There's no doubt that A Star Is Born is going to be one of the hottest movies [1] of the Fall (and probably of the upcoming awards season judging by early reactions). In case you haven't seen the trailer [2] yet, the movie, starring Bradley Cooper and Lady Gaga [3], is about the complicated relationship [4] between a talented ingenue whose career is just beginning and a declining superstar. If that story sounds familiar to you, well, that's probably because it is. Including the new film, there have been four film version of A Star Is Born, dating all the way back to 1937. Here's our guide to what's new — and what's stayed the same — between all four movies.
1937
The very first version of A Star Is Born debuted in 1937. It starred old-Hollywood staples Janet Gaynor and Fredric March in a Technicolor romantic drama. In the original story, a Midwestern farm girl named Esther Blodgett (Gaynor) moves to Hollywood to pursue her acting dreams, but can't even get cast as an extra. When she meets alcoholic movie star Norman Maine and he takes her under his wing, she begins to ascend to stardom, but Norman's own career falls into disrepair as he starts drinking more heavily. Although there were decidedly fewer media outlets in the 1930s than there are today, the reviews were almost unanimously positive. The film was nominated for seven Oscars and ultimately won one for best original story (a now-defunct category).
1954
The 1954 A Star Is Born was the first one to introduce the element that we now associate closely with it: its music. It's no small wonder that Warner Bros. chose to make this one a musical, given that movie musical icon Judy Garland [5] was cast as leading lady Esther (opposite James Mason as Norman). The movie hews pretty closely to the 1937 original in general, but deviates in the details. Instead of being a lonely farm girl, Esther is a snappy young singer who gains Norman's attention not by simply existing, but by saving him from public embarrassment when they first meet. Additionally, the movie incorporated a range of contemporary musical numbers; most famously, the Gershwin standard "The Man That Got Away" was specifically written for this movie. It was critically praised (with particular acclaim for Garland), was nominated for six Oscars, and won Golden Globes for both Garland and Mason.
1976
As '70s as you can get, the 1976 A Star Is Born embraces the musicality of the 1954 version and the rock milieu of the 1970s. This version, starring Barbra Streisand [6] and Kris Kristofferson, was the first one to take the story and transplant it from Hollywood showbiz to the music industry: Esther is an unknown singer and Norman (here renamed John) is a self-destructive rock star, although their ill-fated romance arc remains pretty much the same. Critics were decidedly less kind [7] to this remake, mostly panning the film and its performances. It did, however, win the Oscar for best original song, and it was the third-highest grossing movie of 1976. Best of all, you can find it on Netflix [8] to get your '70s fix!
2018
Like the 1976 version, the most recent remake focuses on the music industry instead of the acting biz. Here, Esther and Norman are revamped as Ally and Jackson, an unknown singer/songwriter and a hard-drinking country star, respectively. It's continuing the tradition of being a sort-of musical, with several original songs [9] featured within the story itself and Cooper and Gaga singing live [10]. The early reviews out of the festival circuit have been incredibly strong, praising Cooper and Gaga's performances above all else.