A Star Is Born (1976)

User Rating:

6.1/10   

Director:

Frank Pierson

Writers:

William A. Wellman (1937 story) and
Robert Carson (1937 story) ...

Release Date:

17 December 1976 (USA)

Genre:

Drama | Musical | Romance

Plot:

A has-been rock star falls in love with a young, up-and-coming songstress.

Plot Keywords:

Star | Rock Star | Singer | Price Of Fame | Washed Up Star

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 6 wins & 6 nominations

Cast

Barbra Streisand	...	Esther Hoffman
Kris Kristofferson	...	John Norman Howard
Gary Busey	...	Bobbie Ritchie
Oliver Clark	...	Gary Danziger
Venetta Fields	...	One of the Oreos
Clydie King	...	One of the Oreos
Marta Heflin	...	Quentin
M.G. Kelly	...	Bebe Jesus
Sally Kirkland	...	Photographer
Joanne Linville	...	Freddie
Uncle Rudy	...	Mo
Paul Mazursky	...	Brian
Stephen Bruton	...	Speedway
Sammy Lee Creason	...	Speedway (as Sam Creason)
Cleve Dupin	...	Speedway

Also Known As:

Rainbow Road (USA) (working title)

Runtime:

139 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

New Zealand:R16 | Argentina:13 | Australia:M | Chile:14 | Finland:K-16 | Sweden:11 | UK:15 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Downtown, Tucson, Arizona, USA

Company:

Barwood Films

Trivia:

According to several Barbra Streisand bios, she directed a few minor scenes herself after she and Frank Pierson disagreed over the necessity of those scenes.

Goofs:

Continuity: After John Norman crashes his motorcycle, and Esther runs to him, there are dirty hand prints on the back of her blouse before John Norman pulls her down in the dirt and puts his hands on her back.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "The Nanny: Val's Boyfriend (#3.18)" (1996)

Soundtrack:

EVERGREEN (Love Theme from A Star is Born)

Streisand's feminist re-thinking of a classic movie story

Barbra Streisand brought her own vision to A STAR IS BORN, the third version of this classic Hollywood story about the romance between an up and coming star and her alcoholic husband whose career is fading into oblivion. Streisand put her own stamp on this movie, making the story more acceptable to her and more accessible to 1970s film audiences. She changed the setting of the story from films to the world of music, making her Esther Hoffman a struggling singer who is discovered by an alcoholic, self-destructive rocker named John Norman Howard (Kris Kristofferson)who grooms her for stardom while his own career falls apart. We all know this story and have seen either of the previous versions and some were unsettled by the fact that in this version, John Norman doesn't commit suicide, he is killed in a car accident instead, taking away a lot of the power of the story. The point of the original story is that the actor sacrifices his own life so that his wife won't give up the career she's worked so hard for. One of the most amusing parts of the original and 1954 versions is the whole episode about Esther changing her name so it looks better on a marquee. Here, our feminist heroine, Esther Hoffman, refuses to change her name and for me, this small but vital plot points diluted a lot of the power of this story. This production is overblown and uneven. It should be understood that Streisand was just on the edge of insanity while making this film. She was involved at the time with future film producer Jon Peters, who was running her career and her life. Peters butted heads with leading man Kristofferson as well as credited director Frank Pierson, who pretty much directed this film in name only...Streisand and Peters had the last word on everything regarding this film, much to its detriment, due mainly to Streisand's complete trust in Peters, who really knew nothing about film-making at this time. But no matter what else she does, this movie comes alive whenever Streisand sings. Highlights for me were "Queen Bee", "Woman in the Moon", "With One More Look at You" and, of course, the Oscar-winning "Evergreen." With all the hats she was wearing while making this film, needless to say, Streisand was not very focused on her performance here, which can be described, kindly, as uneven. Kristofferson, in a role originally offered to Elvis Presley, is strong and surprisingly sexy as John Norman Howard and Gary Busey also scores as John Norman's manager. For hard-core Streisand fans only.