MovieChat Forums > A Star Is Born (1976) Discussion > I just watched the DVD of A Star Is Born...

I just watched the DVD of A Star Is Born - AWESOME!

posted 18 years ago by booey-2
4 replies | jump to latest

I was 16 when I first saw the movie, and it has always been a HUGE favorite of mine. Of course, you can't deny the appeal of Kristofferson in the movie - HOW FINE IS THAT MAN???????????? Sheesh. He still is. He's the bad boy every woman secretly wants. His acting is flawless. He played a drunk/druggie only the way someone who really had gone through it could - and he had - in '76 he finally got on the wagon, so it was all very real.

The music is GREAT and even though in later years I thought Streisand was somewhat not the right person for him in a physical beauty sense, I think it's more a problem for male viewers than female. Us gals are just looking at Kris - and naturally the guys are looking at the female interest - my husband cannot watch the movie b/c of her - he doesn't like her looks. But I did make him sit through just the red Ferrari scene on the road towards the end just so he could see how well done it was - the camera work was so perfect and you were totally in the car with him with the music blasting - you should have seen it on my 50" plasma - WOW!!!!

And lastly, the transfer quality was GREAT - anamorphic widescreen and really clear with great color and very low noise except for dark areas which is normal for all film.

Brought back some great memories of my mom and I loving this movie together, I bought a copy for her for Christmas. Would have loved to watch it together with her last night.

I have tried to sit through the original with Judy Garland, but I guess seeing this one first, I just can't get into the earlier era. Watching all the concert footage in the '76 version was so much like what I was living at the time.

I am working my way through the commentary by Streisand, but she seems to only talk about herself and the songs, so far she has barely even mentioned Kris or details about scenes in the movie. Her voice sounds EXACTLY the same now as then.

Check it out, if you grew up in the same era as me (born in 1960) you will love it.

Wendy

[–] robb_772 18 years ago

I love this film too - it is also my favorite version of the many variations of the story. It's a definite sentimental favorite for me.

I thought that the picture quality was well above average for a film that is now thirty years old. It's a tad grainy and faded at times, but that reflects both the time in which the film was made and the pseudo-documentary style in which the picture was filmed. Overall, a great image transfer and (most importantly) true to the original look of the film.

The 5.1 sound far exceeded all expectations and even rivals that of modern films.

The costume tests and deleted scenes were a treat to see, and were of surprisingly acceptable quality. Streisand's commentary is hardly revolutionary and won't tell fans much they don't already know, but I thought she was surprisingly candid in many of her comments. My favorite momnet is when she says, "I got so much flack for that," in regard to her much-ridiculed wardrobe credit.

I would have loved it if the TV special "With One More Look at You" and Streisand's performance of "Evergreen" at the '77 Oscar telecast were included, but perhaps Warner Home Video couldn't get the rights.

With a great picture transfer, a sensational audio mix, and above average extras, the A STAR IS BORN DVD was well worth the wait for this fan.

[–] booey-2 18 years ago

Much mention of Kristofferson during the commentary was conspicuously absent on Streisand's part - any idea why or is it just her style to only speak for herself? It would have been so cool to have them BOTH doing the commentary. I was hoping to hear more of what she remembered about their working together and how they felt towards each other. I read they dated during the 70's, but I know he was married to Rita Coolidge during the making of the film (married to her 1973-1979/80 or so).

[–] robb_772 18 years ago

She certainly didn't mention much about his acting, but at least she did mention his good looks on more than one occaision - even in the costume test footage - lol.

Still, Kris got off better in Streisand's commentary than David Selby did in her commentary for UP THE SANDBOX, in which she never made one reference to the actor the entire time - even though he was playing her onscreen husband and in many scenes. To her credit, though, she doesn't seem to focus on acting in her commentaries as much as the general filmmaking process.

I totally agree, by the way, that Kris joining her on the commentary would have been terrific. He spoke at Streisand's AFI tribute a few years ago and seemed to be very proud of his involvement in the film. Aside form the missing TV special, his absence was the one missed opportunity of the DVD.

[–] 18 years ago

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