A Star Is Born 1954

A Star Is Born

Critics Consensus

A Star is Born is a movie of grand scope and intimate moments, featuring Judy Garland's possibly greatest performance.

98%

TOMATOMETER

Total Count: 41

82%

Audience Score

User Ratings: 9,256

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Movie Info

Hollywood actor Norman Maine (James Mason) is a celebrity whose star is on the wane, but when he meets aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), he is inspired to help her, and soon the two appear in a musical together. Now known as Vicki Lester, she marries Norman and finds herself in demand, while his reputation continues to decline, resulting in heavy bouts of drinking. Eventually, Vicki must choose between moving forward with her career and attempting to save her husband.
  • Rating:
    PG
  • Genre:
    musical
  • Original Language:
    English
  • Director:
    George Cukor
  • Producer:
    Sidney Luft
  • Release Date (Streaming):
  • Runtime:
  • Production Co:
    Warner Brothers
  • Sound Mix:
    Surround

Cast & Crew

Judy Garland
Esther Blodgett, Vicki Lester
James Mason
Norman Maine
Jack Carson
Matt Libby
Charles Bickford
Oliver Niles
Tommy Noonan
Danny McGuire
Lucy Marlow
Lola Lavery
Amanda Blake
Susan Ettinger
Irving Bacon
Graves
Hazel Shermet
Libby's Secretary
James L. Brown
Glenn Williams (uncredited)
George Cukor
Director
Robert Carson
Writer
Dorothy Parker
Writer
Alan Campbell
Writer
William A. Wellman
Writer
Moss Hart
Writer
Jack L. Warner
Executive Producer
Sidney Luft
Producer
Harold Arlen
Original Music
Leonard Gershe
Original Music
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News & Interviews for A Star Is Born

Cynthia Erivo’s Five Favorite Films
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Critic Reviews for A Star Is Born

All Critics (41) | Top Critics (6) | Fresh (40) | Rotten (1)

  • All this, plus a dozen big musical sequences, makes Star a mighty long gulp of champagne; but, like champagne, it is hard to refuse.

    October 3, 2018 | Full Review…

    TIME Staff

    TIME Magazine
    Top Critic

  • Judy Garland gives everything she has as the young star on the way up; her performance is an emotional autobiography.

    October 3, 2018 | Full Review…

    Dave Kehr

    Chicago Reader
    Top Critic

  • A Star Is Born is the perfect blend of drama and musical - of cinematic art and popular entertainment.

    October 3, 2018 | Full Review…

    Jack Moffitt

    Hollywood Reporter
    Top Critic

  • A Star Is Born was a great 1937 moneymaker and it's an even greater picture in its filmusical transmutation.

    July 7, 2010 | Full Review…

    Variety Staff

    Variety
    Top Critic

  • One of the grandest heartbreak dramas that has drenched the screen in years... the Warners and Mr. Cukor have really and truly gone to town in giving this hackneyed Hollywood story an abundance of fullness and form.

    March 25, 2006 | Full Review…

    Bosley Crowther

    New York Times
    Top Critic

  • Of all Hollywood's heartbreakers, this must be one of the saddest.

    February 9, 2006 | Full Review…

    Chris Peachment

    Time Out
    Top Critic
View All Critic Reviews (41)

Audience Reviews for A Star Is Born

  • Oct 07, 2018
    Forget the 1937 version, this is a much superior remake that does right everything (except for that awful last line) that the original film did wrong (at least for later standards), with Garland in a stellar performance especially during her "Someone at Last" number in the living room.
    Carlos M Super Reviewer
  • Mar 30, 2014
    Its basically just an expanded version of the original, designed to be mostly a showcase for Garland . . . not that I mind because she's truly fantastic in every single moment. I think its the best version of this story. Cukor and Hart wisely jettison most of the soft hitting satire in favor of making something of a tragic, semi-musical comedy. As great as Garland is, she's equally matched by Mason.
    Alec B Super Reviewer
  • Oct 13, 2013
    A has-been actor introduces and later marries a singer/actress. An epic, grandiose, and timeless tale, George Cukor's remake of A Star Is Born is a fantastic tour de force for its stars and is a visual delight. The film's actors, Judy Garland and James Mason, are in top form (though I can't help noting how singularly similar Garland is to her daughter, Liza Minnelli; at times I didn't know whom I was watching). The spectacle of some of the musical numbers, which at times might be over-long, is beyond compare, and at its heart, the film is a very human story. Oddly feminist, the film privileges Vicki Lester's success over that of her husband, but at the same time there is no doubt that she could not have made it on her talent alone. Is this a condemnation of the business or latent misogyny? Overall, whatever the film's meandering flaws may be, it is nonetheless a classic for a very good reason.
    Jim H Super Reviewer
  • Jan 23, 2013
    What a very long boring movie. "A Star Is Born" reminds me of "What's Love Got To Do With It" taking place in 1954. James Mason plays the Ike Turner character Norman Maine and Judy Garland is the Tina Turner character Esther Blodgett / Vicki Lester. Maine is an alcoholic, meets Esther and wants to make her a risin acting star. Esther is reluctant at first because she belongs to a music group and is profesional singer. Should Esther throw her music career away in order to follow Norman Maine's wishes? She does and things don't go smoothly at first. Esther does a few odd jobs to make ends meet. Later on Esther meets Maine and this time he tries to get her a deal with the studio which he does, the two fall in love and then the picture goes into this melodramtic heartbreak. This film kinda annoyed me with the distracting restoration editing techniques, Judy Garland's melodramtic acting, and the obvious things that was going to happen to Norman. "A Star Is Born" is a very long movie which didn't need to be. George Cuckor is a great filmmaker but im not sure if this material was suited for him. Great musicals were known to be epic and exciting, this film goes the opposite way making me wonder as to when on earth is this film going to end?
    Brian R Super Reviewer
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