I'm going out and have a real life.
I'm going to be somebody.
- Esther Blodgett
Few Hollywood films have had the impact of the original version of
A Star Is Born.
Released in 1937 and starring Janet Gaynor and Fredric March, it was nominated for nine Academy Awards and won two (for best original story and best cinematography). Since then, the movie has been remade three times, attesting to its continued allure. But none have matched the genius and wit of the original.
A Star Is Born
speaks to the longing for fame and its costs. Young Esther Blodgett leaves her home in North Dakota to make her way as an actress in Hollywood. She attracts the attention of cinema heartthrob Norman Maine, who not only falls in love with her but sees her star potential. He shepherds her through to acclaim.
In the meantime, Norman Maine’s career plunges in the opposite direction. He was once a favorite leading man, but his alcoholism plunges him into escapades that embarrass the studio and destroy his talents as an actor. Esther’s love for Norman is undying, but in the end she cannot protect him from himself.
This magnificent and poignant story illumines the ups and downs of celebrity—its pains, its pleasures, its glamor, and its uncertainties. We experience the splendor of Hollywood at the height of its Golden Age. We are also see the heartbreaks and tragedies that accompanied it.