I recently saw A Star Is Born (2018) and for the most part enjoyed it. I never seen any other version until the newest one, and I knew there was another version but wondered if it was the same thing or this was something different. I come to realize there are actually four versions of A Star is Born (five if you count the 1910 film). So I decided to watch the other three to see how different they were from each other and why this film keeps being remade. So I thought I would share my observations and thoughts with you.
Overall, every movie told the same story, however, with minor differences that did not affect the outcome of the story. Each film dealt with a big star who had an alcohol problem and finds a woman, plucks her out of obscurity and into the limelight. The falling star becomes jealous of her rising fame, but she is undying in her love until his tragic end.
1937 - It was Norman Maine and Vicky Lester (stage name Esther Victoria). 1954 - It Norman Maine and Vicky Lester. 1976 - It was John Norman Howard and Esther Hoffman. In 2018 - It was Jack Maine and just Ally. So there is some thread in keeping the name Norman Maine in there, even if not overtly in the latter two films. Ally is the only real deviation from all of the names.
Only the 1937 film did not feature a singer, rather a movie star, while 1954, 1979 and 2018 dealt with singing. The 1954 version had a movie celebrity (James Mason) finding a singer (Judy Garland). While the later 2 versions were all about a singer discovering a singer. Barbara Streisand sang in her style that made her famous as did Lady Gaga, while Kris Kristofferson and Bradley Cooper both sported beards and sang a type of country. Cooper having a heavier edge to his music. Judy Garland was more theatrical with musical numbers. Frederic Marc and James Mason were the clean-shaven well-to-do type of men as famous actors.
They all seemed to have gotten married in a hurry and the female's flight to stardom happened sooner than you realize.
Kris Kristofferson's version was the only guy who cheated on his wife. But Streisand seemed to forgive him soon after. All the others remained loyal.
Each film culminated at the Oscars or Grammys where, while the women were receiving awards, their husbands showed up drunk and made a scene. The scenes became progressively disastrous in each film through the years. Frederic March's drunk was a bit "spitty" in his dialogue, but more angry than drunk. In the midst of his diatribe, he flails his arms and accidentally slaps his wife in the face. James Mason, equally angry and more disheveled, comes off a bit more poised in his speech. It's hard to conceive James Mason with his proper British English as someone who would slur his words and bash the language. Similarly, he swings his arms and slaps his wife in the face. Kris Kristofferson's drunk portrayal was similar in his stance, a trip up the stairs, but minus the slap in the face. Here we have the injection of some expletives and more angry at his peers, while the other two pleaded to their peers for work. Bradley Cooper was perhaps the most extreme example as he included pills with his drinking, amplifying the awkwardness when he pissed his pants on stage. While all of the men were dealing with the egos, Kristofferson and Cooper seemed to project their worth onto their peers while March and Mason felt defeated.
The suicide is in all of them. The first two ends in a drowning. Supposedly the story came from a real-life incident of a falling star who discovers an actress, and while she becomes famous, he becomes bitter because he could not successfully transition into the talkies. This led him to go swim in the ocean and drown himself. The James Mason version also ends in this manner, feeling rejected by society, he decides his own life is less important than his Vicky's life and take a swim in the ocean. Shot for shot, the 1937 and 1954 version shows a setting sun and he takes his robe off and lays them down on the sand and rocks. We see him swim out and pans to the water washing over the robe. Fade to large headline on the newspaper about his suicide. In 1976 they decided to amp it up a little by giving more time for the audience to prepare for what to come. A long scene driving in the desert in his Corvette until eventually, we discover he crashed somehow. And then in 2018, that might be too over the top where a hanging might be more appropriate for the time period. All the movies seem to be as subtle as possible without actually depicting it.
Each film also has an aftermath of how Esther/Vicky/Ally handles it. Both Vicky's of the 1937 and 1954 version realizes she needs to move on as well, but by calling herself after her husbands' name to honor who most people have forgotten and gets a round of applause. "I am Mrs. Norman Maine." FADE OUT. The 1976 Esther is announced as "Esther Hoffman Howard", now taking her late husbands last name, and then proceeds with a finale and ending on an action still, as seemed popular way to end films in the 70's. In 2018, Ally approaches the stage and says "Hello, I'm Ally Maine". Followed by a few words and then a song.
Only the original version runs less than 2 hours, while the remaining run between two hours and 15 minutes or longer. The Judy Garland version created an alternate version which included scenes originally cut. While they had the original soundtrack, the actual film was missing. So in place, they used stills with the dialogue running over it.
In sum, I am not sure why this story keeps being revitalized. It is more of a character study than a timeless theme, as far as I can tell. I enjoyed the 1937 version better than I expected as it stripped the glitz and glamour that the singing versions bring to the table, and focused more on the dynamics of the falling and rising stars. As it is older, the acting is more stagey and the storytelling more pronounced, but it had an authenticity to it. Innocence, perhaps. The latest version was easy to watch. Its slick, polished, vibrant, full of color and wonderful modern music that is easy to digest. But I am not sure its the superior version either. Lady Gaga needed help with acting through some of the editing, but it seemed overshadowed by her singing. Streisand sings very well, as she always has, but I really am not a fan of her style of singing and this movie didn't change my mind either. Judy Garland is more musical numbers than stage performance, which was fine for what it was, but it did not stand out for me as anything special. So for me, I enjoyed the straight forward version from 1937. The Barbara Streisand version probably stands as my least favorite.
Why does this film keep getting remade and not Casablanca or Gone With the Wind? Is it permissible because we want to see different stars fail and succeed in the same storyline? Whereas Casablanca is too perfect, caught in time, and to change it would taint the history that it's caught up in? Today's films are all throwaways only to be remade a few years later (see Spider-Man, see Superman, see Batman), while certain films have been hermetically sealed by public devotion keeping it integral. Has home video made filmmaking a disposable commodity?
A Star Is Born (if I am correct) is the film with the most remakes of an original story made for film. Only the original won an Academy for Best Screenplay. The 1954 version, while highly rated, was nominated for 6 awards and did not win any. The 1976 version won for Best Song (Evergreen) and was nominated for 3 other awards. While the 2018 release is nominated for 8 categories. We shall see if it reigns as the best of the best.
Submitted January 24, 2019 at 10:50AM by mywordswillgowithyou http://bit.ly/2CEoVm9