Stometer Save your money for something good and enjoyable

Claire Dunne One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

Quiet Muffin This movie tries so hard to be funny, yet it falls flat every time. Just another example of recycled ideas repackaged with women in an attempt to appeal to a certain audience.

Zlatica One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

mmallon4 It's hard to believe a mainstream film made as late as 1954 has strands of lost footage, yet that is the case with A Star Is Born. The inserts of production photographs over the surviving audio track in the restored version is a mildly irritating, so I can just hope and wait that an uncut version of the film will surface one day.A Star is Born is the ultimate showcase for the incomparable talent that is Judy Garland. The film's title couldn't be more apt as this is the role she was born to play in the film her career had been building up to. Every song to come out of her mouth is sang with such emotional intensity, and with this being as much a drama as it is a musical, Garland acts her little heart like never before with her monologue at the end of film always leaves me stunned. Her performance is surely contributed by the movie very evidently tapping into Garland's own past insecurities; such as the scene with Esther and the makeup department men.As much as A Star Is Born is Garland's big moment in the sun, it is also one of the high points of James Mason's career in a performance which is nothing short of magnificent (thanks in part to that heavenly voice of his). The character of Norman Maine is right out of a classic tragedy; a man who has accepted his doom rather than fighting against it. He is a tragic figure wearing a mask while joking and makes light about his failing career and his dependence on alcohol. His only remaining hope is that his name will continue to be remembered through the success of his wife's career (a career from a star which he created) if he dies he will continue to exist through his wife. George Cukor had tackled this material before, first in What Price Hollywood? (1932) and later in Dinner at Eight (1933) in which John Barrymore played the alcoholic, washed up actor Larry Renault. Like Norman Maine, Renault succumbs to the bottle, although has a demise without any optimistic ending that Norman Maine has. The other real standout member of the cast is Jack Carson as Matt Libby the publicity department executive. Carson often played roles such as PR agents but it's not hard to see why as the man has the born look of a con man.There is real movie magic within the structure as well as individual moments throughout of A Star Is Born. The entire first act for example takes place over the course of one night and within this single portion of the film we have a whole gauntlet of human emotion (fear, uncertainty, pity, joy, optimism). That scene in which Norman meets Esther for the first time and writes on the wall with lipstick has so much more poignancy when watching the film again.With The Man That Got Away number, the song itself is amazing but the setting really sells it; a band playing in the early hours of the morning in a club after it's closed, with the chairs on the table and the lights dimmed, just playing in order to unwind. Not to mention Garland's vocals, just incredible. Likewise the scene in which Norman tells Esther to stay behind and start a Hollywood career to a backdrop of city lights - you can feel the world on her shoulder. There is also the publicity department sequence in which Esther is thrown from person to person only to literally end up where she started at the beginning of the scene. I can't quite put my finger on it but I do smell a metaphor here. For the final portion of the film it goes right into classic melodrama territory, taking place in a home by the sea with the sound of crashing waves and hard winds.It's impressive considering this was George Cukor's first film in widescreen, his first film in colour plus his first musical, yet watching the film you would he was already a long established master of these forms in a movie littered with eye pleasing compositions and a three hour run time which feels shorter than it is. A Star Is Born is a great movie to have playing in the background to enhance of the atmosphere of the room or just listen to the highly lush film score; I can happily listen to orchestral variations of The Man that Got Away over and over again. Likewise the film's use of locations in L.A. as well as the Warner Bros studio makes the film a time capsule of Hollywood circa 1954.Like Singin' in the Rain, A Star Is Born is a movie which satirises Hollywood with its exposure of the actions of publicity departments and the lengths they go to in order to retain their public relations, however at the same time it is a movie which celebrates Hollywood; an ideal balance between celebration and self- deprecation. A Star Is Born is an ecstasy explosion of old Hollywood glamour; a world of spotlights, big bands, big costumes, high end nightclubs, back stage drama and the extravagance that comes with it. Likewise the number Born in a Trunk is Warner's attempt to create the type of impressionistic ballet sequence which MGM had perfected - and they certainly succeed, with movies like this it's hard to look away from the screen.

gavin6942 A film star (James Mason) helps a young singer and actress (Judy Garland) find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career on a downward spiral.Judy Garland is known fora couple things. Being the star of "Wizard of Oz". Having a singing and acting career marred by drug problems. And being the mother of Liza Minnelli. This film sort of takes place in that second of three things. While not about the addictions she herself had, it definitely gives her a chance to shine.James Mason has an incredible voice. Eddie Izzard knows that, and so does anyone who sees this movie. It may be a showcase for Garland, but he steals plenty of scenes with that voice alone.

Jeffrey Donahue Taken as a whole, this film is definitely not the classic that it is reputed to be. On the plus side, James Mason gives what may be the finest performance of his career, and that makes this film watchable. He effortlessly succeeds as a movie star playing a movie star, which is considerably more difficult than one might expect. If you don't believe me, watch Jack Palance play a movie star in The Big Knife. The story of A Star Is Born is excellent, although clumsily executed. The Technicolor cinematography is good, and Jean Louis does his usual excellent job of costume design. Judy Garland gives a fine performance and shows herself to be a strong singer, which leads us to the minus side. Judy does her best with the songs but the music score is flat, to put it mildly. There is no Rogers and Hammerstein or Andrew Lloyd Webber quality material here. The Roger Edens and Conrad Sallinger score for Meet Me in St. Louis completely blows the score for A Star Is Born away. If you enjoy hearing Judy sing, watch Meet Me in St. Louis or The Harvey Girls as those films showcases what she can do with good material. The other major defect of this film is poor artistic design. Being a big Hitchcock fan myself, I appreciate good sets and this film does not have them. The weak music score and poor sets for a musical are most likely the result of this film having been made at Warner Bros. instead of MGM. Warner simply did not have the right mix of talent necessary to do musicals; another excellent example of a Warner musical flop is Night and Day, where even Cole Porter songs can't save it. Warner could not pull off making a musical any more than MGM could ever pull off making a film noir. A Star is Born is still watchable. James Mason saw to that, but Judy Garland's performance is wasted by having forced her to sing poor music.

Dave from Ottawa This was an attempt to restore this classic musical romance to its full almost 3 hour length. Unfortunately the 'restored' bits are often still photos taken from the production photo library, with the restored dialogue track playing behind them. Better than nothing, it at least gives the viewer a glimpse of what the total package once contained; a more complete restoration would certainly have been preferable. That said, this is Judy Garland's last great screen musical performance - before pills and stage fright made her too unreliable to center a film around - and it is a wonderful showcase for one of the Hollywood Musical genre's greatest talents. As an actress she had few peers and as a singer none, and this film and especially its staged production numbers create a permanent record of this. Recommended for any fan of the musical genre and essential for any fan of Judy's. Oh and James Mason was in it too...