A Star Is Born

1954 • 175 minutes

About this movie

A Star is Born marked Judy Garland's return to movies after a four-year absence, director George Cukor's first musical and first color film, and a showcase for great Harold Arden/Ira Gershwin songs in state-of-the-art stereo. One of the most beloved show-business stories of all time, it represents a career peak for many involved. Garland is singer Esther Blodgett, an undeniable talent on the rise. She catches the eye of Norman Maine (James Mason), an alcoholic actor in career decline. Their intense love transforms them both. Only one will survive Hollywood's slings and arrows. Shortened in response to exhibitor complaints after its premiers, the movie underwent one rebirth in 1983 when film historian Ronald Haver found almost all the cut sequences and supervised a reconstruction to near its original length. Its new rebirth is this breathtaking digital surround stereo track and incorporating picture and musical material recently found in the vaults.

Ratings and reviews

Doesn't play consistently well. This video continues to freeze up and fails. I never had this problem before with any other film that I rented. Other than that, this was the first time I saw this Judy Garland films. I must say that it was worth seeing her brilliant face and hearing her beautiful voice. Otherwise, the script was not that great and it needed a lot of editing all in all, I would recommend seeing this film. Thank you,.

Garland as amazing as ever. Her blood and sweat seeps through the production with her breakthrough performance, fantastic music, and the beautiful love-driven storyline that breaks your heart.

Something that a lot of people do on realize about this movie is that Judy had more control in making this movie than any other film she had ever made during her lifetime, much of the money for the production of this movie was Garland's personal money. Judy should have won the Academy Award for "A Star Is Born" in 1954, but after having burned too many bridges it only took a few in Hollywood to ensure she did not win. As Groucho Marx said in a telegram to Judy, "The greatest robbery since The Brinks Robbery of 1950."