A Star Is Born

Dir. George Cukor. 1954, 176 mins. 35mm. With Judy Garland, James Mason, Charles Bickford. The ultimate Judy Garland vehicle, this is the quintessential Hollywood tale of lost love and found fame. As a movie star on the rise, Garland is magnificent, both triumphant and tremulous, and Mason is her poignant equal as her husband and mentor Norman Maine, an alcoholic actor on his way down the ladder of success. Garland’s rendition of “The Man That Got Away” is one of the highlights of 1950s musicals.