Musicals—28

A musical phenomenon that exploded in our current decade is A Star is Born—not the 1937 version or the 1954 version or the 1976 version, but the 2018 version. Most remade movie of all time? Maybe—but certainly the most remade musical of all time.

So what’s the deal? Why do filmmakers keep returning to this story?

If by any chance you haven’t seen one of the versions of this film, the story is about a struggling performer [singer or actress depending on the version] who is discovered by a mega-star and therefore gets her big break. But the megastar has a problem with substances… will it be his downfall? Can she save him? Or will he take her career down in the process?

This is one of those films that’s certainly a love story—but it’s a bittersweet one. ‘Happily ever after’ is probably not going to happen.

But still, why is it so popular? Why is it so often remade? Want to have some fun—take a look at trailers for all 4 versions:

1937: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=culU4EUXww8

1954: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=VDCrUJVtfqo

1976: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=838aCpFNpjA&vl=en

2018: https://www.youtube.com/watch? v=cAht08yu5fM

What did you notice? Well, except for the ’37 version that focused on actors, the story is about an aspiring singer [woman] and an established singer [male]—and who played that aspiring singer? In all three films a huge star—Judy Garland, Barbra Streisand, Lady Gaga.

But whether it’s singing or acting, I think the trailer for the 1937 version hit the nail on the head when it said it’s a story about “…the price that must be paid in heartbreak and tears for every moment of triumph in Hollywood.”

Tough town. Think it’s true? In many ways it is, but whether it is or not doesn’t really matter—because most people won’t go to Hollywood, most people won’t try for stardom, but all people can imagine how tough it is and what you have to give up, what you have to suffer, to be that famous. Are there people who don’t struggle at all? Well, I suppose there are—but where’s the drama in that?

And that’s the key question, isn’t it? Where does the drama come from in your story? — which can be more accurately stated as ‘where does the conflict come from?’ in your story. Drama is conflict.

One of the reasons I think this story resonates so much is that everyone in the audience who is not famous—which is, like, all of us—gets to watch this film and see that the rich and famous don’t have it all… they can shatter like a cheap champagne glass. And while you might feel for them as you watch the film, there’s also a bit of relief… like, maybe you haven’t missed so much not being famous…maybe those childhood dreams were better left in childhood… better you walk out of the theatre happy in your unremarkable little life.

The rich and famous don’t have it all… and A Star is Born demonstrates that in spades. So for most, it might be nice to visit Hollywood, but dangerous to try and live there. A reverse fairy tale, if you will!

Final thought—imagine a remake of this film 20 years from now. What would its focus be? For example, what if we reversed the sexes of the main characters, so that the established star was a woman and the wanna-be was a man? How would that change the story?

Imagine the possibilities…

Copyright © Diane Lake

02Feb20

Email Diane a question to Diane@DianeLake.com