Well, guess what? They made it better.
If you’re not familiar with the story, as I wasn’t, it surrounds the relationship of an alcoholic actor named Norman Maine (James Mason) who is helped by a struggling singer named Esther (Judy Garland). Maine is so grateful for the help Esther gave him so he could avoid making a fool of himself on stage during a live broadcast that he helps Esther out by getting her start in Hollywood. Of course, Esther is a hit with the good folks at one of the more popular studios that she climbs her way quickly up the ladder and into stardom. Both her and Norman peak their careers at the same time and then begin to slowly move in different directions. In love, and soon manrried, Norman finds his career tumbling out of control thanks to his drinking problem, while Esther finds her career staying at the top. Regretfully, something must give.
I have seen so many early Hollywood films, which made me assume that I’ve seen this formula before. Most films of this era tend to avoid serious subjects and end in some sort of gleeful conclusion. A Star is Born is quite different from most films of its era.
The story features one of the more accurate portrayal of 50s Hollywood than any movie of its decade. Actors/actresses with contracts and dedicated only to one film study is but a mere shadow to where things are nowadays. The grueling process in which Hollywood takes an actor in and the cruelty it uses to spit them back out is frightfully accurate in this fast-moving tale of two Hollywood stars. I couldn’t take my eyes off the screen because of what it was showing.
With that type of set up, it was important for the actors to be right and the choice of James Mason and Judy Garland couldn’t have been more perfect. Garland’s cute personality and energetic body certainly screamed newcomer; even if she was trying to save her career. She took the role of Esther and performed one of the greater feats that I’ve seen in film history; she owned it. She embodied a fresh face in Hollywood and literally played it like she knew it was her last chance to succeed, even if her character was acting like it was her first. She took Esther/Vicki and made them into budding stars. She smiled when she needed to, sang perfectly when she had to and cried when it was most appropriate. By the end of the film you just wanted to hug her character and let her know it was all going to be okay.
James Mason was equally as impressive as Norman Maine. He played an aging actor that knew his days were numbered. I’ve never seen Mason play such a diverse amount of roles through one character. In fact, I’ve never seen Mason smile with joy prior to this movie. He really knew what he wanted from Norman Maine and he established Maine’s demons from the very beginning of the film until the very end. The ending is one of the most emotionally charged endings I’ve seen in a film in some time. The way she sings as he is deciding his own fate (yet not speaking a word) is one of the most brilliant moments I’ve had the pleasure of witnessing in all the films I’ve reviewed for this site. Mason was the perfect choice for Norman Maine and he proved why over and over again.
As epic as I’m making the story and stars, there was a really odd part of the film.
This movie, while certainly long for a 1954 film, would have been better had it kept its original cut. What I find intriguing about the film is that because WB cut 30 minutes out of it they had to replace the lost footage (yes, they lost footage) with still shots of the scenes that should be there and a voice over attached. I couldn’t imagine how much better it would have been had the scenes been found and inserted, but I’m sure it would have been just as good (if not better). It was certainly the oddest part of the film that was never happened again, but it did add a bit of unique personality to the entire thing. Again, it was still odd.
Anyway, the entire film is the pinnacle of how a film should be put together and done. Bright lights, big sets, actors, directors, publicists; they’re all part of the story that makes this movie work beautifully and tragically.
You certainly don’t need my stamp of approval to watch this film, but let me give you what counts in this review; the Blu-ray.
The Blu-ray version of A Star is Born is the best Blu-ray I’ve seen in the last year; possibly ever. They’ve taken worn out 1954 footage and brought it back to life in the most stunning of fashion. When you see the first part of the movie when folks are driving up to get out for the Night of Stars celebration, you’ll be floored to how good the movie looks in HD. I personally couldn’t believe that Warner Home Video had successfully brought the life and color of this 1954 film to a new level. It’s like you’re actually there with the stars at this nighttime celebration. The picture looked so darn good that you could have sworn it was shot in 2009 (you couldn’t make a movie of that size at this point in 2010 — not enough time). For example, when the radio announcer is sitting on the red carpet introducing the actors getting out of their cars, you can see the details of the actors/actresses clothes, faces and even down to their shoes. You get zero grain in the shot and you’ll be wowed instantly.
I’ve never seen a film that is this old and this beautiful.
Only rivaling that is the audio portion of the film that was cleaned up and remastered for the Blu-ray format. Ray Heindorf’s epic soundtrack really shines in DTS-HD 5.1. Not to mention the musical numbers that Garland puts on sounds positively breathtaking. Warner Home Video did a fantastic job with this portion of the Blu-ray.
Now, if I had to be disappointed at anything it would be the features. It’s not disappointing with what features you get it’s just that none of them were upgraded to HD. I know it’s picky, but it would have made my day to see some of these features cleaned up and brought back to beautiful HD life. For example, the Jack L. Warner movie announcement in HD would have been something else, but it was still neat to see in SD.
Though not in HD, the features still provide you with loads of information about the movie. This includes deleted scenes, alternate scenes, newsreels, special effects takes, outtakes, premieres and a Bugs Bunny cartoon. The features are entertaining despite the lack of high-def.
Finally, like many cool releases in the last year or so, Warner Home Video has included a really informative booklet that turns the Blu-ray into a hardback case. It’s got some gorgeous pics and loads of press quotes from the original release. It also has some interesting facts about the film and its stars. I love the booklets and I hope WB continues to do them.
