How many times has ‘A Star Is Born’ been remade?
A talented person stuck in the shadows of insignificance, waiting for the moment they’re discovered before finally emerging into the light. A helping hand reaches into the dark and pulls them onto the stage, into the spotlight, as they fall in love. Isn’t that the ultimate dream of every striving star? As A Star Is Born has been remade across different decades, each one has explored that very fantasy and the dark reality that fame has seemingly always come along with.
By now, we’re well versed in the fact that fame is hard. Fame is often deeply toxic, even fatal, as there are stories stretching back years, decades, and even centuries of people being plunked from normality, put on a pedestal, and then faltering as they cannot handle the weight and pressure of notoriety. Fame comes along with a deafening chorus of voices and opinions, a mountainous pile on of expectations and the ever-glaring eyes of a mass public who all demand a star to act in a certain way. One crack and it could all crumble, and so often it does.
There are plenty of films where it doesn’t, though. Especially in the world of romantic movies, things tend to get their happily ever after. Movie makers are often pretty protective over the idea of a star because they need them. They still want to maintain, somewhat, the idea of a celebrity as a shiny and perfect thing and that fame can bring about ultimate happiness.
But the power of the A Star Is Born movies is their dedication to not doing that. Each one is set in a distinct era and has its own distinct treatments of success and fame. The movie has dealt with the deadly pressures and lack of care that have forever haunted the industry and hurt its stars.
How many times has ‘A Star Is Born’ been remade?
By now, the story has been told three times. There have been three versions of A Star Is Born. The most recent one was in 2018, when Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper were looking at a modern take on fame. Before that, it was the 1976 version with Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, perfectly set in the rock and roll age. But the first, and arguably the ultimate version, is the 1954 original with James Mason and, crucially, Judy Garland.
The casting of Judy Garland in the role is haunting, really. After finally getting out of the MGM contract she’d been in since childhood, the one that saw her gravely mistreated, A Star Is Born was her comeback. Although in the film, and in all three movies, it’s the male star who descends into fatal addiction, the connection to Garland’s own experience in the industry is hard to ignore.
All three films are poignant. They deal with the troubles of fame, the industry’s lack of care for its stars, and the way the world seems to hunger to see someone crumble. As the three movies have now spanned decades, it’s also powerful to see how that fact has never truly got better, only evolved.
…and which version won the most Oscars?
Both the 2018 and 1974 versions of A Star Is Born won at their respective Oscars, although they never won big. Both movies won in the category of ‘Best Original Song’. Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper won for ‘Shallow’, while Barbra Streisand won for her solo song, ‘Evergreen (Love Theme from A Star Is Born)’.
The 1974 take flopped in terms of nominations for the cast, failing to be nominated in any of the top categories, though they did sweep the wins at the Golden Globes that year. However, both the 2018 and originally 1954 movies were heavy hitters in their nominated class.
Judy Garland received her first and only ‘Best Actress’ nomination at the Oscars for her role. Lady Gaga also got her first in that same category. Both Bradley Cooper and James Mason were also nominated for ‘Best Actor’. Cooper also directed the remake and was nominated for that year’s coveted ‘Best Director’ prize.
