STAR IS BORN, A (Reconstructed version)

It is generally agreed that Judy Garland gave the quintessential performance of her life in the 1954 version of A STAR IS BORN. Some of her most emotional and dramatic scenes with James Mason (in one of his finest roles) were lost when 27 minutes of the film were edited out by Warner Bros. Not only were these scenes integral to the plot development, their omission diluted the tragic elements of the story. L.A. County Museum film programmer Ron Haver searched the vaults and found 20 minutes of footage which he augmented with still blow-ups to replace lost images, perfectly matching everything to the soundtrack. The restored version also features 2 of Garland's musical numbers, “Here's What I'm Here For” and “Lose That Long Face,” by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin. A STAR IS BORN was George Cukor's first musical and the first musical and second film to be shot in Cinemascope. The lavish production tells the poignant tale of a Hollywood marriage between Esther Blodgett (Garland) and Norman Maine (Mason) that fails when Esther becomes rising singing star Vicki Lester and Norman, once a star himself, becomes an alcoholic has-been. The new pront has a glorious luninosity and its revitalization further confirms its earned place in movie classic history. “A brilliantly staged, scored, and photographed film, worth all the effort.” -Life “A dream come true.” -Rex Reed