A Star is Born 1954 vs 2018

I'm going to compare two movies that made an impact 60 years apart.

Let's be clear, "A Star is Born" is a title used by 4 movies. The original movie was in 1937, and The 1954 movie was a reboot of that movie. There was another reboot in 1976, and the latest reboot in 2018. I've seen the 1954 version before as I had mentioned, and I wanted to see what the 2018 version had brought to the table. The plot is unchanged, the characterizations are unchanged, except for a few tweaks.

I still consider the 1954 movie more superior. The musical performances were fabulous. The actress and actor play a wonderful acting duo, that the movie should actually be titled "A Star is Born & Dead". Judy Garland's "Vicky Lester" and James Mason's "Norman Maine" were fantastic. Judy Garland was nominated for best Actress. James Mason's voice was really classic, if you listen to it now you would think someone modified it using an audio modulator or mixer. To those worried about watching movies in black and white, it has a color version.

The 2018 reboot had Lady Gaga's "Ally Maine" and Bradley Cooper's "Jackson Maine" which were fantastic. Lady Gaga was nominated for best Actress. Bradley Cooper's voice was almost similar to James Mason, 75%. The movie performs rock and roll, piano performances, and removes the dancers. I'll admit that I liked it.

The fundamental flaw lies in the dynamic between the two actors. The Shift in focus is very important, because The Intended Star is not the focus of the movie. This movie should be titled "A Star is Dead".

It also didn't feel authentic enough. For a first time live performance (and others after that), if you sing behind a microphone, you'll have to position yourself properly. The sound coming out the microphone wasn't always like live concert music, it was more like a record. I hope Bohemian Rhapsody isn't like this.

But it does add some extra drama, soap opera, quotes etc. Rated R I think. One quote stuck my nerve: "Music is essentially 12 notes between any octave. Twelve notes and the octave repeats. Just like the same story told over and over. All any artist can offer the world is how they see those twelve notes", implying a satire of all movies, especially superhero movies. If only there were more.

That's it for now. SkateLane Booting Out