Official Synopsis
The fire of Barbra Streisand. The magnetism of Kris Kristofferson. The reckless world of big-time rock ‘n’ roll.
There’s nothing quite like a remake of a remake of a remake. A Star is Born has been done three times, once in 1937, 1954 and the latest was 1976. Each carries its own aurora of the time period and illuminates the motif of celebrities in each decade. The concept behind each movie is that a leading man, who is clearly on the way out, helps a young lady achieve her dreams before he fades into the background. I was fortunate enough to review the 1954 film starring James Mason and Judy Garland, which was a spectacular feat of brilliance, and a true classic.
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This time around, the 1976 version takes the concept found in the two previous iterations and adds a 70s flavor to it through the use of rock ‘n’ roll stars rather than a Hollywood backdrop. It’s nice to see that director Frank Pierson and writers William A. Wellman and Robert Carson, create this unique environment that matches that era perfectly. When the KISS’s of the world ruled the earth, and rock was on its way up, certainly spoke to this generation of movie goers. I know for a fact that my mother-in-law took to this movie like white on rice because it really spoke to her generation of rock ‘n’ roll driven malcontents (kidding, the 70s literally rocked). So, she’s definitely proof that this movie worked its magic in a new generation (well, new for that time period).
The addition of Kris Kristofferson as the lead certainly didn’t hurt the eyes of my mother-in-law (and pretty much every woman during that decade — to be fair, the man is good looking).
As with James Mason and Judy Garland, Kristofferson’s alcohol and drug driven John Norman Howard could not have been more opposite of his lead lady Esther Hoffman played by Barbra Streisand. The differences in personas, lives and principles makes the both characters intriguing. Much like Mason and Garland’s characters, John and Esther represent their respective generation perfectly. John is old, broken and a rebel until the end. Esther is a new person in the crazy world of music that needs guidance. John knows how damaging the ‘system’ is when it comes to the music world, which adds to the bitterness of his character, but also the compassion he shows towards Esther.
Both actors/characters do a great job of making their relationship (both business and personal) seem very real.
Having said that, the acting was a bit stiff in some areas. Mostly the interaction between Kristofferson and anyone not Barbra Streisand seemed a bit bland. Of course, Kristofferson has always had that ‘bland’ interaction about him in nearly every movie he has been in (see Blade for details). Maybe it makes him seem grounded, or maybe it’s an attempt to seem larger than life. Regardless, it certainly stands out as ‘bland’ in comparison to Streisand’s moments. Streisand was leaps and bounds more talented in the acting field than Kristofferson in this film, but you didn’t need much from Kristofferson to portray him as an absolute badass rock ‘n’ roll figure. This man was born with the most badassness in his DNA.
Now, in comparison to the 1954 film by the same name, this 1976 version can’t compete. I commend the production for trying to take a different route, but the 1954 version just comes off a bit more smoothly in terms of story flow. Considering that the movie was about actors in Hollywood, you can rightfully say it wasn’t a fair comparison. Actors know Hollywood and how it works, so it wasn’t like Mason and Garland were extensively researching the field in preparation for the roles; they lived the field. The 1976 A Star is Born seems to jump off that ledge of ‘easy’ and tries to change and challenge the story with a different backdrop entirely. While the flow of the story might not have been as cohesive as the 1954 and 1937 versions, it does take a chance to bring something entirely different. For that I give it the most props that I can.
Overall, if you liked the original films and you want to see a different take on the story then you might find some great things with this version of A Star is Born. If nothing else, go watch it for the awesome musical numbers.
Shifting gears, let’s discuss the Blu-ray. I think that 80 percent of this film looks spectacular. You’ll especially see some sharp, clean and crisp video when you get to the concert scenes (especially the second concert that is outside during the day). It looks so tastefully clear that you’ll swear it was done recent. Lots of colors stand out in the HD transfer, such as the reds, blues, yellows and browns (you have to love that 70s palette). The night scenes have no color banding whatsoever. Compliments aside, there are moments where you’ll see a lot of graininess in the shots that couldn’t be cleaned up through the medium upgrade. One shot in particular stands out, when John and Esther are traveling to John’s ‘ranch’, you’ll see the shots turn from gorgeous to grainy quickly. It’s extremely noticeable, but it doesn’t happen often enough to dub this a horrible Blu-ray. You’ll find plenty of impressive moments and some not-so-impressive moments.
Overall, the video quality is more ‘yay’ than ‘nay’.
As for features, here’s what you should expect:
– Commentary by Barbra Streisand
– Additional Scenes
– Wardrobe Tests
– Soundtrack
– Trailer
Not bad, especially the commentary portion of this list. For fans of the film, you’re going to adore these special features, especially the soundtrack. In addition to these, you get Warner Brothers’ patented (just guessing) Blu-ray booklet, which has some hi-res photos and plenty of information about the production. Good stuff overall.