A Star is Reborn: Decades of Love, Loss and Tradition in Hollywood Cinema

Since the dawn of the studio system, Hollywood has had an almost obsessive relationship with the love story. It is has found its way into thousands of Hollywood Pictures even before the creation of sound. Love stories tailor themselves to adventures across the amazon, heated courtroom dramas, and animated tales of childish delight. No matter the subject matter, love finds its way through to make some statement about lasting human connections. With the millions of different ways to do it, why would anyone tell a love story twice on the big screen, what about four times? How could one story be revitalized decades apart and still hold potency? A Star is Born (2018) follows in the footsteps of three (technically four if you count the film, What Price Hollywood (1932) which originally inspired the bulk of the story) predecessors that told the story of two unsuspecting lovers born out of talent and promptly destroyed under the very weight of it. Whether it be set in the world of the music industry or show-business, A Star Is Born has always been about two things, ascension, and descent. Many critics and fans of these films have argued that the title A Star is Dying is even more aptly appropriate to describe their narratives. They aren't wrong, for every star born another must implode. Much like every relationship in life, change is inevitable.

Now I've only seen three of the five iterations of this story, having yet to be able to view the original 1937 film starring Judy Gaynor as the titular "star" (nor the film What Price Hollywood which inspired that one) therefore this review will instead focus on discussing the 1954, 1976 and of course the newest 2018 version starring world-renowned pop star Lady Gaga. Directed and co-written by its leading man Bradley Cooper, the latest version of this classic cinema tale finds itself occasionally at war with its source material, eclipsing its predecessors in some parts and mismatching them in others. The movie's faults are almost all forgivable, however, because of its sheer charm and earnest performances from basically every single cast member involved. This is a film that has something to say, despite many films in the past saying things quite similar. This film has a language all of its own which makes it distinct. Intimate close-ups are aplenty throughout the film, allowing us to get up close and personal with these characters in quite a literal way. We see all the sweat and grit which goes into trying to make love work amidst a rough climate of deep passion, career aspirations, and bitter old resentments. When Cooper's film doesn't come off as a live rock concert, it is an intimate thoughtful grandiose drama, hitting familiar notes in exciting and endearing ways.

The Maine Factor

Cooper's film first and foremost places much greater emphasis on the male half of the powerhouse relationship. Jackson Maine is an aging folk/rock singer, famous and fumbled by his life's many misfortunes, including a toxic upbringing and an ongoing medical issue involving his hearing. The 1954 film doesn't dive very deep into the reasons behind famed actor Norman Maine's alcoholism, he's portrayed more as a wreckless Lothario and we equally learn little to nothing about the demons that haunted rock star John - Norman Howard in the 1976 film. Most of their actions, particularly in the second and third acts of their respected films, after they've fallen for the soon to be "star" are attributed to feelings of jealousy and resentment towards her success eclipsing his own. Very little of that jealousy or resentment is present in this new film, though it is hinted at a few times throughout, particularly in a rather heated bathtub argument in the second half. This is no battle of the sexes, but instead a battle between the mind and the self. Maine''s problems began long before he met Lady Gaga's character, Ally, and they would've likely stayed with him for the remainder of his life. The newest version of A Star is Born takes the time to explore the issues of its male lead, rather than just reducing them to mere expositional necessities. It addresses addiction and mental health in ways the former films had failed to even consider implementing into their own stories. The soundtrack even demonstrates the greater focus placed on the male lead in the narrative. Kris Kristofferson performs only about two songs in the 1976 version and both of those are early on in the narrative. We never get to experience his songbook styles or how they evolve due to his experiences before Barbara Streisand dominates the majority of the film's singing duties. Similarly we never actually get to see Norman Maine act in the 1954 film even though that is precisely what he is so famous for when Judy Garland's character Esther first meets him. In the 2018 film, Jackson performs about four to five original songs sprinkled throughout the film's running time. We take the time to see what kind of artist he is before he becomes a mentor to his unconfident ingénue. Ally's eventual growth into a full-fledged singer-songwriter is all the more entrancing when coupled beside Jackson's collapse into depression.

The Soundtrack

Each A Star is Born film features its own unique soundtrack, the songs featured on it are used to follow the two main characters on their journey through love and hardship. The genre in the latest one varies from folk-rock to EDM-Pop and even power balladry. Once again out of the three different versions I've viewed, this newest one takes the win for the most effective use of an overall phenomenally produced soundtrack. While the vocals of Garland and Streisand no doubt belong to those of some of the greatest in American Musical Songbook, the soundtracks to their films highlight vocal gymnastics and melodrama above all else. The songs are truly there to display what they can do but don't always seem very interested in why they do it. The music created by Ally and Jackson (which itself was co-created by Gaga and Cooper in real life) unveils who they are as people, where they've been in life and where they are going. This is what real artists do with their music, they allow it to tell their stories for them. The film is additionally benefited by the two stars choice of performing every musical sequence live rather than lip-synching, which occurs at certain points in both previous versions. The past two films soundtracks are spectacular achievements in their own rights, but fail to complement their film's plots as marvelously as this newest one does. "With One More Look at You" sung in the 1976 version's finale by Streisand is a superb emotionally driven closer and it's exactly what the 1954 film lacked. It's rather odd that the 1954 version is an actual musical and yet features no closing number, regardless Gaga's performance of "I'll Never Love Again" brings on not just tears, but poignant reminders of lives lost and loves unforgotten. It's not just her the song captures, but the very essence of the passionate relationship she was a part of. Gaga might not be able to outshine the acting skills of the two-screen titans preceding her in this title role, in fact, the third act's hefty dramatic requirements expose Gaga's still underdeveloped acting capabilities, but she certainly helps build the bridge in the film between its songs and its story, living comfortably between the two, while the other two women seemingly struggled. Each film's soundtrack did a fine job of displaying the talents of the artists involved and assimilating to the music styles of their respected decades, but Gaga and Cooper's soundtrack simply goes above and beyond to ensure that Ally and Jackson's love will be everlasting, not only visually on the screen, but audibly for generations to come. When you listen to the soundtrack you can truly hear their stories being told.

We Can All Shine Brighter

A Star is Born isn't a revolutionary tale in any of its iterations. It embodies the traditional "girl meets boy, girl loses boy" formula that was engrained in Hollywood even before Gaynor's version came out in 1937. It is a caution tale against drug and alcohol use, against choosing a life of glamorized debauchery over one filled with true companionship and personal gratification. It is a lesson in maintaining one's identity, be it as an artist or just as a human being, while also recognizing the moments in life that call upon us to change ourselves for our own betterment, as well as the betterment of those we care deeply for. If its themes are so traditional and simplistic, why then have filmmakers found a reason to tell its story so many times over the last several decades? Perhaps it is because we never, as a society seem to learn from its mistakes. We continue to choose fame over facts and fanatic adulation over genuine appreciation. We cherish the ones around us but allow them to fall into their dark holes whenever we aren't looking. A Star is Born warns us not to blame ourselves for the person's fall, but to simply keep our eyes open a bit wider, for maybe we can anticipate the next time they'll stumble and can, therefore, be there to catch them. A Star is Born can never be remade with a happy ending, because we'll likely never completely change the cynical views on stardom and artistry that it attempts to reflect critically back onto us. We keep retelling the story ourselves, through real-life tragedies and the inspiring phoenix-like individuals who come out of them stronger and wiser, if not a bit scathed. They say billions of stars are born and die each year within our galaxy, the old making room for the new. As we occupy the space leftover we can only be left to wonder why we fall in love the way we do, with music, with people and with cinema itself.