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A Star Is Born (1954)
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Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
16 October 1954 (USA) moreTagline:
The applause of the world -- and then this! morePlot:
A movie star helps a young singer/actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral. full summary | add synopsisAwards:
Nominated for 6 Oscars. Another 3 wins & 3 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(19 articles)
Drake Joins Jay-z Onstage In Canada (From MTV Music News. 1 November 2009, 11:48 PM, PST)
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User Comments:
Two-thirds of a good movie more (90 total)Cast
(Complete credited cast)| Judy Garland | ... | Vicki Lester / Esther Blodgett | |
| James Mason | ... | Norman Maine | |
| Jack Carson | ... | Matt Libby | |
| Charles Bickford | ... | Oliver Niles | |
| Tommy Noonan | ... | Danny McGuire (as Tom Noonan) | |
| Lucy Marlow | ... | Lola Lavery | |
| Amanda Blake | ... | Susan Ettinger - Oscar Presenter | |
| Irving Bacon | ... | Graves - Norman's valet | |
| Hazel Shermet | ... | Libby's secretary | |
| rest of cast listed alphabetically: | |||
| James Brown | ... | Glenn Williams - Orchestra Leader (scenes deleted) | |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
181 min (premiere version) | USA:154 min | USA:176 min (restored version) | Germany:169 min (DVD) | West Germany:177 min (cut version: 120')Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.55 : 1 moreCertification:
Australia:PG | UK:A (original rating) | Canada:PG (video rating) | West Germany:12 (uncut version) | USA:Approved (PCA #16751, General Audience) | USA:PG (re-rating) (1983) | Finland:S | Sweden:Btl (re-release) | UK:U | West Germany:6 (cut version)Fun Stuff
Trivia:
In the scene after the movie premiere, Matt Libby is at a party where he passes a man and says, "Hey, Ray! Great score, the best!" The man is Ray Heindorf, musical director for this film. moreGoofs:
Errors in geography: The terrace outside Esther's Oleander Arms apartment overlooks the twinkling city lights far below, but her address is in the flatlands of Central Hollywood, nowhere near the hills. moreQuotes:
Matt Libby: [after being introduced to Esther] Esther Blodgett? Well, we'll do something about that. Anyway, nice to have you with us. moreSoundtrack:
I'll Get By (As Long as I Have You) moreFAQ
A Note Regarding SpoilersIs "A Star is Born" based on a book?
Why is Judy Garland listed as playing two characters?
more
more (90 total)
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Three-hour musical proved something of a swan-song for Judy Garland, who had few starring roles after this, none of them as high-profile as "A Star Is Born". Yet, this isn't quite the blockbuster fans and critics hoped for. Garland's shaky real-life lends her a naked vulnerability as Esther Blodgett/Vicki Lester, but it's too taxing on the audience; she's sweet and gracious, but all too much so. Her character has no resilience, she's too easily led, too easily humiliated, and eventually our sympathies go towards her boozing, fading husband (James Mason, as curt and clipped as ever). Serves as a nice showcase for Judy's vocal talents, as there are many song numbers, but the melodrama in the music is more absorbing than the marriage stuff. Still, for the first two of the three hours, it has drive and gorgeous color. In the third hour, right about the time Mason loses his movie contract and people start calling him "Mr. Lester", the movie sinks to the bottle's bottom, in a boozy sea of pathos and masochism.