A Star is Born

This is probably my all-time favorite movie. First, I should mention there are 3 different films with the same title. The 1937 version, starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, is the one I'm reviewing. The 1954 film, starring Judy Garland and James Mason, and the 1976 film starring Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson are both musicals, while the 1937 film is a drama. I found both musical versions disappointing compared to the 1937 version. The 1937 version, as other Amazon customers have mentioned, is truly a classic, in the best sense of that word. There is a sense of "freshness" about it that you only experience in the best of films. I'm happy that other Amazon customers have appreciated the movie as much as I have and have extolled many of its virtues. I'll only add one more virtue to that list: excellent editing. The pacing of the movie is flawless. There is never a wasted moment. Every scene contributes to the forward progression of the story. How many movies can one say that about? And yet, I never felt it was rushed. I must confess that none of my friends I've recommended the movie to were as enamored of it as I was. So I thought I'd first mention things about the film which might not be appreciated by some viewers. First of all, the film is definitely a tragedy. Even I must admit the Academy Awards scene is truly painful to watch. But the movie is not an unrelenting downer. There are comic interludes and scenes of optimistic enthusiasm. And I found the final scene at the Grauman's Chinese Theatre uplifting and redeeming. Second, admittedly (and embarrassingly), the movie does contain some "corn". This includes every scene with Andy Devine in it, and some of Janet Gaynor's naivete comes across that way too. But I take the corn as an artifact of its time and a small price to pay for the movie's many positive virtues. Third, one of my friends thought the movie was "overacted". There is some truth to that. I thought that Janet Gaynor's "overacting", such as her less-than-subtle facial expressions, might have been the result of her earlier silent film career, where such overacting might have been necessary. But it works. The viewer can't help but empathize with Janet Gaynor's character. Now, to the quality of the numerous transfers. Being my all-time favorite movie, I've bought many VHS and DVD versions of the film. (I assume it is in the public domain.). The best transfers, for which I've awarded my 5 stars to, are the Image DVD, the Kino DVD, and the Kino VHS. Although the differences between the Image and Kino transfers are noticeable, I found both were acceptable to me. I think it's partly a matter of personal preference rather than one being more accurately transferred than the other. I don't pretend to have the technical expertise of some of your reviewers. So I'll limit my comments regarding transfer quality to the opening scenes of the movie where many of the transfers I've viewed are totally unacceptable. Luckily, the first version of the movie I ever saw (on VHS) was complete or I might not have realized that part of the movie's opening is missing from many versions (on both DVD and VHS). The opening scene of the film shows the sign of the Selznick Studios, followed by the Southern-style mansion front of the studios. That scene is accompanied by a fanfare played first by the trumpets. The next scene shows a night time panoramic view of Hollywood over which appear ascending titles and credits, which remind me of a red neon sign. This scene is accompanied by a gorgeous melody by Max Steiner. The previous fanfare makes the perfect introduction for Max Steiner's melody. The effect of the rising "neon" titles accompanied by Max Steiner's glorious music is emotionally overwhelming. I wish I had been there in 1937 to experience this in the movie theatre on the big screen. Quite a few transfers of this movie are missing part or all of the opening scene of the Selznick Studios and the accompanying fanfare music. These "butchered" versions deprive the viewer of one of the most impressive openings to any movie ..... ever! Watching a butchered version is almost like listening to the first movement of Beethoven's Fifth Symphony from which someone had deleted the famous 4-note opening motif. The Image and Kino versions are all complete in the opening scene. If you have a different transfer, make sure you have the opening scenes as I've described them.

I've seen this film several times prior to the current restoration, both on the big screen (Egyptian Theater, Hollywood) and on TCM in the prior restoration. The discovery/restoration of original nitrate technicolor elements has led to a transformational restoration. In three-strip Technicolor, the image is split into three via prism in the camera and exposed to with cyan, magenta and yellow filters onto black and white stock. To create color prints, the process is reversed onto a single strip of Technicolor film using a dye imbibition process. Up until now, one or more of the three strips were too damaged for such reconstruction and surviving color prints of varying quality and generation have been the sources for restoration. Digital technology has allowed exact alignment of the three negatives which anyone who has seen similar restorations - GWTW, The Wizard of Oz, Meet Me in St. Louis, The Adventures of Robin Hood - will attest look better than the film ever did on opening day. The combined effect of this style of restoration and superior source materials create a "WOW" effect compared to previous issues of this film that cannot be described. The scene around the pool at the Beverly Hills Hotel is breathtaking, as are many others. If you care about this film or are at all curious, especially at the price, snap this up.

This is a cheap way to acquire this classic film that has apparently fallen into the public domain. There is a copyright warning at the beginning from Digiview Productions, but I have my doubts. I was surprised to see it was made in China, but it played just fine. It claims to be digitally remastered. It might have been once. This seems like standard VHS quality. It's wonderful to see 1937 Technicolor. It's not awesome sharp, but it's perfectly watchable and the sound is fine. There are no special features. It lets you click on "Preview," but it just starts playing the film. It came in a slim case with a different photo. The photo shown here is on the disc inside. The cover on the one I received is March and Gaynor embracing. The film itself is a masterpiece. I cry at the last line every time. If you're only familiar with the Judy Garland / James Mason musical version, you have seen a totally different film. James Mason was one of the best actors ever on film, but Fredric March WAS Norman Maine. The Gaynor / March chemistry wasn't as amazing as that of Garland and Mason, but you will adore them both and get some good laughs. The color footage of the Chinese Theater in 1937 alone is worth the price of admission! A similar film that predated this was "What Price Hollywood?"

Good movie

Absolutely brilliant restoration for a film that for decades was in the public domain and looked horrific. Almost on watchable. Now it is beautiful to watch and it’s early use of color. Very highly recommended for the wonderful early Andy Devine performance.

A great movie

Great!

This is a great classic movie. There are three versions and this was the first. Then came the great Judy Garland's turn, and then Barbra Streisand took a turn. We are all the better for all three versions. All on the same theme, but yet so different. My 15 year old granddaughter is a fan of the silent movies and the classics. She feels most of today's movies are like video games and are to her uninteresting. She has seen the Judy Garland version, but not the other two. She asked me which one I thought was best -- in answer I am getting her all three for Christmas with the note, "You Be The Judge." This version is the first and is a great film.

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Classic movie

Of all the versions of ‘a star is born’ I like this the best.

Beautiful Thank You

Me encanta la película original de "A Star Is Born" y siempre quise que fuera restaurado en alta definición, y cuando me enteré que Warner Archive Collection la sacaría en formato Blu-Ray la compre de inmediato. Se ve mejor que nunca, llena de vida y con colores vibrantes. Llegó rápido y en perfectas condiciones, el único inconveniente es que cobraron envío cuando yo soy cliente Prime de años.