Movie Critique

The movie I chose to watch was A Star is Born, starring Janet Gaynor and Frederic March. I chose to watch this film as I had seen the 2018 adaptation of it with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper, and wanted to compare. Because the first movie was created in 1937, I knew there were going to be some differences, so I was eager to watch. Maybe it’s because I love Gaga and Cooper, or quite simply because it was filmed in the 1930’s, but I found this version to be less appealing. However, I did like how this version displayed the difficulty of making it in Hollywood in comparison to the 2018 version. In this version, Esther applied for extra work as an actress and then saw how busy the phone lines were of other hopefuls trying to break into the industry. Allie in the 2018 version seemed to have a case of good luck, as a famous musician wound up at the same bar she was performing at and immediately having eyes for her. Although she did work hard for everything she got, her rise to fame seemed to be a bit more immediate as she sang on stage with him and then gained instant attraction. Esther also had a family who was unsupportive of her dream, whereas in Allie’s case, her father was supportive even though she did have to support herself financially.