A Star Is Born [Blu-ray]

Director: Frank Pierson Frank Pierson

Overview

The third remake of the 1932 drama What Price Hollywood?, this adaptation of A Star Is Born moved the story into the mid-1970's and changed the milieu from the movie business to pop music. John Norman Howard (Kris Kristofferson) is a rock star whose career has peaked; he is numbed by booze and cocaine, his music has lost its edge, and his performances have become painfully haphazard. One night, after a concert, he stumbles into a club where he sees a singing group fronted by Esther Hoffman (Barbra Streisand). John likes what he hears and loves what he sees; he tries picking her up, but soon realizes if he wants to see her, he'll have to ask her out on an actual date. He does, and before long the two become involved, although Esther has trouble with John's rock star lifestyle. One night, a typically burned-out John lets Esther sing a few songs at one of his shows; before long she's the talk of the record business. While Esther's star begins to rise, John's continues to sink, and while she desperately tries get John to clean up and focus on his music, it may be too late to save him. The song "Evergreen" earned this film an Academy Award for Best Song; the credits contain the amusing notice, "Ms. Streisand's Clothes from ... Her Closet."

Product Details

Release Date:	05/14/2019
UPC:	0883929680917
Original Release:	1976
Rating:	R
Source:	Warner Archives
Presentation:	[Wide Screen]
Sound:	[Dolby Digital 5.1 Surround]
Language:	English
Time:	2:20:00
Sales rank:	6,381

Special Features

Commentary by Barbra Streisand; Additional Scenes; Wardrobe Tests; Trailers

Cast & Crew

Performance Credits

Barbra Streisand	Esther Hoffman,Composer
Kris Kristofferson	John Norman Howard
Gary Busey	Bobby Ritchie
Oliver Clark	Danziger
Vanetta Fields	The Oreo,Actor
Clydie King	The Oreo
Marta Heflin	Quentin
M.G. Kelly	Bebe Jesus
Sally Kirkland	Photographer
Joanne Linville	Freddie
Uncle Rudy	Mo
Paul Mazursky	Brian
Tony Orlando	Himself
Robert Englund	Patron
Clyde King	One of the Oreos
Allison Caine	Voices
Stephen Bruton	The Speedway
Roger Kellaway	Composer
Marilyn Bergman	Composer,Composer
Paul Williams	Composer
Leon Russell	Composer
Kenny Loggins	Composer
Rupert Holmes	Composer

Technical Credits

Frank Pierson

John Gregory Dunne

Joan Didion

Chuck Gaspar	Special Effects
Jon Peters	Producer
Frank Pierson	Director,Screenwriter
Barbra Streisand	Executive Producer,Producer
Dan Wallin	Sound/Sound Designer
Robert Glass	Sound/Sound Designer
Robert Knudson	Sound/Sound Designer
Tom Overton	Sound/Sound Designer
John Gregory Dunne	Screenwriter
Joan Didion	Screenwriter
Charles Gaspar	Special Effects

Editorial Reviews

The third screen version of this classic backstage drama -- first produced in 1937 with Janet Gaynor in the lead and remade more famously in 1954 with Judy Garland starring -- showcased Barbra Streisand in what was her best screen work up to that time. Though Elvis Presley was originally envisioned as Streisand's costar in this 1976 hit, singer-songwriter-actor Kris Kristofferson ultimately got the role of John Norman Howard, the past-his-peak rocker who crumbles as his lover becomes a star. He’s riveting in the role of a performer who routinely blows off tour dates, raises hell at the ones he makes, and alienates just about everybody with whom he comes into contact. His lone supporter is Streisand, a big-hearted backup vocalist who becomes his lover, works her way up from obscurity to acclaim, and desperately attempts to salvage the self-destructive Howard. The screenplay, by John Gregory Dunne and Joan Didion, unflinchingly focuses on the soul-deadening parade of sex, booze, drugs, and general '70s-era rock-star excesses, while also maintaining the romantic connection that binds the Streisand and Kristofferson characters. The film’s strengths lie in its star performances, Streisand’s superlative musical numbers, and the excellent work of supporting players Paul Mazursky, Gary Busey, and Sally Kirkland.