A Star Is Born on Blu-ray & DVD (1954)

A Star Is Born

1954

Overall rating: 3.5 out of 5

from 1455 members

The 1954 musical remake of A Star is Born could have been titled A Star is Reborn, in that it represented the triumphal return to the screen of Judy Garland after a four-year absence. The remake adheres closely to the plotline of the 1937 original: An alcoholic film star, on his last professional legs, gives a career boost to a unknown aspiring actress. The two marry, whereupon her fame and fortune rises while his spirals sharply downward. Unable to accept this, the male star crawls deeper into the bottle. The wife tearfully decides to give up her own career to care for her husband. To spare her this fate, the husband chivalrously commits suicide. His wife is inconsolable at first, but is urged to go on with the show in memory of her late husband. In the original, Janet Gaynor played Esther Blodgett, who with no training or contacts came to Hollywood hoping for stardom. The remake, scripted by Moss Hart, is a shade more realistic: Garland's Esther, though far removed from fame, is a working professional singer/dancer when first we meet her. Both Gaynor and Garland are transformed from Esther Blodgett to Vicki Lester after being screen-tested, though Gaynor goes on to star in fluffy costume dramas while Garland more logically headlines big-budget musicals. The 1937 Star is Born costarred Fredric March as Norman Maine, Esther/Vicki's sponsor-cum-spouse. March patterned his performance after the tragic John Barrymore, reining in his emotions in favor of pure technique; James Mason's interpretation is more original, more emotional, and far more effective (who can forget the scene where Norman sobbingly overhears Vicki planning to give up her career for his sake?) As the studio's long-suffering publicist, the 1937 version's Lionel Stander is more abrasive and unpleasant than the 1954 version's introspective, intellectual Jack Carson; on the other hand, Adolphe Menjou and Charles Bickford are fairly evenly matched in the role of the studio head. Several important omissions are made in the remake. The 1937 Star is Born included Esther's indomitable old grandma (May Robson), a helpful assistant director (Andy Devine) and a soft-hearted landlord (Edgar Kennedy); all three characters are missing from the 1954 version, though elements of each can be found in the best friend/severest critic character played by Tommy Noonan. Wisely, both versions end with the grieving Vicki Lester coming out of her shell at a public gathering, greeting the audience with a proud, defiant Good evening, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine. Though directors William Wellman (1937 version) and George Cukor (1954 version) handle this finale in their own distinctive manners, the end result is equally effective emotionally. What truly sets the 1954 A Star is Born apart from other films of its ilk is its magnificent musical score by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin. The songs include The Man Who Got Away (brilliantly performed by Garland in one long take, sans dubbing), It's a New World, Somewhere There's a Someone, I Was Born in a Trunk, Lose That Long Face and Gotta Have Me Go With You. When originally previewed in 1954, the film ran well over three hours, thanks to the lengthy-and thoroughly disposable-Born in a Trunk number, added to the film as an afterthought without the approval or participation of director George Cukor. The Warner Bros. executives trimmed the film to 154 minutes, eliminating three top-rank musical numbers and several crucial expository sequences (including Norman's proposal to Vicki). At the instigation of the late film historian Ronald Haver, the full version was painstakingly restored in 1983, with outtakes and still photos bridging the lost footage. Though nominated in several categories, A Star is Born was left empty-handed at Academy Award time, an oversight that caused outrage then and still rankles Judy Garland fans to this day (Footnote: Judy Garland had previously played Vicki Lester in a 1942 Lux Radio Theatre adaptation of the original A Star is Born).~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

A Star Is Born details

Formats:	U DVD, Blu-ray
Starring:	Tom Noonan, Judy Garland, James Mason, Charles Bickford, Jack Carson, Tommy Noonan, Amanda Blake, Lucy Marlow, Irving Bacon, Hazel Shermet
Director:	George Cukor
Genres:	Music/Musical - Plays/Performance, Romance - Drama
Studio:	WARNER HOME VIDEO

Name	Discs
A Star Is Born - Disc 1	TBC Disc 1
A Star Is Born - Disc 2	TBC Disc 2

DVD Information

Run time:	2 hours 49 minutes
Rental release:	10 Feb 2003
Main languages:	English

Name	Discs
A Star Is Born	U Feature

Blu-ray Information

Run time:	2 hours 48 minutes
Rental release:	To be confirmed
Main languages:	English

Write your own review

Most helpful review A Star Is Born

restoration is born..... questionably....

By a customer from Liverpool, UK , 22 Jul 2004

[Highly rated reviewer]

Restoration- a wonderful concept, but once put into practice on this film specifically, it turns what i am sure was once quite a beauty into a long, wordy, and drawn out piece of Cinemascope.

For example, putting a running soundtrack over stills in the middle of the movie may have seemed like a great idea to recapture some sort of 50's magic, but it doesnt do much for the flow of the movie. And after witnessing the restored footage , one can evidently see that the studio's cutting instincts were bang on the mark.

But dont get me wrong, the film itself falls quite wonderfully into the beauty of the period, and Garland gives a fine performance, and so does Mason- although maybe more sporadic.

I would recommend this movie to witness a piece of movie history, but, like history, it's not all a bed of roses.
- Was this review helpful to you?
- (8) Yes |
- No (1)
Report this review

All reviews

(19)

Sort by:

REALLY IT WAS JUST TOO LONG

By Burnhamite (379 reviews) from BURNHAM , 21 Mar 2013

A fairly decent movie as movies go, sadly it went on too long and as a musical it just failed to justify that title
- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (0)
Report this review
A Start is Born

By a customer , 02 Feb 2013

THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS Show review anywayHide

A great film but I don't understand why it comrpises two discs and delivered a week apart? We didn't bother to watch the second one as the disc itself it looked identical to the first one and thought the warehouse had made a mistake. After he dies there is little more story. Have we missed something?
- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (0)
Report this review
One of Judy's Most Devastatingly Touching Performances

By CarlHalling (12 reviews) from Greater London Urban Area , 03 Apr 2012

This is such an intensely moving story it's difficult to go wrong with it; and I love the 1937 version with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. But the beauty of the 1954 version is that it's a musical, featuring Judy Garland in one of her most beautifully touching roles as the eponymous star, Vicky Lester. And James Mason is also superb as the tormented fading actor Norman Maine, who discovers her. But this is Judy's film all the way; featuring as it does a rendition by her of 'The Man Who Got Away', which I personally consider to be one of the greatest vocal performances in the history of popular music. She doesn't just sing it, she enacts every note with an incredible musical and lyrical sensitivity...it's a devastating, heartrending testament to the seismic power of her emotional intensity. But that's Judy; and this is among her finest hours. It's a wonderful movie.
- Was this review helpful to you?
- (0) Yes |
- No (0)
Report this review
Great film, great story

By weekak (26 reviews) from Edinburgh , 07 Oct 2011

Great film, great story. Loved it. Judy Garland at her best. Loved all the singing the dancing. Great feel good film with the added drama and heart-felt emotion.
- Was this review helpful to you?
- (1) Yes |
- No (0)
Report this review
Strange edit spoiled enjoyment of a great movie

By gingerkaters (1 review) , 28 Sep 2011

The constant changing between video and stills was frustrating to watch, so I didn't bother and sent it back early! I wish I had read the reviews and hadn't put it on my list - such a shame! I didn't notice any indication of this when I was ordering it. Helpful to have it in a bigger, bolder font for people like me!
- Was this review helpful to you?
- (1) Yes |
- No (0)
Report this review