A Star Is Born | 
 enlarge | Director: William A. Wellman
Actors: Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine
Studio: Image Entertainment
Category: DVD
List Price: $9.99
Buy New: $4.88
You Save: $5.11 (51%)
New (11) Used (8) from $2.85
Rating:  8 reviews
Sales Rank: 44332
Format: Closed-captioned, Color, Dvd-video, Full Screen, Ntsc
Language: English (Original Language)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Number Of Items: 1
Running Time: 111
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Shipping Weight (lbs): 0.1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.3 x 0.6
MPN: D2777D
UPC: 014381277722
EAN: 0014381277722
ASIN: B00068NVGG
Theatrical Release Date: 1937
Release Date: December 7, 2004
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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Description
Janet Gaynor portrays Esther Blodgett, a starry-eyed small town girl with a dream of making it big in Hollywood. Facing only rejection, Esther chances into meeting movie idol Norman Maine played by the incomparable Fredric March.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 3 more reviews...
 Part of Hollywood History April 11, 2008
The original 1937 David O. Selznick production of A Star is Born is definitely the best version so far produced. Filmed in early Technicolor, this print is better than most, but there is still a dark cast to many of the scenes. The real good news is the sound is perfect with little or no distortion. The quality of the transfer is better than most versions I've seen, so it's worth adding to your collection if you really like this film. Janet Gaynor and Fredric March give two heart-felt performances and are supported ably by Adolph Menjou, Andy Devine, and May Robson as Gaynor's irrepressible grandmother. Tightly directed by William A. Wellman, this version is nicely paced and never bogs down the way the Judy Garland remake does.
SALT WATER TAFFY March 5, 2008
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
All but forgotten 1937 classic garnered 7 Academy Award nominations. Movie shows in full detail the effects of alcoholism abeting an actor's downfall (March). Unfortunately, Hollywood would have to wait until 1945"s "The Lost Weekend", directed by Billy Wilder, to see the disesae up close. Yet, at least director Wellman hits upon it here, without throwing the entire film into disarray.March knows that he's had it as an actor, and only through the auspices of his rising srar wife Gaynor is he able to avoid jail time.If Gaynor seems almost too good to be true,then so be it. Anything might have been better than her negative, sarcastic upbringing. Too late does anyone understand the depth of March's depression; no doubt to this viewer that his final swim towards Hawaii was a noble gesture on his part, paving the way for his wife's blossoming stardom.A really great oldie!
1937 vs 1954 August 3, 2007
The 1937 version features Fedric March and Janet Gaynor as compared with the 1954 version featuring Judy Garland and James Mason. The lack of songs and dancings in the older version actually forces my attention to the two main characters. What the older version lacks - in lyrics and dancing - it more than makes up in the refined character development and superb acting. Vicki (Janet Gaynor) 's grandma could understand Vicki's dream and hope in Hollywood. Once she ensured Vicki had the conviction and was prepared to go to great lengths, without any doubt, to pursue her dream, she gave her blessings and full financial support. This was handled warmly and delicately. In addition, Norman Maine (Federich March) was 100% convincing whose leading actor career winded in the wrong direction. He spotted Vicki from obscurity and saw the rising career of his beloved wife with mixed feelings. He loved Vicki that much while suffering deeply inside. Despite the encouragement of his studio friend (Adolphe Menjou), he was too proud to take any hand outs. In the end, Vicki's grandma went to Hollywood, for the first time, and attended Vicki's film premeire - a master stroke to see both Vicki's and grandma's dream fulfilled.
Fredrich March, Janet Gaynor and Adolphe Menjou were heavyweights in the big screen. I reckon the older version more warm and touching. A truly wonderful movie. In addition, Janet Gaynor was the lady who won the first Oscar for a leading actress in recognition of her work in three other films. Word has it that the script was modeled on the early life of Barbara Stanwyck and her first husband Frank Fay.
A MOVIE ABOUT GRATITUDE April 17, 2007
3 out of 3 found this review helpful
This review is about the Image release of William A. Wellman's A STAR IS BORN. No bonus, just a scene access, excellent sound and above average quality of the images.
William A. Wellman, the director of the film, earned a well-deserved Academy award in 1938 for his story whose themes were also handled in A Star Is Born and in A Star Is Born since. This movie is about the role and the impact of the images in Hollywood and about a feeling rarely treated, because not particularly expressive, in cinema : gratitude.
David O. Selznick, the producer of A STAR IS BORN, liked to take risks in his job and often worked with directors blessed by a strong artistic vision, like Alfred Hitchcock Spellbound - Criterion Collection, King Vidor Duel in the Sun or William Dieterle Portrait of Jennie. William A. Wellman could thus propose, at the beginning and at the end of the film, these famous shots of a screenplay describing what we will see or have just seen on the screen. Think about it : we're in 1937 and the French New Wave will appear more than 20 years later only !
When we watch A STAR IS BORN now, we are boggled by the quality of the dialogues of the film and the importance of the supporting roles. Lionel Stander, Andy Devine, May Robson or Adolphe Menjou have all important lines to say and are not just here to fill the screen between two apparitions of Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. Without them, there is simply no film at all.
A DVD for your library.
They don't make them like this anymore! March 2, 2007
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
I was amazed by this movie! Of the three versions that have been made (this one with Janet Gaynor, the Judy Garland one, and the Barbara Streisand one) this one is best by far. Janet Gaynor really was perfect for this role. Adolphe Mejou aces the role of a fading star. It has moments of cheeky humor ("What about getting married in a church?"-"Naw, it's been done before.") and moments that break your heart. It's such an honest portrayal of the highs and lows of Hollywood. If you like old movies, or just movies in general, this is a must see. The ending is killer.
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