Classic Movie Guide - A Star is Born 1954 on Blu-Ray

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A Star is Born 1954 on Blu-Ray

Written by WHV PR Release

Garland's triumphant return to the screen, A Star is Born (1954) will reveal its stunning restoration by Warner Bros. Motion Picture Imaging (MPI) when it debuts on Blu-ray Disc June 22, 2010 from Warner Home Video (SRP $34.99) in a dazzling 2-disc book format with 40 pages of gorgeous photography, film history and more. Winner of two Golden Globes (Best Actress, Judy Garland and Best Actor, James Mason) and nominated for six Academy Awards, this powerfully moving and glamorous story reawakens when it arrives on Blu-ray Disc for the very first time.

Offering the best possible way to see the film at home, the Blu-ray release will also feature impressive bonus content including alternate takes, deleted scenes, excerpts from Garland's audio recording sessions, a collectible book of rare photos, press materials and an illuminating essay by film historian John Fricke. The film will also be released as a Deluxe Special Edition 2-Disc DVD (SRP $20.97) and will be available day and date on Video on Demand from cable and satellite providers and for electronic download from online retailers including Amazon Video on Demand.

A timeless story, sophisticated in the way it conveys its controversial themes, particularly considering the period of time in which it was made, A Star is Born brought together a cadre of extraordinary talent to portray this evocative contemplation of show business. The film became such a major part of American cinematic heritage that the Library of Congress selected it for preservation in the United States National Film Registry as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant."

ABOUT THE FILM

George Cukor directed this classic musical drama about the doomed marriage of an entertainer whose career is on the rise (Judy Garland) and her husband whose career is in decline (James Mason). A Star is Born marked Judy Garland's return to movies after a four-year absence, director George Cukor's first musical and first color film, and a showcase for great Harold Arden and Ira Gershwin songs in state-of-the-art stereo.

One of the most beloved show business stories of all time, the film represents a career peak for many involved. Garland is singer Esther Blodgett, an undeniable talent on the rise. She catches the eye of Norman Maine (Mason), an alcoholic actor in career decline. Their intense love transforms them both. Only one will survive Hollywood's slings and arrows. The film sports an impressive supporting cast including Jack Carson, Charles Bickford and a host of Hollywood luminaries.

Songs include "The Man That Got Away," "Lose That Long Face" and Garland's tour de force performance of "Born in a Trunk."

RESTORATION

Famously reconstructed in the early 80s under the leadership of late film historian Ronald Haver, MPI has meticulously preserved and restored Haver's 176-minute version of the movie to its original luster, bringing back the brilliant, saturated colors and crisp picture. Using cutting edge digital restoration tools, MPI removed heavy chemical staining that affected several portions of the film and utilized an ultra-resolution recombine process to correct the heavily damaged sections. Without this painstaking preservation, the fragile negative stock in which the film was created would surely be near extinction.

"Our colleagues at MPI have not only done a phenomenal job in restoring the impeccable visual style of this great motion picture, but through their work, they have also ensured the survival of this cinematic treasure," said George Feltenstein, senior vice president, theatrical catalog marketing, Warner Home Video. "The unparalleled superiority of Blu-ray combined with one of the best musical dramas ever made, come together to create an unforgettable home entertainment experience that is now preserved for the ages."

ABOUT THE 1983 RECONSTRUCTION

A Star is Born triumphed anew in 1983 after archivist/historian Ronald Haver spent months ransacking studio vaults to spearhead a reclamation of George Cukor's original edit, ultimately funded by Warner Bros. He located the entire 181-minute soundtrack, along with footage for three lost musical numbers and portions of the deleted dialogue scenes. Where no film existed,

Haver used stills-over-track for transition and only slightly trimmed the audio when photographic coverage for some sequences was deemed inadequate. Haver's A Star is Born debuted at the sold-out New York Radio City Music Hall on July 7, 1983, with James Mason, Sid Luft, and Garland's daughters Lorna Luft and Liza Minnelli in attendance. Cukor, who had died six months before, was extolled from the stage by Fay Kanin, president of the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences, which had encouraged Haver on his search and co-sponsored the screening. It is Haver's assemblage of the picture that is presented in Warner Home Video's June 2010 release on Blu-ray and DVD.

AWARDS AND NOMINATIONS

Academy Award ® for Best Actress (Judy Garland, nominee)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Judy Garland, winner)
Golden Globe Award for Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (James Mason, winner)
Award for Best Written American Musical by Writer's Guild of America
Academy Award ® for Best Actor (James Mason, nominee)
Academy Award ® for Best Art Direction (Malcolm C. Bert, Gene Allen, Irene Sharaff, and

George James Hopkins, nominees)

Academy Award for Best Costume Design (Jean Louis, Mary Ann Nyberg, and Irene

Sharaff, nominees)

Academy Award ® for Best Original Song ("The Man that Got Away," nominee)
Academy Award ® for Original Music Score (Ray Heindorf)
BAFTA Award for Best Foreign Actress in a Leading Role (Judy Garland, nominee)
Directors Guild of America Award (George Cukor, nominee)
Writers Guild of America Award for Best American Musical (Moss Hart, nominee)
# 43 on AFI's "100 Years...100 Passions" list and # 7 on AFI "Best Musicals" list
"The Man that Got Away" listed as # 11 on AFI's "Top 100 Tunes in Films" list
Selected for preservation in the United States National Film Registry by the Library of Congress as being "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant." (2000)

Bonus Features on the Enhanced DVD

1. Introduction: Run time 3:01

2. The Man That Got Away - Pink Dress: Run time 5:11 - Additional Take (NEW)

3. The Man that Got Away - Brown Dress #1: Run time 4:49 - Additional Take (NEW)

4. The Man that Got Away - Brown Dress #2: Run time 4:24 - Additional Take

5. The Man that Got Away - Brown Dress #3: Run time 4:00 - Additional Take

6. The Man That Got Away - Brown Dress #4: Run time 4:00 - Additional Take (NEW)

7. Here's What I'm here For - Alternate Take: Run time 2:36 - Additional Take

8. Lose That Long Face - Alternate Take: Run time 4:55 - Additional Take

9. Trinidad Coconut Oil Shampoo - Alternate Take: Run time 1:24 - Additional Take

10. When My Sugar Walks Down the Street - Outtake: Run time 0:58 - Additional Take

11. Suicide Scene - Alternate Take: Run time 2:15 - Additional Take (NEW)

12. Film Effects Reel: Run time 0:54 (NEW)

13. A Report by Jack L. Warner: Run time 6:24 - Vintage Featurette with New Intro

14. Huge Premiere Hails 'A Star is Born' Newsreel Montage: Run time 7:49 - Vintage Featurette with New Footage

15. 'A Star is Born' Premiere in Cinemascope: Run time 2:05 (NEW)

16. Pantages Premiere TV Special: Run time 29:30 - Vintage Featurette with New Intro

17. A Star is Bored (1956 WB Cartoon): Run time 7:00 New to the DVD

18. A Star is Born (1937): Run time 2:46 - Trailer

19. A Star is Born (1954): Run time 3:52 - Trailer

20. A Star is Born (1976): Run time 3:46 - Trailer

21. Audio Vault - Oliver on the Phone with the Director Discussing Norman - Outtakes: Run time 2:00 - Audio Only

22. Audio Vault - Norman and Esther on the Roof of the Hotel Lancaster - Outtakes: Run time 2:00 - Audio Only

23. Audio Vault - 12/28/1942 Lux Radio Theater Broadcast with Judy Garland and Walter

Pidgeon: Run time 60:00 - Audio Only

24. Audio Vault - Judy Garland Radio Interview: Run time 4:00 - Audio Only (NEW)

25. Audio Vault - Born in a Trunk: Run time 9:05 - Audio Only

26. Audio Vault - Someone At Last - Rehearsal: Run time 10:34 - Audio Only (NEW)

27. Audio Vault - Someone At Last: Run time 7:16 - Audio Only (NEW)

28. Audio Vault - My Melancholy Baby: Run time 7:06 - Audio Only (NEW)

29. Audio Vault - Black Bottom: Run time 1:48 - Audio Only (NEW)

30. Audio Vault - Swanee: Run time 4:57 - Audio Only (NEW)

Bonus Features on the 2-Disc Deluxe Special Edition Blu-ray

1. Introduction: Run time 3:01 - All New