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Kino Press Release: A Star Is Born (1937) (Blu-ray)

post #1 of 6
2/1/12 at 2:02pm
Thread Starter 

 

KIno CLassics Logo
Kino Classics Proudly Announces the Blu-ray and DVD Release of 
the original classic version of A Star is Born (1937), 
starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March

A Star is Born Blu-ray cover art
 
a7200b4b_a.gif
 
New York, NY - February 1, 2012 - Kino Classics is proud to announce the Blu-ray and DVD release of the original version of A Star is Born (1937), the classic film about a young woman's rise to stardom in Hollywood and the price she pays for fame, photographed in glorious Technicolor.  This edition is mastered in HD from an original nitrate 35mm Technicolor print, preserved by the George Eastman House Motion Picture Department, and authorized by the estate of David O. Selznick.

A Star is Born with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March

Both a time capsule of the film industry in Hollywood's Golden Age and a powerful drama about the cost of fame, A Star is Born was praised by Frank S. Nugent in theNew York Times (April 23, 1937) as "bright, inventive, and forceful." It won two Academy Awards®: Best Original Story and Best Cinematography, and was nominated for Best Picture, Best Director, Best Screenplay, Best Actor and Best Actress. The film also inspired two remakes, one starring Judy Garland (1954) and another starring Barbra Streisand (1976). More recently, its plot influenced Michel Hazanavicius' filmThe Artist (2011), which told a similar story of a young actress' rise to fame while the once-prominent actor she admires slides into obscurity.

The film comes to Blu-ray and DVD on February 7, 2012. The SRP for the Blu-ray is $29.95, while the SRP for the DVD is $24.95. Special features include the original theatrical trailer, stills gallery, and a filmed wardrobe test.

Janet Gaynor in A STAR IS BORNA Star is Born (1937) tells the story of Esther Blodgett (Janet Gaynor), a young woman who - with the encouragement of her grandmother (May Robson) - leaves her small town home for Hollywood to pursue her dream of stardom. Upon arriving in Hollywood, Esther finds the path to success paved with one obstacle after another. Her luck changes after she meets actor Norman Maine (Fredric March), once Hollywood's leading star, but now on the downward slide as he battles with alcoholism.

Taken with Esther, Norman sets up a screen test for her with his producer (Adolphe Menjou). Esther - renamed Vicki Lester for the screen - quickly rises to the top, while Norman continues to watch his own star image fade into obscurity. After the two are married, Norman's increasingly self-destructive behavior begins to take its toll on their relationship and on Esther's career. As Norman's alcoholism and depression worsen, Esther is faced with the prospect of having to sacrifice her own career in order to care for her husband. 

Produced in 1937 by David O. Selznick, A Star is Born was Fredric March and Janet Gaynor in A STAR IS BORNdirected by William A. Wellman (who would also direct Fredric March in Nothing Sacred for Selznick the same year), from a screenplay by Dorothy Parker, Alan Campbell and Robert Carson. It features a score by acclaimed composer Max Steiner.

A Star is Born also features a stellar supporting cast of great Hollywood character actors, including Adolphe Menjou (as sympathetic studio chief Oliver Niles), May Robson (as Esther's strong and proud Grandma Lettie), Andy Devine (as Esther's best friend, Danny McGuire), Lionel Stander (as wisecracking studio publicist Matt Libby), and Edgar Kennedy (in a typically flustered comic turn as Esther's long-suffering landlord).

Janet Gaynor in A STAR IS BORN
Special Features:
Original Theatrical Trailer
Wardrobe Test
Gallery

US / 1937 / Technicolor / 111 mins. / 1.33:1 / 1920 x 1080p (Blu-ray) / 2.0 Mono
 
A Star is Born (1937)
Director: William A. Wellman
Genre: Drama
Street date: February 7, 2012
Blu-ray SRP: $29.95
DVD SRP: $24.95

 

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Gear mentioned in this thread:

A Star is Born (Kino Classics Edition) [Blu-ray]
post #2 of 6
2/1/12 at 4:13pm
Here's hoping the world finally gets to see a proper print of this great film, instead of the ragged prints that we've been subjected to over the years! The fact that it is being released by Kino and authorized by the David O' Selznick estate are certainly very promising signs. Just in time for Valentine's Day!
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post #3 of 6
2/1/12 at 6:17pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by tony bensley View Post

Here's hoping the world finally gets to see a proper print of this great film, instead of the ragged prints that we've been subjected to over the years! The fact that it is being released by Kino and authorized by the David O' Selznick estate are certainly very promising signs. Just in time for Valentine's Day!


Not that I am huge believer in screen caps, they are up at DVD Beaver.

 

http://www.dvdbeaver.com/film3/blu-ray_reviews56/a_star_is_born_blu-ray.htm

 

While the caps look good, the film still shows it's age.  They do not look anything like that gorgeous trailer on the A STAR IS BORN (1954)

 

Edit -

 

Should have read the entire forum first.  Now that RAH gives this a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED I do not need to know anything else except will I order this today or tomorrow. 
 

 

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post #4 of 6
2/1/12 at 7:12pm
Originally Posted by ahollis View Post

Edit -

 

Should have read the entire forum first.  Now that RAH gives this a HIGHLY RECOMMENDED I do not need to know anything else except will I order this today or tomorrow. 


Ha!   Precisely.   I've decided that what my laptop needs is a Sold! key, to reduce keystrokes, thereby helping to cut down on repetitive stress injuries resulting from Pavlovian responses to RAH's recommendations.

 

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post #5 of 6
2/1/12 at 7:52pm

Ugh! I can't spend anymore this month! I can't!!! What am I going to do?

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post #6 of 6
2/1/12 at 8:20pm
Quote:
Originally Posted by eric scott richard View Post

Ugh! I can't spend anymore this month! I can't!!! What am I going to do?



Cry. Then kiss your credit card goodbye because we're just getting started this year.

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A Star is Born (Kino Classics Edition) [Blu-ray]
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