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Editorial Review:
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
Customer Reviews
Average Rating: 
Rating:  - HELLO, THIS IS MRS. NORMAN MAINE!
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 ... Read More
Rating:  - Restored? Still photos in black and white? That's a movie?
"A Star is Born" is still one of my favorite films. But do we really need restored scenes with lines like "stop the car here a minute" that aren't all that important to the main plot which is already long enough? If these are restored scenes, make them filmed scenes instead of black and white photos. Be warned that "Lost Horizon" is restored like this, too.
Rating: - A true classic
Yes, it's overlong and dated but not particularly campy. It is Judy and James Mason at their finest and a still-potent critique of the Hollywood star system. If you've never seen it, it's a must. I tried to find it to rent or buy around Oscar time this year, but no store in my area had it. It would be terrible if this film, which underwent a lengthy and historic restoration in the 1980's, went out of print or became impossible to find in the future.
Rating:  - Could use a new edition, but this DVD is superb.
DVD was in its infancy in 1999, and at that time, Warner Bros. was still not the greatest studio at releasing good DVD editions of their classic films. However, with the premiere DVD release of the 1954 musical remake of A Star Is Born, Warner Bros. started on the right track.
The film is famous for its amazing dramatic and musical performances by the legendary Judy Garland, in her first movie since being fired by MGM in 1950 after making Summer Stock, as the rising star Esther Blodgett ... Read More
Rating: - Good Or Bad, Garland's Talent Can't Be Ignored
This is the darnedest movie to rate. I usually don't judge musicals the same way that I judge other movies. I just rate their production value, since that's often the only reason to see a musical. (Who rates an Arnold Schwarzeneger movie for its screenplay?) But when I first saw "A Star Is Born" I had mixed opinions. Great acting, great directing, great screenplay (for what could be done with such a story), and even the cinematography seemed two decades ahead of its time. And of course, there were great ... Read More
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