A Star Is Born

Although it started slow, it became a good movie with a nice plot and great acting. The musical numbers are adequate and all the direction is good. I found strange that some scenes are lost and presented with photographs.

This, the second of four movies entitled A STAR IS BORN (1937, 1954, 1976 and 2018), writes it's story around Judy Garland's big voice and big production pieces. It, too, garnered award attention from its generation. For a modern audience its over 3 hour length may feel like a bit of a marathon, but for those who love classical movies and big production pieces this will be a treat. The bare bones of the original story are there but this movie switches the focus from movies to big screen musical productions. Of the four movies, this is my least favourite, but I still give it a 7 (good) out of 10. [Musical Drama]

Oh god, Judy Garland gives an all-timer of a performance. The vulnerability she displays throughout is like an electric current; my heart just feels zapped watching her. She's got a twitchy, naturalistic style that reminds me of some of my favorite Fontaine performances. That she didn't win the Oscar here is just heartbreaking.

The rest of the movie around her, though, I found to be so-so. Cukor doesn't seem to know whether he's making a melodrama or a musical, which leads to some overly long musical sequences that throw off the pacing (and bloat the run time.) The numbers are good (and there are some standouts, like "Swanee" that runs for over 15 minutes) and Judy is amazing--they just take away from the drama of the core relationship that feels like the heart of the film to me.

This is the second major adaptation of this classic story. While it certainly is a good adaptation for its time, it feels a bit out of time or not too well aged. Well, this is my personal opinion, as I am not too fond the music of this version of the story and I believe, that there is too much music and too little story for my taste.
Though, that is only my opinion (and I am also not a fan of musicals). People who like this kind of music will certainly find their pleasure with this movie. I personally prefer the 2018 Cooper/Gaga version.

In the 1954 version of *A Star is Born*, starring Judy Garland and James Mason, the film's photos and stills have a unique story tied to the movie's production and subsequent restoration.

### Key Issues with the Film
**Original Cuts and Studio Interference**:
- The film originally premiered at a length of 182 minutes but was significantly cut down to 154 minutes by Warner Bros. after its initial release. This was done to make the film more commercially viable, but it resulted in the loss of important scenes.
- Many of the cut scenes were either destroyed or lost, as was common at the time when studios didn't prioritize preserving unused footage.

**Restoration Efforts**:
- In the 1980s, film historian Ronald Haver led an ambitious restoration project to bring *A Star is Born* closer to its original version. However, not all the lost footage could be recovered.
- The restoration team managed to recover the audio tracks for some of the missing scenes but not the actual video.

**Photos as a Visual Substitute**:
- To address this gap, Haver used production stills (high-quality photos taken during filming) to accompany the recovered audio. These stills were carefully arranged to approximate the feel of the missing scenes.
- This method allowed audiences to experience the full story, even if the visuals for certain moments were lost.

### Why It’s Significant
- The use of still photos in the restored version of *A Star is Born* was innovative at the time. It demonstrated how archival materials could help reconstruct and preserve film history.
- The photos, combined with Judy Garland’s powerful performance (even in just audio), evoke strong emotions, maintaining the integrity and impact of the original story.

This restoration highlights the challenges and triumphs of preserving cinematic history, especially for films created in an era with fewer resources for long-term archival preservation.

Some of the songs and dances are good but it is too long.

The scenes that have been “restored” using audio and a slideshow of production stills should’ve remained cut, it’s so jarring and goes on for so long that it completely disengages you from the film.