The First Time)/"Leader of the Pack" and "The Rose".

Richie filmed four of Midler's concerts on the tour and cut them together to look like one. Divine Madness was released in 1980 to relative critical success. Chicago Sun-Times film critic Roger Ebert awarded the film three and a half stars, saying that the film's only weakness was that there was not "enough close-up shots of the audience". The tracks "Shiver Me Timbers" and "Rainbow Sleeve" were edited out of the Home Video Version. Divine Madness has been re-released on DVD but as yet only in the US.

Music

For further info see Divine Madness (Bette Midler album)

External links

• Divine Madness at the Internet Movie Database
• Divine Madness at AllRovi
• Divine Madness at Rotten Tomatoes
• Divine Madness at Box Office Mojo