Saturday, November 6, 2010

A Star Is Born, 1937 (Grade B)

-DIRECTOR:  William A Wellman 
Any Awards? Yes, numberous Academy Awards, and AFI Top 100 List 
Cast: Janet Gaynor; Fredric March; Adolphe Menjou 

story (SPOILER ALERT) --young woman in Dakotas does not want to spend her life in dulls-ville.  Grandma slips her the $ to go to Hollywood and follow her dream. With no training but a sweet and pure personality our little miss makes it big.  Her 'big chance' comes via a drunken/famous actor who recognizes in her 'something special' --and eventually, once he agrees to quite drinking, they get married but not before his drinking has destroyed his career.  
She loves him truly--and he loves her truly --and it is all very, very sad. She is now supporting him and so he takes to drinking again.  She is going to give up her career to nurse him--but he can't have that--so he commits suicide.  She is is so down trodden by his death that she is going to give up her career. But in the nick-of-time grandma appears and says something like: "I told you to follow your dreams that you'd have to put up with pain and suffering.  And now it is time to prove your worth and not disappoint your fans", etc.. So our sweet and lovely STAR bravely goes back to work 

Sez says:  We are currently watching ALL the versions of this movie that have been made.  This may well be the best one. It is a lot better than I expected it to be. You can see reviews of the others via a search on the title. 
The story is predictable and past silly in places.  I guess any female that is sweet and nice can be a star even with no training in her field at all.   But it does deal with alcoholism in a more realistic way than anything else I've seen from this era.  And the acting is good. (Grade B)

MJC Says:  Great script via Dorothy Parker and pals..principles did their jobs.

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