A star is reborn as Judy Garland returns to Hollywood after a four year absence for this headlining role where you can clearly see the woman in her replacing the young girl whose career started so spectacularly in "The Wizard Of Oz" some 15 years earlier. Yes we all know the story about the falling star coming into the orbit of the rising comet but played as convincingly as it is here and with marvellous song production numbers to boot, this really is almost a last hurrah for golden age Hollywood and all it stood for but at the same time it's adult themes of alcoholism and disintegrating marriage point forward to more a modern, sophisticated realism.We're properly introduced to Garland when she sings perhaps the ultimate torch song "The Man Who Got Away", with a powerhouse delivery which still doesn't overpower the song and immediately ensnares the passing ear of Hollywood legend Norman Maine, played with understated and underrated elan by James Mason. Yes, the movie plays Mason's alcoholism less like the disease we nowadays understand it to be today and more like an almost wilful career-choice done almost to attract attention by a fading yesterday man such as Maine.Wonderfully staged and sympathetically directed by George Cukor, Garland's musical numbers are vivacious and heartwarming apart from a hackneyed Vaudevillian medley of over-heard Jolson songs, the best of them for my money probably being Judy putting on a one-woman show for Norman in her own living room.Both leads you feel get right into their roles only very occasionally teetering into florid melodrama. Jack Carson and Ronald Bickford also deserve praise for their supporting turns, the former as Maine's long suffering press agent who eventually has his day and the latter as the supportive, nurturing film producer caught between both camps.Sure the ending is maybe slightly over the top as Maine makes the ultimate sacrifice for his wife but you'd have to be made of stone not to be affected by the final scene with Garland in close-up delivering one of the classic final lines you'll ever hear in any movie.This is a musical good enough to stand as a drama without its songs and with songs good enough to carry any other straight movie with even the flimsiest of story-lines. Put both these aspects together, mix in with convincing performances by the leading actors and a fine soundtrack and you really do have one of the very best musicals, indeed calling it just a musical is to somehow miss the point of a brave, ambitious and greatly rewarding film.

There is no doubt Judy Garland was an extraordinary singing talent, with one of the best voices ever heard on the silver screen. However, I feel her actual talent as a dramatic actress was overlooked because of her ability as a singer. Here, she is able showcase both the singer and the dramatic actress.Some people think that Judy didn't have to stretch very far to act in this role (unlike Grace Kelly who won the Oscar that year which many thought was rightfully Judy's), but I have to disagree. She got the chance to stretch her dramatic acting skills plenty, and gave a performance that perhaps was not expected of her after spending the majority of her MGM career in musical comedies, minus her dramatic, non-singing performance as a young war bride in "The Clock." This is Judy's movie all the way, and she makes the most of every moment. Still, the charismatic James Mason's contribution to the film should not be overlooked. In my opinion, he was an extremely underrated actor. This is a great film that gives her fans the complete Judy Garland package. Definitely worth seeing.

Right at the conclusion of this protracted production, Charles Bickford's studio executive turns to the cynical Jack Carson character, and says "You never really understood him, did you?" And I didn't warm to him very much either. Norman Maine, for the most part, struck me as being one of those people you go in fear and dread of being cornered by at a party. A powerful performance by Mason nevertheless, and one he was justifiably proud of. No doubt to my great loss, I've never really figured the magnetic appeal of Judy Garland, the real-life Norman Maine, and her hammy performance did little to convert me. It doesn't help that her most memorable numbers are towards the start. I saw the 'restored' version but didn't feel that these inserts did any real favours to a movie which could have benefited from some judicious pruning. Though worth seeing, it's one I would categorise as an acclaimed film that didn't live up to expectations.

In 1950, Judy Garland's contract with MGM was suspended when the turmoil in her personal life finally became too much for the studio to bear. For four years, she was away from movie screens until her then-husband Sidney Luft helped to her orchestrate a much-hyped comeback at Warner Brothers."A Star is Born" is a remake of David O. Selznick's film of the same name from 1937. That version garnered 7 Oscar nominations (resulting in one win), so the remake had a lot to live up to. In the end, it did more than live up to original, it surpassed it by becoming the definitive version of the story to date (out of three versions and counting).The story is a relatively simple one. A talented female singer is discovered by an alcoholic movie star whose best years are behind him. The two become romantically involved but her meteoric rise to fame starkly contrasts with his ever worsening fortunes. (This premise should sound vaguely familiar to anyone who's seen 2011 Best Picture winner "The Artist", which borrows liberally from both "A Star is Born" & "Singin' in the Rain".)As you might expect, the movie is first and foremost a showcase for Judy Garland. She did not disappoint, landing her first Oscar nomination for her iconic performance as the titular 'star'. However, to the surprise of many (including myself), she didn't end up winning. Also nominated in a losing cause was James Mason, whose excellent performance in the male lead was up against some stiff competition from Brando & Bogart. Supporting actors Jack Carson & Charles Bickford also delivered top-notch performances, though they received no recognition from Oscar voters.Musically, the movie stands out, mostly due to Garland's powerful voice. "The Man That Got Away" is today a recognized classic (for good reason) and the big production number, "Born in a Trunk", is outstanding too. The songs by Harold Arlen & George Gershwin are generally well done, though one or two (most notably, "Someone at Last") could have been dropped with minimal impact to the story.Visually, George Cukor's direction is well handled throughout as he takes full advantage of the CinemaScope frame. Meanwhile, Sam Leavitt's cinematography is drenched in beautifully saturated Technicolor.Unfortunately, for all of the movie's high points, there is a drawback. Prior to wide release, Warner Brothers somewhat haphazardly cut the film without the director's involvement. As a result, some of the original footage has been lost. The current version available on home video is a reconstruction that is almost complete but has some gaps filled in with still photos (with the complete soundtrack, though). This is a real shame but, thankfully, it isn't enough to wreck the film.In the end, "A Star is Born" qualifies as one of the best movie musicals of all time. The memorable musical numbers are augmented by a pair of stellar lead performances and high production values all around. Hopefully someday we'll be able to see the missing footage, which will only serve to enhance an already impressive cinematic experience.