(1954)
4.5
Richard Gilliam
The 1954 A STAR IS BORN had better music than the 1937 original, but that's about all that viewers may agree on in assessing one version against the other. On the downside, the music added about an hour to the running time. The film was re-cut and shortened by studio executives after release. Despite the efforts of restoration experts, there are today no complete prints of the original release version. Judy Garland benefits from the increased emphasis on her character, and the film is far more of a star vehicle for her than was the original for Janet Gaynor. To make room for the songs, several supporting characters from the 1937 version were eliminated. The result is a film that, despite the increased length, has less story-telling richness, though the deficiency is compensated by Garland's superb performance. The film was not among the Oscar nominees for Best Picture, though it did receive six other nominations, including for Garland, James Mason, and "The Man That Got Away" as Best Song.
A Star Is Born on AllMovie
A Star Is Born (1954)
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