A Star Is Born

1954 • 175 minutes
4.3
99 reviews
98%
Tomatometer
PG
Rating
Eligible
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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.
Rating
PG

Ratings and reviews

4.3
99 reviews
Veil Haven
December 8, 2013
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."
37 people found this review helpful
Stephen Jacewicz
February 4, 2021
A Star well already was born but more so with Garland in this. This version is a fantastical, glamorous look into Hollywood and what it can cause sometimes. and it is fascinating to see it back in the day. The Oscar scene is just great and the sad scenes later are great. The Court scene is amazing. In some ways this was better then the 2018 one though I love that one too and hey this is a 50s film after all. A true stunner.
David S. Cohen
December 26, 2019
MY EXPERIENCE of this film has been ongoing for most of my movie-watching life: I am not sure when I first saw it nor how many times nor if I've seen it in a theater in a fully satisfying way nor just how and through what modality of life experience I understood it initially or have continued to unpack its insights, its brilliance and its wisdom, yes, its wisdom. It remains for me still the GREATEST version of the four standing as the ASTARISBORN pillar of the genre: Movies about making Movies!