Product: Star Is Born (UK PAL Region 0)
Rating: 5.0
Boulevard Of Broken Dreams....
Though this is the only non-musical version of the thrice filmed tale, this original is my favorite. It may more than likely appear dated to some, but it is not only a wonderful story about the price of fame, but an early record of Hollywood history. Fredric March and Janet Gaynor are wonderfully touching as the doomed couple ,"Norman Maine" and "Vicki Lester", she being the new discovery whose *star* is ascending, totally eclipsing March's descending stardom. This was my first glimpse at Janet Gaynor, and I fell in love with her. May Robson is great also as Gaynors feisty Granny, who encourages the young, unknown dreamer to follow her dreams, and is there at the end when she seems to have given up. There are many wonderful moments, as when Gaynor, as the then pre-stardom "Esther Blodgett" tries to get the attention of movie big-whigs by her impressions of then popular stars Mae West, Katherine Hepburn, and Garbo. Andy Devine (that VOICE!!) is comical as the fledgling director who befriends the naive, broke, and new to Hollywood "Esther", and sticks with her through her metamorphosis to "Vicki Lester", and her tragedy and heartache. There's also fun scenes of early Hollywood locales, like the Hollywood Bowl, and interesting behind the scenes looks at the star-making process, when a little nobody is given everything from a new hairline to a new name. I always find myself blubbering like a fool at the films end, when Gaynor, having triumphantley come back from tragedy, delivers her final, famous line with a teary-eyed close-up. Yes, it's corny, but I'm crying not only because it's a tear-jerker, but also at the memory of all those beautiful fools of that long ago time, when there really was a place called HOLLYWOOD.