A Star Is Born

This was the A STAR IS BORN I knew, released in 1976. It was the third of four (1937, 1954, 1976 and, now, 2018). I'm pretty sure I had the soundtrack on repeat, the songs still stir memories of my college years. Streisand vocals are spectacular. Kris Kristofferson was beautiful. This version made a complete contextual leap from Movie Star to Rock Star. It garnered 4 Oscar nominations, all for music and sound, and won for Best Song. Now, rewatching it, I see it had some rough spots, in terms of acting and writing, but I'll still go with a rating that harkens back to my first experience of it, making it a 7.5 (sweet good) out of 10. {Drama, Music, Romance}

Horrible remake of an A+ classic remake. The acting is bottom of the barrel, as well the direction and production values. Paul Williams' 'Evergreen,' now seriously dated, was best part of the film. Everyone involved has done better, but none have done worse. Rent the Judy Garland/James Mason version and see what quality movie making is all about.

"A Star Is Born" (1976) uses the same storyline of the previous versions, i.e., the story of the rise of a new star and the fall of the old one, who is her beloved alcoholic and drug addicted man that discovered and promoted her career. However, this 1976 version changes the story and both Esther Hoffman and John Norman Howard are singers. There are dated scenes in 2019 but it is still a great movie with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson showing excellent chemistry. The music score is magnificent for the fans of Barbra Streisand. My vote is seven.

Title (Brazil): "Nasce uma Estrela" ("A Star Is Born")

This is the best version of this story, no matter how many times it is made over. Save the best for last.

Transferred from the world of Hollywood to the world of rock music, this latest version of A Star Is Born lacks the glamor of the other two, mainly because the field is a less glamorous one. Nevertheless the role of Esther has attracted only the best of players, from Janet Gaynor to Judy Garland and now Barbra Streisand. That's a hat trick hard to beat in any field.

In the other two versions, Fredric March and then James Mason, are a pair of self destructive drunks who when we meet them are on the downward side of their careers and have only one ennobling virtue, their love for Gaynor/Garland. Kris Kristofferson however is a multi-substance abuser and because we're talking about the rock scene has the groupies attached to him. Unlike in the other two versions, Streisand catches him with one and the whole thing about the pure love loses its potency because of it. However the incident does set him up for his final moment of self destruction.

All the supporting characters from the other two versions are completely eliminated. Gary Busey has a nice role as Kristofferson's music arranger who fulfills many of the functions that eliminated characters from the other versions have. The rest of the film's supporting parts are very undefined which makes this version weaker than the others.

But for those who are interested in hearing Barbra sing, A Star Is Born will more than satisfy you. The film got an Oscar for the song Evergreen which Kristofferson and Streisand duet and it became one of her best selling records. Judy Garland was similarly served in her version with The Man That Got Away although that song was nominated and did not win.

A Star Is Born is an enduring tale and I don't think we've seen the last of it. May the next group of players do the story as much justice as the three pairs of co-stars I've cited.