A Star Is Born
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Movie Reviews of A Star Is Born
Movie Review: A Great Classic Restored On DVD
Summary: 5 Stars
Many films have a convoluted history, but few so much as A STAR IS BORN. The basic story of a famous Hollywood alcoholic who promotes the career of an unknown--only to see her star rise as his falls--was based on the lives of a number of silent-era figures and first filmed in 1932 as WHAT PRICE HOLLYWOOD? After a number of plot changes, the story reemerged in 1937 as A STAR IS BORN starring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March. Then, in the 1940s, A STAR IS BORN was recycled into a radio play--and the leading lady was Judy Garland.
Garland's private life was difficult, and in 1950 she made a highly publicized suicide attempt. When she proved unable to recover herself quickly, she was fired by MGM amid much negative publicity, and it was assumed her career was over. But within a few years Garland reemerged as a powerful concert performer, and momentum began to build toward a screen comeback. Garland, who recalled her radio presentation with fondness, suggested A STAR IS BORN.
The production was plagued with problems. A number of leading actors turned down the male lead before James Mason accepted. A considerable portion of the film was shot when Warner Brothers decided to present it in Cinemascope, and this entailed scrapping all previous footage reshooting from scratch. Garland herself proved typically highstrung, and her temperament led to numerous delays. The budget ran out of control, and by the time A STAR IS BORN arrived on the screen it had become the single most expensive film made up to that time.
The film's opening seemed to justify all the difficulty and expense. Critics were positive and the public was eager. But Warner Brothers remained concerned about the film's length--and although director George Cukor offered to recut the film gratis, the studio hacked it apart. It was soon apparent that critics and audiences alike were considerably less enthusiastic about the edited version, and the film ended its theatrical release with a whimper.
During the decades that followed the film gained a reputation as a mutilated masterpiece. A lackluster 1970s remake fueled interest in a restoration, but the missing footage could not be relocated. In 1983, however, the full, unedited soundtrack and many of the missing scenes were rediscovered. In working with the film, conservators pioneered the use of still photography to fill in the still-missing scenes, a technique that would be used to restore such classics as GREED, METROPOLIS, and LOST HORIZON. And upon release, A STAR IS BORN was once again hailed as a masterpiece.
Stylistically, A STAR IS BORN is an aggressive film filled with bright colors, bombastic music, and larger than life performances. As such, it seems typical of "blockbuster" films of the 1950s and 1960s. But A STAR IS BORN uses this "bigness" to a considerably different end than its counterparts: rather than containing garish display for its own sake, it contains it for thematic purpose.
The theme developed by writer Moss Hart and director Cukor (who considered this his masterpiece) is one of the various levels of artificiality intrinsic to show business, and differences between degrees of artificiality are carefully drawn in scene after scene. The audience enjoys a show--never knowing that the star is blind drunk. The set crew prepares to film an upbeat musical number--never aware that the leading lady is having hysterics in her dressing room. A wife watches a private screening of a film--not realizing that her husband is being quietly fired in an adjoining room.
The performances that drive A STAR IS BORN are perfectly in line with the film's juxtaposition of reality and artifice. Garland offers a justly famous bravado performance in broad strokes and with an undercurrent of artifice that becomes increasingly noticeable as the film builds, underscoring her gradual immersion in and consumption by the film industry. Mason, in equally brilliant fashion, contrasts her with a performance that becomes painfully realistic as the film progresses. The dissonance created is quite startling: it is easy to see why the two characters attract each other, but it is also easy to forecast how they will self-destruct.
Although musical numbers abound, A STAR IS BORN is not typical of the genre, for the music does not form the primary structure of the film. Still, like most other elements in the film, the songs feed into the film's themes--and always in the most ironic way possible. Near the film's conclusion, Maine ask Vicki to sing for him while he, unbeknownst to her, prepares for suicide. The song she sings is "A New World." And indeed after Maine's death it will be all of that, a world in which unreality will go unchecked and Vicki will win applause by introducing herself as "Mrs. Norman Maine," turning her private grief into box office salvation.
A STAR IS BORN is profoundly bitter film that for all its brashness operates in a remarkably subtle way to make a very dark statement about Hollywood fame: the entertainment we enjoy on screen is an illusion with a price, and that price is a confusion of reality and fantasy played out with stakes of life and death. The DVD offers the film in its restored state, in Cinemascope, and with television broadcast footage of the Los Angeles premiere. If you're serious about film, this is a must-own, must-see.
--GFT (Amazon.com Reviewer)--
Movie Review: The Man That Got Away - Named Oscar
Summary: 5 Stars
The concept is not new, a movie about movie making. But the creative force behind has never been stronger. Judy Garland had wanted to make a remake of the Janet Gaynor - Frederick March film when she was at MGM but Louis B did not think that it would be right for her. But new hubby Sid Luft thought otherwise and brought together an A list talent pool from director George Cukor to song writers Harold Arlen (of Oz fame) and Ira Gershwin to playwright Moss Hart (of Kaufman and Hart).
The DVD presents the restored version of the movie. Theater owners complained about the length and the film was shortened. This was the first film to have film historians restore a film. The original soundtrack was found but not the original negative. Some scenes had been discovered, a few scenes used stock footage from the movie and the remaining production stills are used.
The story remains basically the same. Ester Blodget (Judy) is a singer with a big band. They are performing at a big Hollywood benefit when a drunken movie star, Norman Maine (James Mason) interrupts. This doesn't phase Ester, she immediately incorporates him into the number as if it were planned. Even drunk, Norman knows what Ester did and thanks her, in an over the top way.
Norman goes home and is put to bed. He has an early location shoot for three months. He wakes up in the middle of the night and goes to the Coconut Grove looking for Ester but the band has finished their engagement. Norman finds out that they sometimes go to a small club to jam after hours. He tracks her down there as she performs "The Man That Got Away". He knows star quality when he sees it and she has it. The band is going on the road the next day but Norman convinces Ethel to stay behind. Unfortunately, he has forgotten about his location shoot.
Ester waits for the missing Norman but her funds run out and she seeks employment anywhere. Eventually, Norman finds the near destitute Ester and arranges her screen test. (The screen test scene is actually based on Judy's MGM screen test.) Ester is put under contract but her name is now Vicki Lester. But Vicki's career is going nowhere to Norman's dismay so when the opportunity arises he arranges for the film head to hear Vicki. He takes a chance on Vicki.
Vicki's film premieres (Born in a Trunk - the best mega production number ever filmed). It is an overnight hit. Vicki will be a major star. Norman proposes to Vicki and they elope.
Everything is going perfectly. The only problem is that the studio cannot afford Norman's antics anymore and refuses to renew his contract. Norman decides to clean up his act but he cannot accept Vicki being the bread winner.
This is probably Judy's best performance and is her only Best Actress Oscar nomination. (I feel she should have won but understand when you take Grace Kelly's three films - The Country Girl, Rear Window and Dial M for Murder - why she won over Judy.) James Mason is most identified with this film and his great performance (True cinephiles will say Lolita but the average filmgoer probably has never seen the film). Ira Gershwin is best known as his big brother George's lyricist. But these are some of his most popular songs and have been recorded by many major artists.
This is not a film to be watched but to be experienced.
DVD EXTRAS on Side B:
Backstage Judy Garland Outtakes -
The Man Who Got Away: This had three alternate takes (17 minutes) - some of which were abandoned because they were Cinemascope takes. This is unquestionably the key song of the film and it is interesting to see other interpretations of this classic. Each has a introduction that talks about the scene.
When My Sugar Walks Down the Street: This was filmed as part of The Born in a Trunk sequence but not used. (1 minute).
Backstage Documentaries -
Hollywood Premiere Newsreel: 1 minute news reel of the opening arrivals.
Pantages Premiere TV Special: 30 minute premiere coverage shown on television. Up to the 1970's local television stations would carry the star arrivals at the opening of movies. In essence, these are the original infomercials. This is a great way to see what movie premieres used to be like. Major movies used to be premiered at a limited number of theaters for up to a month then released nationwide. This was the first volley in publicizing an opening of the film.
Cocoanut Grove Premiere Party: 5 minute feature of the opening party probably to be used in a WB newsreel.
1954 WB Exhibitor's Reel: 6 minute excerpt from a larger promotional movie made by WB. Some footage used was not used in the film. The film has degenerated but still is viewable.
Backstage Audio Outtakes: Two audio only outtakes.
Movie Review: A Review Of The Film; not a history lesson
Summary: 5 Stars
"A Star Is Born" is a collaboration of the work of the best that stage and screen had to offer in 1954. The book, created by the historic Moss Hart, had been adapted from several areas and a plot that could easily have begun it's life as the very first subtle, feminist plot. The score was written by none other than legenday Harold Arlen ("The Wizard of Oz," to name just one) and Ira Gershwin ("Porgy and Bess," to name just one). George Chuckor,a director from whose 66 film credits can be extracted "Gone With The Wind", "My Fair Lady, "Let's Make Love" and "The Philadelphia Story". James Mason ("North By Northwest") and Judy Garland ("The Wizard of Oz"), carried the leads in this film about a famous movie actor who "discovers" a talented woman playing B clubs and places her in the right auditions and screen tests so that her own remarkable talent can jetisons her to a Superstar and he feels as though he's becomes the kept, has-been husband who is driven, in this case, to suicide. This film was expertly produced by Syd Luft, a man of extremed talent who spent most of his adult life managing and producing the Superstar Judy Garland than creating films. Instead he created events. Producing Judy Garland was bigger than producing a motion picture. Even alone in 1954.
This is Garlands finest work as it offers not just a full evening of remarkable acting, dramatic honesty, comic timing and the ability to step back when it's called for, but because it allows us to watch a triple threat-the quintessential triple threat is forever memorized on screen. Where Garland's acting in "Judgement at Nuremberg" (1961) was equal to this-including her ability to do character acting and a dialect but she was a supporting player on the screen with Sencer Tracy, Marlene Dietrich, Maximillian Schell, Montgomery Clift, Richard Widmark, Burt Lancaster and (are you ready?) William Shatner. This was crated, says Nobel winner writer Abby Mann, as an ensemble piece, and Garland's performance hovers above the rest, despite her short screen time.
Still, "A Star Is Born" is a remarkable example of what happens when you take the finest people alive and put them all onto the same project. The famous "Born in a Trunk" sequence which is taught in musical theatre programs all around the world was treated almost as a seperate film unto itself. The film is top notch. The predecessors are trendy and therefore cause you to chuckle; the Streisand version from the 70's hasn't the support talent that this one has (nor, truth be told, the skill of Garland) though it does have Streisnad's ability to sing and act and for that it's worth a look-later on- but Cuckor's "A Star Is Born" is the last film musical to create the sort of public stir that the next Star Wars Feature Film does today, with people lining up months in advance for tickets and scalpers selling tickets on eBay for promotional viewings at a cost that could dent the Federal deficit.
Now if all of the name dropping I've done in this film hasn't done much for you, allow me to suggest this: Purchase the film, see it and get three hundred and forty-seven birds with one stone. For if you don't know Arlen, Gershwin, Luft or Cukor then this is a good way to learn them. And if you don't know Tommy Noonan or Dorthy Parker this isn't a bad way to be introduced. If you don't know Judy Garland you can't be introduced any better, but you must be careful not to lose the keys to your Time Machine, because there's no one on earth who hasn't known of Judy Garland since 1939 when she won a special juvenile oscar for "The Wizard of Oz"
Garland won an Oscar nomination for this film as well as "Judgement at Nuremberg" "Oz" didn't win much other than best musical score (Harold Arlen) Best Special Effects and Costumes-all of the rest going to MGM'S other big film that year, "Gone With The Wind."
This film, a solid sixty years plus old now, makes absolutely anyone's top 25 list. I think it's time you saw why. And if the plot doesn't seem likely? Well come on: get real.
Movie Review: 50 years after its premiere, still the BEST version of STAR
Summary: 5 Stars
A STAR IS BORN had its world premiere just over 50 years ago on September 29, 1954. The 181 film opened in a road-show engagement that was greeted with audience cheers and critical raves. Not technically a "musical" as all of the songs are "performance" songs rather than plot songs, but featuring a full score written (mostly) by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin.
The film was designed as a starring vehicle for Judy Garland. Garland's last film was SUMMER STOCK for M-g-M in 1950 and it had not been a big success. Her studio fired her. She divorced Vincente Minnelli. She went through a series of personal and professonal problems including suicide attempts, comebacks, and tabloid headlines. By the time A STAR IS BORN began filming she was a 30-year old has-been and about to score one of her biggest screen triumphs. Still, the execs at Warner Brothers were nervous. And they were not to be proven wrong: Day after day with the high priced help waiting on the set, Judy sulked in her dressing room.
And yet, the final result was worth it! For if Judy was feeling insecure during the production, she did her absolute best once the cameras were rolling, belting out songs that were like nothing M-g-M had ever given her. And this is not to take anything away from her co-stars: James Mason, Charles Bickford, Jack Carson and especially Tommy Noonan as her friend and confidante. This was a major release in the fall of 1954. It had prestige.
It also had exhibitors complaining about the length and when the grosses dipped the second week Warner Bros panicked. A decision was made to cut 27 minutes from all subsequent prints. The exisiting 181 minute prints played out their engagements, then were sent to the studio to be edited to conform to the "new" version. Not one single complete print was kept!
In 1982, Ron Haver undertook a massive reconstruction. He had the complete audio sountrack, the two missing musical numbers and some of the footage for a 9 1/2 minute dramatic sequence in the first half of the film. Using stills to cover the missing shots, for about 3 1/2 minutes, he re-assembled the film as close as possible to what had been seen at the premiere. The film was re-released in the summer of 1983 to great acclaim and it is that version presented on this DVD.
The restored sequences are as follows:
From 40:11 to 50:50 - a series of scenes detailing Norman's being sent off on location while Esther toils at a variety of acting and singing jobs. They reunite, and he makes good on his promise to get her a screen test. Of this sequence, approximately 2/3 uses stock footage and alternate takes and the remainder ...about 3 minutes ... is covered by stills.
From 1:07:01 to 1:0817 - a short scene showing Norman and Ester driving to the premiere of Esther's first film. For a short segment of dialogue no footage survived and stills are used for approximately 30 seconds.
From 1:27:42 - 1:32:40 - a soundtsgae sequence showing Esther recording the song "Here's What I'm here For" is restored complete.
From 2:09:30 to 2:13:53 - A musical seuqence with Esther on the set filming "Lose That Long face" is restored complete.
From 2:18:10 to 2:18:52 - following Esther's dramatic dressing room scene with studio boss Charles Bickford, she returns to the set to do one more partial take of "Lose That Long Face." Ths sequence is restored complete.
The source for this DVD is a beautiful pristine print with gorgeous technicolor. The stereo sound is good, though showing some deterioration. The bonus material is fascnating: alternate takes of "The Man That Got Away"; coverage of the film's premiere; some audio segments that were slightly abreviated for the restoration; and one short musical sequences that was deleted from the "Born in a Trunk" montage.
We can hold out hope that someday a complete print may surface, but meanwhile Haver's restoration remains compelling viewing from start to finish.
Movie Review: A heartrending film--and the greatest robbery since Brinks!
Summary: 5 Stars
"(That was) the greatest robbery since Brinks" said Groucho Marx upon Judy Garland's losing the Oscar for "A Star Is Born" to Grace Kelly. Politics always exists; and this time it exerted a cruel influence. Judy Garland deserved the Oscar for Best Actress in this film.
Of course, everyone pretty much knows the plot by now; either they've heard of it before they got to this web page or they read Amazon's comments about what Amazon calls this "essential video." Judy plays Esther Blodgett, a band singer whose career soars into superstardom when he meets and falls in love with Hollywood mogul Norman Maine, played brilliantly by James Mason. There are some ups and downs along the way, however. (In case you don't know the whole plot, I won't spoil it for you here!)
The film is primarily a vehicle to showcase Judy's talents. She doesn't fail to disappoint! My eyes were glued to her the entire time she was on screen; her acting, singing and dancing were beyond remarkable. She belts out classic Garland numbers such as "Swanee," "Born In A Trunk," and "The Man That Got Away." This last song is arguably one of the best Garland signature songs ever along with "Over The Rainbow" from a film a few of you may have heard of! GRIN
The love affair between Esther and Norman is well played out: indeed, the acting of all the performers is entirely convincing and made me wish for more high quality films to be put out today!
The plot bravely tackles the problems of the Hollywood life: careers going up and down, lives sometimes destroyed in the process. I agree with the reviewer that the "performance within a performance" is fascinating: we see Esther showcase and spoof the 1950s type musical in the scene where she shows Norman the "big" musical number ("Somewhere There's) A Someone At Last" at the studio.
The color and sound are quite good for the time. I agree with the reviewer who writes that 1950s color was not up to today's state of the art. Nevertheless, it is quite impressive. The sound was excellent; the quality of the sound in the restored scenes is usually rather good but not quite as good. The stills used in the restored scenes are not the best but they represent a terrific accomplishment. This movie never should have been cut just for the sake of the almighty dollar. No wonder Judy and director George Cukor were so infuriated they vowed never to watch the film again!
In addition, Garland fans one may note that Judy's real life personality is perhaps best described as a blend of Norman's addictive behavior and Esther's incredible talent and resiliency. I also agree with the reviewer who writes that the plot is based at least in part on the marriage of Frank Fay and Barbara Stanwyck. Good historical reference, sir!
The DVD comes with wonderful extras: an elaborate commercial for "A Star Is Born" with Warner himself as host; scenes from the supper party Warner gave after the movie premiere; Hollywood stars arriving for the premiere; and three different filmed versions of Judy singing "The Man That Got Away" are just some of them! The movie comes in widescreen which helps to replicate the exact experience the audience had the night of the film's premiere (shortly before it was cut by Warner's so movie theaters could show it one extra time per evening).
In short, if you love musicals, Judy Garland, James Mason, or just plain top notch quality film in general, you simply can't miss this movie on DVD! It is truly one of the greatest movies of the twentieth century starring one of the greatest entertainers America has ever been blessed enough to have: Judy Garland!