Stars: Judy Garland, James Mason, Charles Bickford, Jack Carson, Tom Noonan, Amanda Blake, Lucy Marlow

Director: George Cukor

Summary: A musical remake of the 1937 drama story of two people, one moving up, the other slipping down the ladder of showbiz success. Features the songs 'Born In A Trunk', 'Swanee' and 'The Man That Got Away'.

A STAR IS BORN was conceived as a comeback vehicle for Judy Garland, who gives a fascinating and heartrending performance in perhaps the finest work of her career. This film was director George Cukor's first musical and first color picture; the tale of a doomed Hollywood couple, it was a remake of the 1937 William Wellman movie with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. Garland plays young singer Esther, who saves Norman Maine (James Mason), a famous star, from making a fool of himself onstage. Maine is an alcoholic whose career is on the wane but who manages, nonetheless, to acknowledge Esther's talent and help her jump-start a career in Hollywood. But as her star rises and his declines, Maine's misery grows. Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin provided Garland with songs that would become standards in her concert repertoire, including "The Man That Got Away," which earned an Oscar nomination for Best Song.

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A musical remake of the classic 1937 film of the same name, A Star is Bornwas designed as Judy Garland's comeback vehicle after she had been cruelly axed by MGM studios for professional unreliability. Her erratic moods caused serious production delays this time around, too, but the behind-the-scenes turmoil was certainly worth it--Garland gives just about the greatest one-woman show in movie history. The story is the stuff of pure Hollywood legend. Aspiring actress-singer Esther Blodgett meets fading matinee idol Norman Maine (James Mason), who navigates her to stardom under the more melodious handle of Vickie Lester. As she rises meteorically, he declines into alcoholic self-pity--and the result, if you haven't guessed, is plenty of heartbreak. Mason lends subtle support in a role Cary Grant refused as too downbeat for his image, but Garland grabs centre stage with an all-out emotional performance that rivets the attention.

Director George Cukor was famous for coaxing the very best out of screen divas, and A Star is Bornmust be counted as his crowning achievement. The lush visual style that he contributes provides a suitable setting for Garland's deep, rich voice--throbbing with melancholy in the Harold Arlen-Ira Gershwin ballad "The Man That Got Away", then capering joyfully in the gargantuan musical number "Born in a Trunk". Moss Hart's script takes many cynical swipes at the pretensions of Tinsel Town--perhaps too many for the taste of studio boss Jack Warner, who ordered drastic cuts in the film after its premiere. --Peter Matthews

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Alternate Musical Numbers - 1. The Man Who Got Away (3 Versions), Deleted Musical Number - 1. When My Sugar Walks Down the Street, Additional Audio Material - 1. Charles Bickford Audio Outtakes, 2. James Mason Audio Outtakes, 3. Judy Garland Audio Outtakes, Ad
Year:	1954
Release Date:	March 31, 2003
Runtime:	169 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	D 201297
Keywords:	Music, Star, Born, Films, Box, Stills, Shows, Set, Deluxe, Cards, Performing, Musicals, Poster, Arts, Senitype, Lobby, Dvd, Senitype, Lobby Cards & Poster
Genre:	Music/Performing Arts