{"id":20285,"date":"2011-10-31T10:49:33","date_gmt":"2011-10-31T17:49:33","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20285"},"modified":"2022-02-21T15:08:06","modified_gmt":"2022-02-21T22:08:06","slug":"star-is-born-a-1954","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20285","title":{"rendered":"Star is Born, A (1954)"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><strong>&#8220;He saw something in me nobody else ever did. He made me see it, too. He made me believe it!&#8221;<\/strong><\/p>\n<table>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p><a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Poster2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Poster2-158x300.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"158\" height=\"300\" class=\"alignleft size-medium wp-image-20308\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Poster2-158x300.png 158w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Poster2-67x128.png 67w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 158px) 100vw, 158px\" \/><\/a><\/p>\n<p><strong>Synopsis:<\/strong><br \/>\nAn alcoholic movie star (James Mason) falls in love with an aspiring singer (Judy Garland) and helps her break through in Hollywood &#8212; but his own success is quickly fading, and soon they find their marriage and loyalty tested.\n<\/p>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<tr>\n<td>\n<p>\n<strong>Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors:<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Alcoholism and Drug Addiction<\/li>\n<li>Aspiring Stars<\/li>\n<li>Charles Bickford Films<\/li>\n<li>George Cukor Films<\/li>\n<li>Hollywood<\/li>\n<li>Jack Carson Films<\/li>\n<li>James Mason Films<\/li>\n<li>Judy Garland Films<\/li>\n<li>Musicals<\/li>\n<li>Rise-and-Fall<\/li>\n<li>Romance<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Response to Peary\u2019s Review: <\/strong><br \/>\nPeary begins his review of this &#8220;gracefully directed epic remake of <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=36052\">the 1937 classic<\/a>&#8221; by citing its infamous <a href=\"http:\/\/www.thejudyroom.com\/asib\/restoration.html\">1983 restoration by Ron Haver<\/a>, pointing out that &#8220;as a result we can discover one of the fifties&#8217; finest films&#8221;. The remainder of his review focuses primarily on the unique relation between Garland&#8217;s &#8220;small-time band singer Esther Blodgett&#8221; and James Mason&#8217;s &#8220;fading actor Norman Maine, who sees her sing and detects <em>greatness<\/em>.&#8221; Indeed, while its storyline is firmly rooted within Hollywood &#8212; and doesn&#8217;t flinch from presenting the seamier sides of the town&#8217;s questionable glory &#8212; it is the central romance between Blodgett and Maine that trumps all else. As Peary notes, &#8220;What makes this film so special and so timely is how mutually supportive Vicki [nee Esther] and Norman are: their initial excitement about and respect for each other never fades away&#8221;, even when you&#8217;d most expect Norman to become incurably jealous of his wife. Miraculously, &#8220;he never feels spiteful about her success, even when feeling self-pity&#8221;; meanwhile, &#8220;she recognizes that her success is due to him&#8230; and won&#8217;t desert him when everyone else has&#8221;. It&#8217;s a refreshingly heartwarming romance, yet one which never descends into undue sentimentality. <\/p>\n<p><em>A Star is Born<\/em> benefits from masterful direction by George Cukor, impressive early use of the Cinemascope process, vibrant cinematography and art direction, and a top-notch, &#8220;cynical yet compassionate you-and-me-against-the-world (Hollywood) script&#8221; by Moss Hart &#8212; yet it is the &#8220;wonderful, deeply affecting performances&#8221; by Garland and Mason that I believe are ultimately responsible for making this film such a timeless classic. Garland&#8217;s performance is the one that generally receives the most attention, for multiple reasons: it was her &#8220;come-back&#8221; role several years after leaving MGM, and her presumed victory in the Oscars race was trumped by Grace Kelly&#8217;s unmerited win for <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20275\"><em>The Country Girl<\/em><\/a>. Garland is indeed marvelous here; as noted by Peary in his <em>Alternate Oscars<\/em> (where he instantly hands her the award she so clearly deserved), she gives &#8220;the finest performance&#8221; in her career, playing a woman with &#8220;amazing depth, wit, resilience, [and] graciousness&#8221;. While &#8220;Garland always played nice girls&#8221;, he argues that &#8220;this was the first time [her] character&#8217;s goodness comes from the soul&#8221;, and notes that &#8220;Esther-Vicki is Garland&#8217;s most mature character and the one who has the most passion&#8221;. In addition, he points out that &#8220;playing Esther-Vicki let Garland demonstrate her remarkable musical versatility&#8221;; while &#8220;we are <em>told<\/em> Janet Gaynor&#8217;s Esther-Vicki has talent in the 1937 film, Garland proves her star talent&#8221;. <\/p>\n<p>However, Mason&#8217;s performance is equally impressive &#8212; and if it weren&#8217;t for Marlon Brando&#8217;s astonishing turn as Terry Malloy in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=2971\"><em>On the Waterfront<\/em><\/a> (another of my all-time favorite films), I would argue that Mason equally deserved top recognition at the Oscars that year. Not a single moment of his performance here is anything less than nuanced and revelatory; the fact that he emerges as one of cinema&#8217;s most sympathetic has-beens is especially astonishing after watching his cringe-worthy entrance on the screen during the film&#8217;s opening sequence, when he and Garland &#8220;meet cute&#8221; (if you could dare to call it that). One fully expects this man to be someone Garland should stay miles and miles away from; therefore, his emergence as a man truly dedicated to his wife&#8217;s success, despite his own significant career challenges, is a pleasantly unexpected development. From his refreshingly authentic reaction to the egregious &#8220;transformation&#8221; attempted on Esther-Vicki by the studios, to the final heartbreaking scene in their beachside bungalow (watch his expression as he overhears Garland talking with studio head Charles Bickford), this is a man worthy of so much more respect than his insidious disease allowed him to maintain. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Redeeming Qualities and Moments: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Judy Garland as Esther Blodgett\/Vicki Lester<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Garland.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Garland.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20289\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Garland.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Garland-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Garland-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>James Mason as Norman Maine<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Mason2.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Mason2.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20290\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Mason2.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Mason2-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Mason2-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Esther singing &#8220;The Man that Got Away&#8221;<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Man-Who-Got-Away.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Man-Who-Got-Away.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20293\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Man-Who-Got-Away.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Man-Who-Got-Away-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Man-Who-Got-Away-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Masterful use of Cinemascope<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinemascope.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinemascope.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20292\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinemascope.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinemascope-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinemascope-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Innovative cinematography<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinematography.png\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinematography.png\" alt=\"\" width=\"853\" height=\"480\" class=\"alignnone size-full wp-image-20291\" srcset=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinematography.png 853w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinematography-128x72.png 128w, https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-content\/uploads\/2011\/10\/Star-is-Born-Cinematography-300x168.png 300w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 853px) 100vw, 853px\" \/><\/a><\/li>\n<li>Moss Hart&#8217;s screenplay<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><strong>Must See? <\/strong><br \/>\nAbsolutely; this one is a gem on multiple levels. <\/p>\n<p><strong>Categories<\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Genuine Classic<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p> (<span style=\"color:red;font-weight:bold;\">Listed in <a href=\"http:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/wp-static\/1001Movies.htm\"><em>1001 Movies You Must See Before You Die<\/em><\/a><\/span>) <\/p>\n<p><strong>Links: <\/strong><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.imdb.com\/title\/tt0047522\/\">IMDb entry<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/1954\/10\/12\/archives\/the-screen-a-star-is-born-bows-judy-garland-james-mason-in-top.html\">NY Times Original Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.dvdtalk.com\/reviews\/42556\/star-is-born-a\/\">DVD Talk Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.digitallyobsessed.com\/displaylegacy.php?ID=4716\">Digitally Obsessed Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"http:\/\/www.filmsite.org\/stari.html\">FilmSite Review<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.tcm.com\/tcmdb\/title\/12836\/a-star-is-born#articles-reviews\">TCM Articles<\/a><\/li>\n<li><a href=\"https:\/\/www.timeout.com\/movies\/a-star-is-born-4\">Time Out Capsule Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>&#8220;He saw something in me nobody else ever did. He made me see it, too. He made me believe it!&#8221; Synopsis: An alcoholic movie star (James Mason) falls in love with an aspiring singer (Judy Garland) and helps her break through in Hollywood &#8212; but his own success is quickly fading, and soon they find their marriage and loyalty tested. Genres, Themes, Actors, and Directors: Alcoholism and Drug Addiction Aspiring Stars Charles Bickford Films George Cukor Films Hollywood Jack Carson&#8230;<\/p>\n<p class=\"read-more\"><a class=\"btn btn-default\" href=\"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/?p=20285\"> Read More<span class=\"screen-reader-text\">  Read More<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[3],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-20285","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-responses-to-peary"],"aioseo_notices":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20285","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=20285"}],"version-history":[{"count":21,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20285\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":81516,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/20285\/revisions\/81516"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=20285"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=20285"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/filmfanatic.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=20285"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}