A Star Is Born (1976)

Very very predictable, including the post credit scene !!!

This is How Movies Should Be Made

The film creates a perfect balance between action and depth of basic needs, in the midst of an infertile atmosphere.

This is a gorgeous movie made by a gorgeous spirit.

Co-Written and directed by Frank Pierson, this 1976 remake of "A Star is Born" starred Barbra Streisand back when she was at the pinnacle of her singing and acting career, it was however it was complex in pulling off the magic of the old 1937 version that starred Janet Gaynor and Frederic March or the the old 1954 version starring Judy Garland and James Mason. In many ways like Gaynor and Garland, Streisand was also very labouring to work with on the set due to her heavy demands and her perfectionist ways. For some not so surprising evidence, Babs had her legions of loyal fans while by way of contrast, she also has her equal share of critics who are more than happy to verbally inject their disdain towards her. Some of the quips bestowed upon her are quite witty in their analogy as claiming this movie to be renamed "A Bore is Born".But in spite of who stars in this movie, it was quite a refreshing spin of an old classic to relocate the scenario as the focus is not on Hollywood actors but on rock-and-roll performers. Just like the other two films it's based on, the storytelling is equally poignant. Sure it may not be for everyone, but it still exceeds Streisand's 1973 film "The Way We Were". It had some appeal to the fans as it grossed over $80 million which was the third highest grossing picture of that year.Falling in the routine of its predecessors in terms of the plot, we see Streisand starring as Esther Hoffman breaking into a career in show business. She meets and befriends and falls in love with a veteran rock musician who as her career is flourishing, his career is plummeting. Streisand was the right choice for this role and her pairing with Kris Kristofferson gives it the right kind of chemistry as he's quite effective as the self-loathing, inebriated loser named John Norman Howard. And though it is a thankless performance playing a musician who's given up on hope, Kristofferson plays is very gracefully.The songs that feature Streisand on lead vocals are both riveting, vibrant and will surely lift your spirits. She handled the song she sung "Evergreen" which she co-wrote with Paul Williams with such power, that she won an Oscar for Best Song and her wonderful voice will surely appease nicely to her legions of fans. Ecstatically, this song was recorded in one take and Streisand nailed it with absolute perfection. Like the character Esther Hoffman who won a Grammy, Streisand went on to win both a Grammy and and Oscar for the song "Evergreen". In addition to that, Robert Surtees was nominated for an Oscar winner for Best Cinematography. Robert Knudson, Dan Wallin, Robert Glass and Tom Overton were nominated for Best Sound and Roger Kellaway was nominated for Best Original Score.For all the cynics out there, the inspiration of this remarkable film should be informed that there is going to be a new remake of "A Star is Born" which will be launched next year and starring Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, indicating that if it wasn't for this version starring Streisand and Kristofferson. Will it exceeds the viewer's expectations? Only time will tell. This remake is still inferior to the Judy Garland and James Mason version, but it's still a good watch.A great shout to the supporting performers including Gary Busey as Bobby Ritchie, Paul Mazursky as Brian Wexler, Sally Kirkland as a photographer, Robert Englund as Marty, Venetta Fields and Clydie King are Hoffman's backup vocalists, The Oreos, plus brief appearances by Kristofferson's then wife Rita Coolidge and Tony Orlando as themselves.When it came to film "A Star is Born", it was a very rocky road indeed. There was claims that the egocentric Streisand directed some scenes for herself much to the chagrin of director Pierson with rumours floating about that Babs and Pierson conflicted with each other many times on set, even with Pierson stating his experience was horrendous. Kristofferson almost came close to quitting movies after making this film claiming co-starring with Streisand was a labouring experience.The soundtrack was a big success as it sold over 4 million copies in the U.S. and was a chart topper for six weeks in a row and 15 million copies worldwide.Streisand originally didn't have Kristofferson in mind to play the male lead, but Elvis Presley instead or a close second Marlon Brando. The King had a keen interest in the role of John Norman Howard, but his manager Col. Tom Parker rebuffed at the idea due to her not asking him at first and wanted overwhelming demands.Still in spite of its ups and downs and trials and tribulations, it's a great watch that's filled with drama, romance, music and fun old entertainment. I recommend you all to see it.

This film is my number one guilty pleasure as far as movies go. Yes, the critics were right about everything: Streisand's pop songs sound more like her usual, Broadway show-stoppers; Streisand's character's instant stardom is contrived, to say the least; Kris is an excellent songwriter, but he, uh, can't sing a note (yet he didn't write any of the songs in the film); and (getting a little mean here) even with a beard, Kristofferson is prettier than Babs. So why have I seen this film at least 100 times? Well, it was extremely entertaining despite it's many clichés and the other things I've sited. The music is also good, as cheesy as Babs' songs are and as poorly sung as Kris' are. I'm apparently not alone--in 1976, only Rocky made more money at the box office (not bad for an R-Rated movie in a year that had many great films, such as Taxi Driver, Network, All the President's Men and The Omen, The Bad News Bears, to list a few. Very dated today, but I still want to watch it again.

I swear when I first saw this movie,I cried my eyes out! A STAR IS BORN is the movie that lets you know what love is really like despite the obstacles John Norman (Kris Kristofferson) and Esther (Streisand) face. You also experience what it's like to lose a love like that by the end of the movie. Streisand and Kristofferson have such great chemistry together and the music is fantastic! When Streisand sings With one more look at you/Watch closely now, it's just pure magic! This movie made the song Evergreen one of my favorites,and Queen Bee is such a fun song. Also I love the fashion of the '70s (except Streisand's afro. Besides that,she's a beauty.). A Star is Born is my number one favorite movie. This movie is a pleasure to watch and is a heart-breaker at the end.

Really an amazing pile of pap! A predictable, slow moving, soul destroying, mind numbing movie to which, slitting your own wrists with a rusty bread knife seems... well, almost necessary.The acting is over done for the thin dialogue, every scene is at least twice as long as it needs to be, the intricate details of how this career is collapsing or that career is rising is just far too dreary and mundane for words. The music would be good if you didn't have to sit through the movie, but really, three good songs is not enough reward for the effort required to watch the movie.Watching this film I prayed to God for narcolepsy or for someone to shoot me.Never, ever, ever again.