A Star Is Born 1954

Reviews

No reviews yet. Yours would be the first word on it.

• CinemaSerfon TMDB · Mar 20227/10

  One cannot watch this nowadays without seeing parallels between the James Mason role as "Norman Maine" and Judy Garland's own later life. He is the falling star of Hollywood kept afloat by booze and the ceaseless efforts of his studio boss "Oliver Niles" (Charles Bickford) to keep him from complete self-destruction. Meantime "Esther Blodgett" (Garland) is a struggling chanteuse taking any job she can until good fortune strikes. One night, serendipity takes a hand in this and their paths cross. He hears her sing "The Man That Got Away" with her band in a bar and is smitten both professionally and emotionally. As the title suggests, a star is well and truly born. Soon "Maine" is but an appendage to the newly renamed "Vicki Lester" which sees him spiral even more out of control, despite her addictive love for him. It's long (over 2½ hours) so inevitably, it sags at times - I could have done with more singing, but it is still a fine, touching, piece of cinema.

  Read the whole review on TMDB

Where to watch

Checking availability…

Similar in taste

Closest on the same fourteen dimensions, from everything scored on Taste Buds. Other media included when they land close.

• 
  Testament of Youth 201585% alike

  James Kent

  Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
• 
  Umrao Jaan 198185% alike

  Muzaffar Ali

  Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
• 
  The Best Years of Our Lives 194684% alike

  William Wyler

  Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
• 
  Porgy and Bess 195983% alike

  Otto Preminger

  Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
• 
  Whitney 201882% alike

  Kevin Macdonald

  Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
• 
  Splendor in the Grass 196182% alike

  Elia Kazan

  Both earnest, classical in form, grave.
• 
  Broken Lance 195482% alike

  Edward Dmytryk

  Both earnest, grave, classical in form.
• 
  The Outsider 196182% alike

  Delbert Mann

  Both classical in form, earnest, grave.
• 
  Retrato en sepia 200084% alike

  Isabel Allende

  Book · Both earnest, grave, classical in form.
• 
  The Romanov Sisters 201483% alike

  Helen Rappaport

  Book · Both earnest, grave, classical in form.

Often watched with

Recommendations from TMDB. Opening one adds it to Taste Buds

A Star Is Born

William A. Wellman · 1937

Country Strong

Where to watch

US availability, powered by JustWatch via TMDB. Each chip opens that service’s search for the title. Other regions on JustWatch