A young woman comes to Hollywood with dreams of stardom, but achieves them only with the help of an alcoholic leading man whose best days are behind him. [imdb]
Nominated for 7 Oscars:
Best Picture
Best Director: William A. Wellman
Best Actor: Fredric March
Best Actress: Janet Gaynor
Best Writing, Screenplay
Best Writing, Original Story (WINNER)
Best Assistant Director
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Honorary Award for the Color Photography
When I first saw it yeeeeears ago, I was quite pleasantly surprised. This film is the original A Star Is Born, the one that started it all. And to this day, it’s my favourite of all 3 versions. The subject is fascinating and truly all-Hollywood, and it’s the feel-good story that gives hope to many of us: that something great might always happen.
The film is about Janet Gaynor’s character (and I’ll write about her performance on the other blog), but Fredric March was the one that got my attention. His performance as the fading movie star is very good and a scene stealer. The role of a drunk is never easy to pull, but he does it so well, yet always showing the good side of Norman Maine AND the failure that he has become.
My rating for the film: 7.5/10. A must see for old-Hollywood fans and as a nice trivia: it’s the first film in color nominated for Best Picture.
The film is about Janet Gaynor’s character (and I’ll write about her performance on the other blog), but Fredric March was the one that got my attention. His performance as the fading movie star is very good and a scene stealer. The role of a drunk is never easy to pull, but he does it so well, yet always showing the good side of Norman Maine AND the failure that he has become.
My rating for the film: 7.5/10. A must see for old-Hollywood fans and as a nice trivia: it’s the first film in color nominated for Best Picture.
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I haven't seen this yet, but it would be interesting to see, since I'm such a big fan of the Judy Garland version.
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