Review of A Star Is Born (1954) by Matt H — 18 Aug 2013

Possibly the most adapted storyline. An older male celebrity is on his way down the ladder of popularity as a younger woman he helps discover is on her way up to success. I've seen the version from the 30's with Fredric March and Janet Gaynor as well.

Here Cukor shows the absolute circus that Hollywood can be with epic Technicolor CinemaScope. The shots do not always warrant this wide aspect ratio. Often James Mason and Judy Garland, especially Garland, are the only people filling the audience's vision.

Also many of the songs do not further the plot. The Born in a Trunk semi-autobiographical number in which Garland flashes back over her journey to stardom looked like it was trying to recapture Gene Kelly's ballet dream sequence in Singin' in the Rain.

The song that Garland performs solo for Mason in their mansion is quite entertaining. And I love Judy Garland's rendition of the Arlen and Gershwin song The Man That Got Away. As is intended in the plot, Mason's character Norman Maine is so impressed with this "jam session" performance that he decides right then to help make Garland's character Esther Blodgett a star.

This theme song is repeated many times to great effect. And three alternative takes are offered in the special features. Early in the movie there are some scenes that were edited out for a re-release and then lost.

The DVD I watched advertised being the restored version. The audio of a couple scenes of dialog was restored, but most of the video must still not be available, so sepia toned production stills fill the gaps.

Charles Bickford is the studio head Oliver Niles, who figures prominently in the main characters' lives. Jack Carson is Mr. Libby from the publicity department. It is here that Esther becomes Vicki Lester, but Norman helps her keep her own look.

There are some tender moments, but Norman's alcoholism is obviously destructive. Norman and Vicki's relationship appears to psychologically be built on a bit of sadomasochism. There are a few scenes that seem to get offtrack acting-wise, since Garland and Mason have to hold so much of the film on their shoulders, but the majority of it shows them as extremely talented mature actors.