A Star Is Born

"Is the price of stardom a broken heart?"

1937 1h 51m EN

👍

7.2

SOLID

🔥

100%

CERTIFIED FRESH

👌

METACRITIC

⭐

7.3

IMDB

★7.2TMDB · 247🍅100%Rotten Tomatoes●77Metacritic★7.3IMDB · 12,048

DramaRomance

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

Esther Blodgett is just another starry-eyed farm kid trying to break into the movies. Waitressing at a Hollywood party, she catches the eye of her idol Norman Maine, is sent for a screen test, and before long attains stardom as newly minted Vicki Lester. She and Norman marry, though his career soon dwindles to nothing due to his chronic alcoholism.

“Is the price of stardom a broken heart?”

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Cast

Janet Gaynor
Esther Blodgett
Fredric March
Norman Maine
Adolphe Menjou
Oliver Niles
May Robson
Lettie Blodgett
Andy Devine
Danny McGuire
Lionel Stander
Matt Libby
Owen Moore
Casey Burke
Peggy Wood
Miss Phillips

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: William A. Wellman
Writers: William A. Wellman, Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker
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

Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 8

ERA

Did you know

89 years old — a genuine piece of film history.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 8

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by William A. Wellman, shot by W. Howard Greene. 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 Max Steiner. 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 James E. Newcom 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

Janet Gaynor and Fredric March and Adolphe Menjou carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 8

CAST

Did you know

Marketing tagline: "Is the price of stardom a broken heart?".

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

8 / 8

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt0029606 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#08

Cinephile deep dive

The take

William A. Wellman directs. W. Howard Greene behind the camera. Max Steiner scores. James E. Newcom cuts. Profitable at the box office. Produced in United States of America. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Shot for just $1.2M — micro-budget by Hollywood standards.
289 years old — a genuine piece of film history.
3Directed by William A. Wellman, shot by W. Howard Greene. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Max Steiner. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor James E. Newcom shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Janet Gaynor and Fredric March and Adolphe Menjou carry the top of the cast.
7Marketing tagline: "Is the price of stardom a broken heart?".
8IMDB entry: tt0029606 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
9Classified under 10 themes, including "husband wife relationship", "waitress", "movie business", "show business".

The technical file

Cinematography: W. Howard Greene
Original score: Max Steiner
Editing: James E. Newcom
Production design: Lansing C. Holden
Costume design: Omar Kiam
Makeup / hair: Elizabeth Arden
Runtime: 111 min · 1h 51m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Budget: $1,200,000
Box office: $2,370,000
Return: 198% of budget
Original language: EN
Certification (US): NR
IMDB: A Star Is Born (1937)
Rotten Tomatoes: 100% 🍅 Fresh
Metacritic: 77/100
IMDB rating: 7.3/10 · 12,048 votes
MPAA: Approved

Awards

Won 1 Oscar. 7 wins & 7 nominations total

National Board of Review: Top Ten Films
Academy Award for Best Story

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

William A. Wellman

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

Full-resolution frames — open one to save it as a wallpaper.

Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

CinemaSerf2022-06-20
★ 7/10
Janet Gaynor was at the top of her game with the almost Dickens' inspired name "Esther Blodgett" - an aspiring actress who moves to Hollywood and happens upon a drunken, self-destructive "Norman Maine" (Fredric March) as she waitresses at a party. His star is definitely on the wain, but he sees something in her and before long she is topping the bill. No singing in this version, which I think makes it a grittier adaptation of the story. Oddly enough, I find that the colour is quite distracting - it would have looked much better in black and white. That said, the dialogue is sharp and the pace likewise and it's an enjoyable watch.

Production companies