Regarding the restoration of 'A Star is Born' (1954)

Rick Z. · 01-12-2007, 11:03 AM

I was reading an article yesterday which chronicles the restoration of A Star is Born , which was conducted by Ronald Haver in 1983. I found it quite interesting and I'd like to hear some opinions from those in the know. I also would like to have one thing clear... much of the deleted scenes were found in the stock footage dept, right? but according to the article, these were alternate takes of the misssing scenes and the soundtrack that was being used was from the original uncut 3 hour version (derived from the original scenes). I saw this film so long ago and I don't remember the final result of this restoration (other than the stills for the missing closeups, etc) but how did they manage to sync the alternate takes to the soundtrack of the original uncut version? or was it that the scenes that were found in the stock footage dept were the originals and not alternate takes? can someone please explain me this?

Chuck Pennington · 01-12-2007, 11:18 AM

You really need to buy Haver's book on the restoration for a thorough account, but as I remember from reading it the stock footage had alternate takes of shots of cars and settings and such. That accounts for why there are many actual shots in between the photos of the scene recreations. In Jack Warner's private vault, they found alternate takes of most of the musical numbers, and it was from this footage they initially recreated "Lose That Long Face". The sync was noticeably off, but shortly after a few screenings a collector was found who had the original negative! The book goes into more detail (apparently this guy had tons of illegal material that was seized - he had been fingered by a friend some time before as having the entire original sequence), but this negative was then used to properly restore the "Lose That Long Face" sequence.

The whole scene with Vicki and Norman's proposal and that song was taken from black and white seperations that were made from the uncut version of the film - and survived mislabeled! Unfortunately, seperations were not made of the entire film before it was edited, but at least that one reel was processed beforehand.

I believe Haver's book is out-of-print, but it is worth picking up for sure.

ScottR · 01-12-2007, 11:44 AM

I managed to score an autographed copy of this book a few years ago. It's a wonderful read.

SilverWook · 01-12-2007, 01:37 PM

I'd bet that the negative and other "illegal material" were originally rescued from a garbage dumpster.

MattH. · 01-12-2007, 04:18 PM

It is a wonderful book, well worth the time to track down. In fact, I wouldn't mind reading it again soon as I've forgotten some of the details and would enjoy discovering them again.

I rewatched the DVD a few weeks ago, and the film holds up beautifully. It's quite a good transfer, too.

**HTF Ads**

Charles Ellis · 01-12-2007, 05:46 PM

I wonder if Warner Bros. has found anything else in the intervening years. Sadly, Mr. Haver is deceased, and it would be a great tribute to him if more footage were found that can replace the "stills with soundtrack" scenes he used for the reconstruction. If the rumors of a new Ultra-Resolution DVD are true, maybe there will be a few surprises ahead....

Darren Gross · 01-12-2007, 06:15 PM

While the full audio exists for the entire cut, because of the limited nature of the existing stills, some of the still & audio recreated sequences were trimmed down to make the film play better. Understandable, really, as having a film stop for two minutes while only 2 or 3 images play across the screen would be really kill the pacing. The still & audio recreations move quick enough that you're in and out and back to the film sequences fairly quickly.

I would love a future disc to have the full audio of these sequences included in their entirety, purely as a bonus feature.

Ethan Riley · 01-12-2007, 06:31 PM

For some reason, the use of stills in this restoration was a little jarring; contrast it to similar work in the original "Lost Horizon" when for some reason, it seemed okay (to me at least). I don't know why; that's just the way it is...???

Chuck Pennington · 01-12-2007, 08:03 PM

The sequences cut from the restoration ARE on side B of the DVD release - in audio form only, obviously.

Chuck Pennington · 01-12-2007, 08:07 PM

They need to do an Ultra-Resolution transfer of the 1937 A STAR IS BORN - not the 1954 remake. It wasn't show three-strip, and the negative elements appear to be just fine. The only film I know of where UR was used on a non-Technicolor film was THE SEARCHERS, and that was only because of the unusable faded camera negative. Remember, seperation masters are a generation down, and depending on whether they were made optically or by contact printing - and also WHEN they were made, vary in quality. That is why they usually use them as a last resort when restoring a film not originally shot 3-strip.