A Star Is Born

"For anyone who has ever loved..."

1976 2h 20m EN

😐

6.0

MID

★6.0TMDB · 251

DramaMusicRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Drunken, has-been rock star John Norman Howard falls in love with unknown singer Esther Hoffman after seeing her perform at a club. He lets her sing a few songs at one of his shows and she becomes the talk of the music industry. Esther's star begins to rise, while John's continues to fall. She tries desperately to get John to sober up and focus on his music, but it may be too late to save him.

“For anyone who has ever loved...”

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Where to watch · US

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Cast

Barbra Streisand
Esther Hoffman
Kris Kristofferson
John Norman Howard
Gary Busey
Bobbie Ritchie
Oliver Clark
Gary Danziger
Venetta Fields
The Oreos
Clydie King
The Oreos
Marta Heflin
Quentin
M.G. Kelly
Bebe Jesus

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Frank Pierson
Writers: William A. Wellman, Robert Carson, Frank Pierson
Languages: English
Countries: United States of America

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 8

MONEY

Did you know

Grossed $80M — a 13.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

50 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Frank Pierson, shot by Robert Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Roger Kellaway. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Peter Zinner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and Gary Busey carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

FACT

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "For anyone who has ever loved...".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0075265 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Frank Pierson directs. Robert Surtees behind the camera. Roger Kellaway scores. Peter Zinner cuts. Made its budget back several times over at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Grossed $80M — a 13.3× return. The kind of profit studios chase for a decade.
250 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by Frank Pierson, shot by Robert Surtees. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Roger Kellaway. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Peter Zinner shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson and Gary Busey carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "For anyone who has ever loved...".
8IMDB entry: tt0075265 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

The technical file

Cinematography: Robert Surtees
Original score: Roger Kellaway
Editing: Peter Zinner
Production design: Polly Platt
Costume design: Shirlee Strahm
Makeup / hair: Kaye Pownall
Runtime: 140 min · 2h 20m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $6,000,000
Box office: $80,000,000
Return: 1333% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: A Star Is Born (1976)

Also by

Frank Pierson

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Community reviews

What people are saying

Wuchak2020-12-19
★ 6/10
Well done 70’s rock lifestyle film, but needs better songs A big time rock star is self-destructing on the lifestyle (Kris Kristofferson) when he inadvertently meets a talented smalltime singer (Barbra Streisand) and becomes her “golden connection” to stardom. Gary Busey is on hand as the former’s manager. "A Star is Born" (1976) is a drama/romance/musical focusing on the 70’s rock star lifestyle, which differentiates it from the two classic versions from 1937 and 1954. It’s similar to the later “The Rose” (1979), but I prefer this one. “Oh, God! You Devil” (1984) is another good comparison, despite the paranormal elements, and I slightly prefer that one. Kris Kristofferson is effective as the stud rock star in the manner of, say, Lindsey Buckingham in the 70s. He’s not the best singer but, then again, Bob Dylan wasn’t either (of course, he’s still alive as of this writing). Meanwhile Barbra never looked better, especially in her white Superman outfit in the desert. She’s a great singer, but none of the songs in the movie stir me much. At least Cher had great songs in the 70s, not to mention Fleetwood Mac. That’s what this movie needs, better songs, especially since so much time is devoted to Barbra performing. At the same time, the songs are certainly serviceable. The best part of the movie, for me, is the dynamic opening act. It then bogs down with the love story, but I appreciated the unexpected desert sequences. The ending is, um, I can’t give it away. The film runs 2 hours, 19 minutes, and was shot in Arizona and Warner Brothers Studios, Burbank, California. GRADE: B-/B
CinemaSerf2023-06-03
★ 7/10
If you are a fan of Barbra Streisand then you will enjoy this third iteration of the classic rags-to-riches story. In this version, Kris Kristofferson is the coke-fuelled rock star whose career seems to be very much on the wain after a series of bad reviews and bad behaviour... One night he stumbles across a small bar where a band "the Oreos" are playing. He effectively trashes their set much to the chagrin of Streisand. He does, however, rate her voice and after a wobbly start sets her on the road to stardom. What sets this apart from the earlier films is that there is much more music - and the soundtrack that produced "Evergreen" and "Lost Inside of You"; whilst not quite "The Man that Got Away" provides an amiable substitute for some pretty run-of-the-mill dialogue. As updated versions go, it's probably better to listen to than watch. A great finale number too...