A Star is Born (1937/1954/1976/2018)
A STAR IS BORN(U)
D: William A. Wellman
United Artists/Selznick International (David O. Selznick)
US 1937
111 mins
Drama/Romance
W: William A. Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker & Alan Campbell
DP: W. Howard Greene
Ed: James E. Newcom & Anson Stevenson
Mus: Max Steiner
Janet Gaynor (Esther Hoffman / Vicki Lester), Fredric March (Norman Maine), Adolphe Menjou (Oliver Niles), May Robson (Grandmother Lettie), Andy Levine (Danny McGuire), Lionel Stander (Matt Libby)
The original 1937 version of A Star Is Born was the first all-colour motion picture to be nominated for a Best Picture Oscar, which should tell you all you need to know about its age.
It's said that every generation has its own version of A Star Is Born, and the plot has seen a remake in the 1950's (with Judy Garland & James Mason), the 1970's (with Barbra Streisand & Kris Kristofferson) and in 2018 (starring Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper). Of course, there was also the 1932 film What Price Hollywood?, which is a variation on the same plot, but this film is not a remake of that and was considered an Original Story when it was nominated for and won this category at the 1938 Oscars.
Though later versions were set within the music industry, the original film was a love letter to Hollywood, starring Janet Gaynor as young ingenue Esther Hoffman, who comes to Tinseltown with dreams of being a star and becomes enamoured by Norman Maine, the studio's number one star, although his addiction to alcohol and reputation for this begin to hinder his success.
Launched onto the big screen as Vicki Lester, the young actress becomes an overnight sensation and when her stardom begins to eclipse Maine's, it puts strain on their relationship.
Though this version is now considered dated compared to later versions, the fundamental part of the plot still has a lot of gas, making it understandable why it has had so many remakes, even reworked in films like The Artist (qv). Even so, for 1937 it was a landmark movie, winning a special award at the Oscars for its technicolor cinematography, as well as using some interesting artistic flourishes with its direction and editing (one scene which comes to mind is a billboard transitioning from Maine's name in lights to Lester's).
Due to issues with copyright, it's difficult to find good quality unedited versions of the film now, but if you can catch it, it makes a worthwhile watch for film enthusiasts, although general audiences will have their own version of the film, possibly depending on which one they saw first.
7/10
A STAR IS BORN(U)
D: George Cukor
Warner Bros/Transcona (Sidney Luft)
US 1954
176 mins (original version: 182 mins / edited version: 152 mins)
Musical / Romance
W: Moss Hart [based on the 1937 screenplay by William A. Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker & Alan Campbell]
DP: Sam Leavitt
Ed: Folmar Blangsted
Mus: Ray Heindorf
PD: Gene Allen
Cos: Jean Louis & Mary Ann Nyberg
Judy Garland (Esther Blodgett / Vicki Lester), James Mason (Norman Maine), Jack Carson (Matt Libby), Charles Bickford (Oliver Niles), Tommy Noonan (Danny McGuire)
Regarded the classic version of A Star Is Born, the 1954 remake is unfortunately not possible to view as it was originally envisaged by director George Cukor.
Released in its 182 minute entirety, studio heads at Warner Bros. trimmed the running time (without Cukor's permission) by half-an-hour and destroyed the negative(!). A 176 minute version is available on DVD, with a complete soundtrack, but many scenes have been reconstructed with production stills. Most of the scenes which have been forever lost build up the relationship between the two lead characters and so have great importance to the narrative. Obviously studio heads thought the love story element was far less important than an extra screening at cinemas per day, proving that, for some, money is more important than romance. Sigh.
As for the film itself, it certainly is an improvement on the 1937 picture, modernising the same story (an ingenue becomes the new big star while a Hollywood legend succumbs to alcoholism) for the 1950's and tailoring it specifically for the amazing talents of Judy Garland, who really does shine in this. Taking on the Fredric March character Norman Maine in this remake is James Mason, who is also excellent as his character's trajectory is on opposite paths from Garland's Esther Blodgett / Vicki Lester.
The lead performances are absolutely fantastic, especially Garland's, whose defeat at the Academy Awards (to Grace Kelly in The Country Girl) is considered one of the biggest Oscar snubs of all time.
Whether or not this is the classic version of A Star Is Born is completely subjective (I'm actually incredibly fond of the 2018 version), but I could certainly concur that this is one of the classic musicals of all time. A tad overlong, yes, but studio heads 'fixing' that by destroying scenes should be considered an act of criminal negligence.
8/10
A STAR IS BORN (15)
D: Frank Pierson
Warner Bros/First Artists (Jon Peters)
USA 1976
140 mins
Drama/Musical
W: Frank Pierson, John Gregory Dunne & Joan Didion
DP: Robert Surtees
Ed: Peter Zinner
Mus: Roger Kellaway
Barbra Streisand (Esther Hoffman), Kris Kristofferson (John Norman Howard), Gary Busey (Bobbie Ritchie), Paul Mazursky (Brian Wexler), Joanne Linville (Freddie Lowenstein)
The third version of A Star Is Born was the first to transition the story from the world of Hollywood to the world of music, aside from this it's the same narrative as the 1937 and 1954 film.
Kris Kristofferson plays a troubled singer of a progressive rock band who suffers from alcoholism. He meets and falls in love with soul singer Esther Hoffman while on a drinking binge, the two get married and as she hits the top of the charts, he hits the bottom of a bottle.
They say each generation has its version of A Star Is Born, and though this may have whet the appetite of those who watched it during the 1970's, time hasn't been good to it and looking back on it with fresh eyes, it's quite easily the weakest of all the versions. It does have some good elements from a technical standpoint, but the screenplay is serviceable at best and the chemistry between the two leads simply isn't there. Overall, it just seems like an ego project for the main star who does an awful lot of showing off throughout, especially when she performs her easy listening dross during a rock concert and the crowd seem to be going wild for it...
Originally, the studio were pushing for Elvis Presley to be a co-star before Kristofferson landed the role. Personally, I would have preferred to see that bit of casting. This is pretty much just a Streisand vanity project, and it wouldn't have been if she was performing alongside The King.
6/10
A STAR IS BORN(15)
D: Bradley Cooper
Warner Bros/MGM/Live Nation (Bradley Cooper, Bill Gerber, Todd Phillips & Lynette Howell Taylor)
US 2018
135 mins
Drama/Musical
W: Eric Roth, Will Fetters & Bradley Cooper [based on the 1937 screenplay by William A. Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker & Alan Campbell]
DP: Matthew Libatique
Ed: Jay Cassidy
Mus: various
Lady Gaga (Ally Maine), Bradley Cooper (Jackson Maine), Sam Elliott(Bobby Maine), Dave Chappelle (Noodles), Andrew Dice Clay (Lorenzo), Rafi Gavron (Rez)
This is the fourth American version of A Star Is Born, following films in the 1930's (with Janet Gaynor), and more famously in the 1950's with Judy Garland & James Mason and 1970's with Barbra Streisand & Kris Kristofferson. If you include movies like What Price Hollywood?, The Artist and La La Land, it's the umpteenth remake of a similar plot thread. Despite all this, Bradley Cooper (making his directorial debut) does an excellent job bringing an age old story into the modern era.
Cooper also stars as Jackson Maine (from Norman Maine in the original film), a rock singer at the peak of his popularity, but heavily addicted to alcohol and drugs which are beginning to affect his performances. Craving a drink following one of his gigs, he stumbles into a gay cabaret bar as Ally (Lady Gaga) is performing. Impressed by her voice, humility and attitude, he insists that she attend his next concert, where he coerces into performing her song, which becomes a sensation and gains the attention of an avaricious manager who wants to make her the next big thing.
The price of fame is that Ally loses her own image to become a generic popstar whilst Jackson's career declines due to his addictions.
This is a remake which works. Mostly due to the incredibly effective on-screen chemistry between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and the soundtrack of original songs is easily the best you'll hear all year. From a filmmaking perspective, everything is done with the highest level of professionalism and it's clear to see that Bradley Cooper had a huge amount of devotion and dedication committed to making this his own. The cinematography, editing and sound design are all perfect, but the biggest stars are the actors themselves. Bradley Cooper channelling his talents to make a very convincing rockstar, while Lady Gaga was the only actress who could have possibly done justice to this role (unbelievable that the studio were almost insistent that Beyoncé star instead).
Very much amongst the best movies of 2018.
8/10
