Blu-ray Review A Star is Born (1976) Blu-ray Review (1 Viewer)

[Trentrunner]

...but i wonder what first choice Elvis would have done with the role.

Or her other choice, Bruce Springsteen. Srsly.

 

[Ken Volok]

I confess, I didn't know there was actually a silent film entitled "The Artist", now I feel i can't give the recent one anymore brainspace until I see the original.

 

[davidHartzog]

I dont think I knew about Bruce. That might hve been an inspired choice.

 

[Ken Volok]

I think Springsteen was too much of a rebel to consider it, at least at the time.

 

[Colin Jacobson]

Originally Posted by Ken Volok
I think Springsteen was too much of a rebel to consider it, at least at the time.

Bruce would've been awfully young for the part, IMO. The character needs to border on has-been, and Bruce would've been 26 at the time - he's seven years younger than Streisand, so I don't know how they could have pulled off the "mentor/protege" side of the film.
Where did the notion that Bruce was under consideration come from, anyway? Was it in the commentary? I listened to that when the DVD came out and didn't mention Bruce in my review - I can't imagine I wouldn't have noted that in my review if Babs had said it.
Just curious where it was indicated that Bruce was up for the role...

 

[Ken Volok]

Imagine if she I mean they had cast Bowie.

 

[The Drifter]

I just saw the '76 version of A Star is Born, for the first time. Being a huge fan of '70's movies (it's my favorite decade for film, period) and also being a big fan of a lot of '70's rock/pop music - I thought I would like the film.

However, though I sat through the entire film - I felt it was weak, bland, and sub-par. Terrible casting choices - I don't like Kris K. or Barbara S. as actors or singer/musicians, and they also didn't appear to have any chemistry re: the love scenes. The musical numbers were also very bland/uninteresting.

One of the few scenes I did find entertaining & amusing was near the beginning, when Kris. K. was accosted by a crazed, aggressive fan who wanted him to perform at a local bar - when he was just sitting down & listening to the music. They ended up getting into a fight, leading to Kris & Barbara having to leave the bar in a hurry - LOL. This crazed fan was played by Robert Englund, who went on to achieve international recognition as Freddy Kruger in the NOES films - LOL.

I understand that they probably had to cast "big names" at the time in order to make the film. Not sure who would have made a better male lead, since they needed someone who could act & sing - maybe Bowie?! IMHO he did a great job acting in 1976's The Man who fell to Earth.

I felt a much better female lead would have been Jessica Harper, who had starred in De Palma's excellent Phantom of the Paradise a couple of years earlier (she was also in 1977's horror flick Suspiria). She has a great singing voice, and I feel she would have been excellent here - if she had sung music similar to what she was singing in POTP. However, she was obviously not popular enough to warrant inclusion in this big budget movie.

At this point, I have seen the 1937, 1954, and 1976 versions of ASIB - though I have yet to see the 2018 version. And, I still believe that the '54 version is the best & most iconic (and I doubt I'll change my mind about that).

 

[DP 70]

I think the 1976 version is still the best.

 

[The Drifter]

If we're complaining about the ridiculous, I couldn't believe the female reporter in bed with John Norman tries to conduct an interview with Esther while naked in bed next to him. Sure, the character was probably high off her gourd, but they couldn't come up with anything better than that? The next is when Esther hears the recording of John Norman and the worker comes out with the tape player and says, "Hey lady, how do you turn this off?" Seriously, he doesn't know how to turn off a tape player?

I actually felt these scenes were funny, but am not sure they were intentionally played for laughs or not. I.e., the female reporter thinking it was OK to interview Streisand after she had just tried to sleep with her husband - LOL.....and the contractor not knowing how to turn the tape recorder off?! WTF?! These were both ridiculous scenes - LOL.

 

[Robert Crawford]

I think the 1976 version is still the best.

Is it lonely out on the branch by yourself? I'm just joking as I know few people that agree with you.

 

[rsmithjr]

I saw the 76 version during original release and also on this excellent Blu-ray.

I thought that it was a worthy retelling of the story and it worked for me. The 54 version is still the best, and one of my favorite films. Updating to a rock n roll motif was appropriate and perhaps even necessary for the themes to develop in a credible way.

The latest 2018 version is also worthy. Interestingly enough, it follows the arc and style of the 76 version, also being set in a rock n roll setting.

I think we simply have to accept the idea that stories can be retold in new ways for new times. It does amaze me that West Side Story is being remade, but I'll take a look. History tells us that Shakespeare did not invent the story line of Romeo and Juliet BTW!