• A Star Is Born (1954)

    Hollywood actor Norman Maine (James Mason) is a celebrity whose star is on the wane, but when he meets aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), he is inspired to help her, and soon the two appear in a musical together. Now known as Vicki Lester, she marries Norman and finds herself in demand, while his reputation continues to decline, resulting in heavy bouts of drinking....

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A Star Is Born
89
metacriticBased on 9 Critics
81
Based on 17 Users

Release Date: 1954

PG |2 hr 34 min

Plot Summary

Hollywood actor Norman Maine (James Mason) is a celebrity whose star is on the wane, but when he meets aspiring actress Esther Blodgett (Judy Garland), he is inspired to help her, and soon the two appear in a musical together. Now known as Vicki Lester, she marries Norman and finds herself in demand, while his reputation continues to decline, resulting in heavy bouts of drinking. Eventually, Vicki must choose between moving forward with her career and attempting to save her husband.

Cast: Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, Charles Bickford, Tommy Noonan, Lucy Marlow, Amanda Blake, Irving Bacon

Director: George Cukor

Genres: Musical

Production Co: Warner Brothers

Keywords: Touching, Emotional, Engaging, 1950s, Sacrifice, Love, Transformation

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Ratings & Reviews

  • 75
    Josh LarsenLarsenOnFilm

    Garland and Mason don’t exactly generate sparks as a couple, and her histrionics in the dialogue scenes eventually overwhelm the picture. But early on, this has a a lot of Technicolor/CinemaScope magic. show more

  • 75
    Bill WeberSlant Magazine

    Despite A Star Is Born’s musty jabs at movieland decadence in the wake of satires like Sunset Blvd. and The Bad and the Beautiful, it was the craft found in Cukor’s alternately splashy and shadowy mise-en-scène, and displayed by Mr. James Mason, that most greatly aided Mrs. Sid Luft. show more

  • 100
    The Hollywood Reporter

    George Cukor's direction, briskly paced, combines heartbreaking tragedy, out-of-this-world musical entertainment and rib-splitting comedy into a coordinated whole that can only be compared for sheer cinematic know-how with Gone With the Wind. This is a picture that's worth seeing over and over again. show more

See all critic reviews on metacritic.com

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Awards

Nominated Art Direction (Color)
Oscars Academy Awards (1954)
Nominated Music (Song)
Oscars Academy Awards (1954)
Nominated Music (Scoring of a Musical Picture)
Oscars Academy Awards (1954)
Nominated Costume Design (Color)
Oscars Academy Awards (1954)