A Star Is Born |  | Director: George Cukor
Actors: Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, Charles Bickford, Tommy Noonan
Studio: Warner Home Video
Category: DVD
List Price: $19.98
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Rating:  97 reviews
Format: Anamorphic, Closed-captioned, Color, Dolby, DVD, Widescreen, NTSC
Languages: English (Original Language), English (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: PG (Parental Guidance Suggested)
Region: 1
Aspect Ratio: 2.35:1
DVD Layers: 2
DVD Sides: 2
Picture Format: Anamorphic Widescreen
Number Of Discs: 1
Running Time: 154 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.2
Dimensions (in): 7.3 x 5.6 x 0.5
MPN: 17588
ISBN: 0790742438
UPC: 085391758822
EAN: 9780790742434
Theatrical Release Date: September 29, 1954
Release Date: September 19, 2000
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | A Star is Born marked Judy Garland's return to movies after a four-year absence, director George Cukor's first musical and first color film, and a showcase for great Harold Arden/Ira Gershwin songs in state-of-the-art stereo. One of the most beloved show-business stories of all time, it represents a career peak for many involved. Garland is singer Esther Blodgett, an undeniable talent on the rise. |
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Product Description
A movie star declining in popularity marries a shy young actress whose fame eventually grows to eclipse his. Tragic consequences follow.
Genre: Musicals
Rating: PG
Release Date: 1-MAY-2001
Media Type: DVD
Amazon.com essential video
"This is Mrs. Norman Maine": Could these be the most heartbreaking words Judy Garland ever uttered? George Cukor directed and Moss Hart wrote this film, a musical remake of the 1937 original. The story is a show-biz classic: He (James Mason) is a major movie star who is past his prime and on the way down; she (Garland) is an aspiring singer who, with his help, becomes a bigger star than he was. Their marriage becomes a seesaw of success and failure, as he slowly drinks himself to death out of bitterness at the fickleness of fame, until his bad behavior begins to threaten the career of his long-suffering and loving wife. Mason and Garland are both terrific, with her singing "The Man That Got Away" among others. Remade in a 1976 Barbra Streisand vanity production. --Marshall Fine
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| Customer Reviews:
Showing reviews 1-5 of 97
 A Garland for Her July 1, 2009
stevenrothbard (Ft. Lauderdale, FL)
In love Judy Garland, and I'd marry her (if she'd have me) if she were alive today. Only Louis Armstrong is able to do what she can do at her best, which is to rise to the level of true greatness both in technique and in expression. Just watch the three versions of "The Man That Got Away" available on this disc's side two. This great Ira Gershwin/Harold Arlen standard is presented in three different takes, and if I were the director of this movie, I wouldn't want to lose any of them since Garland absolutely nails the song each time. I don't know which is the best version, since she does some different stage business each time. This alone is worth the whole disc, but the medly-like "Born in a Trunk," which is an exteneded scene in itself, almost its own musical, puts everything over the top. This is essential stuff which is of great value in the history of American popular music ( and of movies).
 Most Annoying! June 5, 2009
G. Schneider (VA United States)
0 out of 4 found this review helpful
I found this DVD release of A STAR IS BORN impossible to watch. The all-too-frequent use of stills over a sound track was extremely annoying. I praise the attempt to recreate Cukor's original concept...but I do not praise the results. I would much rather have seen two versions on the DVD, one with the poor stills-and-dialogue recreation of what was hacked out, and one that's at least watchable. I have to confess that I didn't make it through the entire movie. I couldn't! It was too annoying. I think they should have waited until somebody somewhere can locate missing footage. (However, it's still better than the Streisand/Kristofferson abortion!)
A Stunning Masterpiece! March 6, 2009
Randy Johnson (Gadsden, AL USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
Any Garland fan who hasn't seen this is in for a treat. The performances and musical numbers alone are mesmerizing, but the outstanding stereo audio and wide-screen presentation are second only to Judy Garland in making this film one of the all-time best. The included 'extras' are a wonderful added bonus.
Simply the Best Performance Ever December 2, 2008
G. Pearman (Casa Grande, Az)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
I had the good fortune to have seen this movie in its original, uncut, length on Christmas Day 1954 at the Pantages Theater in LA. The production number "Born in a Trunk" was the last scene prior to intermission. When Judy finished the number, the entire movie audience rose to thier feet and gave that filmed performance a 5 minute standing ovation. To this day, I have never witnessed anything like it. It was pure magic.
I know that many movie critics have rated her performance as the finest by a female performer in the history of show business. I would offer that it was the best by any performer in the history of show business.
Over the years, I have purchased a couple of VHS tapes of the movie. One was the butchered release by Warner Bros. The other was the first attempt
at restoration. Niether of these were satisfactory reproductions.
One of my Grand Daughters is very much involved in theater study and is working hard to fulfill her dream to become a star. I want her to have an advance study guide on "how to deliver a fantastic performance"
I want her to see the all time epic movie star performance, so I purchased two copies of this almost fully restored latest version. I must say I am totally impressed. The sound is great on my 5.1 home theater and the restoration is superb.
The supporting cast, led by James Mason, is truly great.
It will always be show businesses ultimate mystery as to why the Motion Picture Academy ignored the greatness of this all time classic movie. Judy Garland and James Mason, without a doubt, deserved Oscars for thier performances.
If I could give this DVD 10 rating, I would. Buy it, you will love it!
G Pearman
HELLO, THIS IS MRS. NORMAN MAINE! September 29, 2008
HOPLESS ROMANTIC (USA)
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
There are many famous "One Liners", but this is one of the best. I was delighted when the movie is extended to get the full flavor of the film. I have viewed this movie and each time, I get more into the film. Forget the problems that plagued the production of the movie, or personal problems that Ms Garland had, but give praise to the movie stars, Judy Garland, James Mason, Charles Bickford, and Jack Carson. Charles Bickford was memorable in his role as the studio owner, who knew Norman Maine as no other person could. What a friend!! How many of us have friends who would stand beside us as strongly in life and death? The dynamics between Garland and Mason is for me electric. One star who is on his way out, finds a star and brings her too life is truly the one good thing he does before he dies. Her love for him regardless his drinking problem, shows the depth of her love to take him for better or worse, and believe me it did get worse; but she never failed or faultered in her love for him. She was even willing to give up her career when she had just won the Oscar for Best Actress, but in his death, he released her to continue her career; but it took her good friend Danny, to bring her to her senses, to remind her not to let his death be in vain. Each time I hear Judy Garland sing "The Man That Got Away, sends chivers through me. That magnificant voice crowns her as one of the great performers of her time. Her musical numbers are classics as well. But I will always remember how at the very end she stood proudly and said, " Good evening, this is Mrs. Norman Maine"!
Showing reviews 1-5 of 97
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