A Star is Born (1954) (Deluxe Edition)

This is horrific! About 30 minutes into the film, live footage is replaced with still photos from the set with the dialogue running underneath!! It happened several times throughout...I saw no warning that this would happen. Imagine my dismay when suddenly this beautiful color film becomes black and white stills. How disturbing and disgusting. How do I get a refund?

It's funny reading the 1 star reviews for this - mostly because it indicates that these viewers don't know the tragic history of this incredible film! The original theatrical release was over 3 hours long. When it didn't do as well in its first week in theaters as Warner Brothers had hoped, they pulled it and did a hack job to shorten the length, cutting out scenes that made the storyline confusing for audiences. What's worse is that they didn't even try to preserve most of the scenes they cut out! That's why there are many points throughout the movie with audio but no video. The stills from filming that were used in place of video were found in the WB vault and added to fill out the storyline!All that to say, this film is truly remarkable - definitely Judy's finest feat on the silver screen. The emotional range, the character portrayal, and the musical performances were all top notch. I'm planning on watching again real soon. :)

The quality of this movie was terrible! In the first half of the movie, many scenes were of such poor quality that they put still photos over the actual movie; the dialogue could still be heard but you could not see the actors. This happened in many scenes and really took away from the enjoyment of the film. I am asking for a refund. Disappointing, and shame on your Amazon for using such a low quality film!

Uncool. No cautionary advisement that this is not the film in its entirety; but a series of motion picture clips with still images and unbroken audio. Maybe the master was damaged? Well let me know that so I can decide if I want to support this truncated version for posterity.I wish I had known this going in. Very disappointed. To add insult to injury: There is no clear path to a refund for this purchase. Should I reiterate? Yeah: Uncool, man.

Nice to have this on Blu Ray. I was happy that the studio spent a little money to master this film properly. The musical numbers are well staged and the performances of Miss Garland are stellar. It's a shame that the general public never saw the director's cut. After the premiere the film was deemed "too long" and cut to accommodate the theater owners desire to have more showings per day. All in all this version is the one to get.

My favorite of the three earlier versions of the movie. Judy Garland is fabulous in her role and sings a lot. This is the restored version that brings back some of the edited scenes using stills and voiceovers which I've never seen in a movie, but keeps the plot moving along well. This captures the codependency of living with an alcoholic along with the acceleration of one career and the decline of another.

This is not a movie. It's part movie, part photo montage. Don't spend the $. It's awful.

I bought this film because I had only seen the 1937 Janet Gaynor and Frederic March version (of which I am very partial).The pairing of March and Gaynor, offers a more sentimental and rather schmaltzy portrayal of the characters. Even the musical background in the scene where Esther Boldgett's grandma sees her off at the train station was Old Lang Syne, and I used half a box of Kleenex before half the movie was over....Judy Garland and James Mason's characters are little more complex and the film is very 50's. I thought Judy Garland looked great in all of her scenes and of course her musical numbers are fantastic...I particularly loved her in the after hours club scene singing The Man that got Away. For years Judy looked emaciated and strained in the face, but here she looks of average weight and her acting is perfection as always.James Mason's portrayal of Norman Maine seemed a bit staid at first, but then you become accustomed to his vocal cadence and become immersed in the story completely. Jack Carson adds some humor as the sarcastic press agent Libby. There are snippets of film missing in several of the scenes which have been replaced with movie stills and the audio dialogue is heard in the background corresponding with the missing frame action.This worked for me and didn't detract from the overall film. If you are a fan of Judy Garland you will definitely enjoy this film.It has historical significance because James Mason delivered Garland's eulogy.

A fine and classy melodrama directed by a giant of old Hollywood and with just few flaws and many virtues. It looks like a classic but it is not so relying on tears and emphatic moments, rather on splendid and charming musical scenes and quite dramatic and disenchanted confrontation where James Mason definitely prevails over Judy Garland, who is, to me, still too manneristic if compared to Mason (although Judy gives her best performance here)A Star is born is a genuinely dramatic tale of two people united and separated by the changing fortunes that Showbusiness can bring.The blu ray edition is pretty remarkable, rich of extras and with an excellent HD transfer

This is the Judy Garland/James Mason Star is Born. Again picture and sound are excellent. Was a little wary it being a US import and all. Both Bluray and DVD seem to be region free. haven't watched it all yet but the quality seems very good.

A real classic. A tear jerker that shows Judy Garland at her best, while James Mason plays an actor on his way out. Great music and Judy looks and sounds the best ever.

excellent service,excellent product,as usual prompt delivery.thoroughly recommend.lovely clear picture great sound recording.what more could you ask for.and of -course the great judy garland...

Brilliant.Such good print made the movie really enjoyable. I appreciate the final part when Despondent, Vicki becomes a recluse and refuses to see anyone. Finally, her old bandmate Danny convinces her she needs to attend a charity function because she constitutes the only good work Norman did and which he died trying to save. At the Shrine Auditorium, she notices the heart Norman drew on the wall on the night they met and for a moment seems to lose her composure. When she arrives on stage, the emcee tells her the event is being broadcast worldwide and asks her to say a few words to her fans. She says, "Hello, everybody. This is Mrs. Norman Maine," which prompts the crowd into a standing ovation.James Mason was equally good.