Watch A Star Is Born by William Wellman
Good reasons to watch A Star Is Born
The first Technicolor movie to receive critical acclaim and box office success, A Star Is Born tells the story of a country girl who goes to Hollywood to become an actress. Working as a waitress, she soon meets famous actor Norman Maine, on a slippery slope to fight alcoholism…
Despite accusations of plagiarism from What price Hollywood? (1932), the movie was a box office hit and led to three musically-oriented remakes, in 1954 (with Judy Garland), 1976 (with Barbra Streisand) and 2018 (with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper) – it’s tough not to feeel déjà-vu when watching this version, though it is historically the first one! Gaynor’s acting is a bit weak, but Fredric Marsh’s acting, witty dialogues, and well-played supporting characters more than make up for it.
A tell of innocence and greed, fame or forgetfulness, success and failure, glamour and creepy, private and public life, this one of the first movies by Hollywood about Hollywood, and it paved the way for many other self-introspections into Hollywood’s dream factory. This first portrait of behing-the-scene Hollywood moviemaking sheds a witty light on what it costs to become a celebrity, in opposition to the gloss and glamour of most Hollywood movies of the time. The contrasting destinies of the two main characters give a great basis for a social satire of the movies milieu, and the multiple remakes attest to the strength of this narrative.
Finally, the movie has kept most of its freshness even after 80 years and its small flaws disappear behind the efficient direction and Marsh’s charismatic acting.
The Oscar that lead actress Janet Gaynor receives in A Star Is Born is actually the same that she received in real life as Best Actress at the first Academy Awards ceremony in 1928. Two years after playing in A Star Is Born, she turned down the role of Scarlett O’Hara in Gone with the Wind, as she wanted to retire from acting.
All You Need to Know about A Star Is Born
1937 - 1h 51m
Director William Wellman
Stars Janet Gaynor - Fredric March
What to drink You might want to go soft on the bottle for this one
