As you may or may not know yet another remake of A Star Is Born is in the can and will be released in October of this year. IMO it’s an excellent vehicle for its star, Stefani Germanotta (Lady Gaga). I suspect she’ll do a good job. It also marks the directorial debut of Bradley Cooper who will costar as Norman (in this case Jackson) Main and I have more reservations about that. We’ll see.
A Star Is Born (1937 starring Janet Gaynor) itself was a remake of What Price Hollywood? and has been remade in 1954 (Judy Garland) and 1976 (Barbra Steisand). I’m probably omitting a remake in there somewhere.
I’m a little skeptical about remaking it today at all. [SPOILER ALERT] In both the Janet Gaynor and Judy Garland versions the diminutive star, on being introduced on the red carpet shortly after the suicide of her has-been alcoholic husband, Norman Main, draws herself up to her full height and introduces herself as “Mrs. Norman Main”. I have some difficulty in imagining that sentiment will ring true today let alone be acceptable. Would any other ending have quite the same dramatic effect? If you don’t have an equivalent dramatic effect, why remake the movie at all?
