A Star Is Born **** (1976, Barbra Streisand, Kris Kristofferson, Gary Busey) – Classic Movie Review 1126

Co-writer/director Frank Pierson’s hit 1976 musical stars Barbra Streisand in the prime of her hey-day, but it was risky remaking a film that already had two classic versions. Unsurprisingly, as, for some weird reason she has always had as many fervent haters as admirers, the anti-Streisand protesters were out in force and very vocal. And the supposed wits, too, – ‘a bore is starred’, they bitched.

Nevertheless the story of showbiz’s swings and roundabouts is effectively relocated this time to the rock music business instead of the movies. And it works its old magic all over again. This is a much more successful and entertaining movie than Streisand’s The Way We Were (1973). The fans loved it and it was the second-highest grossing film of 1976.

In the famous, now archetypal story, a young woman now called Esther Hoffman enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star and find her career ascending while his is falling. Streisand is just right casting for this role as an aspiring singer/songwriter at this time, and plus there’s a noble co-starring performance from Kris Kristofferson as the talented but self-destructive, alcoholic loser singer/songwriter John Norman Howard. It’s a difficult role to play, quite ungrateful, but Kristofferson pulls it off gracefully.

Streisand’s numbers are tuneful vibrant and delightful, put across with great skill and appeal. She won a Best Song Oscar for the lovely standard ‘Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)’, shared with Paul Williams who wrote the lyrics. And as the star, actress and singer in the movie, she certainly wows all of her millions of fans. Excitingly, the version of Evergreen during the recording studio scene is a live recording, filmed in one single take.

Streisand is depicted in the film as winning a Grammy, and in real life the film’s song Evergreen won her both a Grammy (for Song of the Year) and an Oscar. A Star Is Born was also nominated for Best Cinematography (Robert L Surtees), Best Sound (Robert Knudson, Dan Wallin, Robert Glass and Tom Overton) and Original Music Score (Roger Kellaway).

Anyway, for all the moaners at the time, what is lost if we have another version? We now have three versions instead of two (four if you include the original prototype in 1932’s What Price Hollywood?) so we can take our pick any time we choose. This version is the highest-grossing of the three films, but it isn’t necessarily the best.

The film also features Gary Busey, Paul Mazursky, Sally Kirkland and Robert Englund. Venetta Fields and Clydie King perform as Streisand’s backing vocalists The Oreos, while Kristofferson’s then real-life wife Rita Coolidge and Tony Orlando appear briefly as themselves.

Robert Surtees was Oscar nominated for his classy Best Cinematography.

It triumphed at the 1977 Golden Globes, taking home five awards – for Best Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Best Actor in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical, Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Comedy or Musical,  Best Original Score – Motion Picture (Paul Williams, Kenny Ascher), and Best Original Song – Motion Picture.

It was probably not a happy shoot. Allegedly Streisand later directed retakes on some scenes herself, adding to claims of rumours that she and Pierson clashed constantly during production. Pierson wrote an account, published in both New York and New West magazines, detailing what a horrible experience it had been. Kristofferson said: ‘Filming with Streisand is an experience which may have cured me of the movies.’

The hit movie soundtrack was number one for six weeks, sold more than four million copies in the US, with a reported 15 million copies sold worldwide.

Streisand wanted Elvis Presley for the part of John Norman Howard, and failing him, Marlon Brando. Streisand went to Las Vegas to see Presley after one of his performances in 1975 and tried to convince him to play the part. Presley wanted to do it but his manager Colonel Tom Parker was angry Streisand did not come to him first and made impossible demands.

The previous versions are A Star Is Born (1937) and A Star Is Born (1954).

Yet another remake of A Star Is Born, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga, hits cinemas on 5 October 2018.

© Derek Winnert 2014 Classic Movie Review 1126

Check out more reviews on http://derekwinnert.com

Derek Winnert is the author of The Virgin Encyclopedia of the Movies, The Film & Video Guide and a biography of Barbra Streisand.

A Star Is Born (1954).

A Star Is Born (1937).