Everything about A Star Is Born 1976 Film totally explained
A Star Is Born is a
1976 rock music film telling the story of a young woman, played by
Barbra Streisand who enters show business, and meets and falls in love with an established male star, played by
Kris Kristofferson, only to find her career ascending while his goes into decline. It is a
remake of two earlier versions – the
1937 version was a
drama starring
Janet Gaynor and
Fredric March, and the
1954 version was a
musical film starring
Judy Garland and
James Mason.
Main cast
Production
Directed by
Frank Pierson, the film updates the original story and
screenplay of
William A. Wellman and
Robert Carson with additional contributions by Pierson,
John Gregory Dunne and
Joan Didion. It also features
Gary Busey and
Sally Kirkland.
Venetta Fields and
Clydie King perform as Streisand's
backing vocalists "The Oreos". Kristofferson's wife
Rita Coolidge and
Tony Orlando appear briefly as themselves.
The earlier films had portrayed the behind-the-scenes world of
Hollywood film making; however, this version adapted the story to the music business. For example, the 1937 and 1954 films each portrayed the lead female character winning an
Academy Award, while the 1976 version depicted the heroine winning a
Grammy Award instead.
A Star Is Born was co-produced by Streisand and her then-partner
Jon Peters for
Barwood Films and
Warner Brothers. Among the actors considered for the male lead were
Neil Diamond and
Marlon Brando. Both Streisand and Peters wanted
Elvis Presley for the role: they met with Elvis and discussed the film, and he was interested in taking on the part, thinking it would revive his stagnant career. Elvis' manager,
Colonel Tom Parker, insisted that Elvis have top billing and asked for a substantial sum of money for the role, even though he hadn't been in a film since
1969 and people were unaware of what kind of box office draw he'd be, which essentially ended Elvis' involvement with the project. Parker didn't want Elvis to play in the movie because he wouldn't have the lead role.
The film cost around six million dollars to produce, and was a substantial hit, ultimately grossing more than 70 million dollars worldwide. Its soundtrack album was also an international success. It featured the ballad "
Evergreen (Love Theme from
A Star Is Born)," which became one of the biggest hits of Streisand's career, spending three weeks at number one in the United States, and peaking at number three in the United Kingdom. The filming locations for the film included many locations in
Arizona such as downtown
Tucson,
Tucson Community Center, Sonoita and
Tempe.
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A costume note was that Streisand's character's (Esther Hoffman Howard) clothing used in the movie was straight out of Streisand's own closet.
Awards
The film won the
Academy Award for
Best Original Song for "Evergreen" with the award shared by its songwriters, Streisand and
Paul Williams, and was also nominated in the categories of
Best Cinematography (
Robert Surtees),
Best Sound (Robert Knudson, Dan Wallin, Robert Glass and Tom Overton) and
Original Music Score (
Roger Kellaway). It won five
Golden Globe Awards for
Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy,
Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Streisand),
Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Kristofferson),
Best Original Score (Paul Williams and
Kenny Ascher) and
Best Original Song, (Streisand and Williams for "Evergreen").
In the two previous versions, Gaynor and Garland were each depicted on screen as winning an Oscar, yet neither won for their film in real life (though both had won an Oscar before, as did Streisand). In this film, Streisand is instead depicted as winning a Grammy; yet ironically, in real life the film's song "Evergreen" won her both a Grammy (for
Song of the Year) and an Oscar.
According to at least one Streisand biography, unhappy with a few of Frank Pierson's scenes, Streisand later directed them herself (a claim also made for 1979's "The Main Event"), adding to the rumors that she and Pierson clashed constantly during production.
Soundtrack
The soundtrack to the movie, performed by Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, was successful, reaching the
number-one spot on the
Billboard 200 chart.
The track listing of the album is as follows:
"Watch Closely Now" - 3:49
"Queen Bee" - 3:55
"Everything" - 3:50
"Lost Inside of You" - 2:54
"Hellacious Acres" - 2:58
"Evergreen (Love Theme From "A Star Is Born")" - 3:04
"The Woman in the Moon" - 4:49
"I Believe in Love" - 3:13
"Crippled Crow" - 3:30
"Finale: With One More Look at You/Watch Closely Now" - 7:43
"Reprise: Evergreen (Love Theme From "A Star Is Born")" - 1:46
| Year |
Chart |
Position |
| 1977 |
Billboard 200 |
1 |
Further Information
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