Does Barbra Streisand hate Lady Gaga and Judy Garland’s ‘A Star is Born’?
Three long years have passed since A Star is Born brought a new generation the latest incarnation of a classic Hollywood story. Little monsters flocked to theaters to see Lady Gaga in her first starring role when the film dropped, and theater kids across the country lined up to see Bradley Cooper’s first musical in his directorial debut.
2018’s A Star is Born gained viral momentum since the first whispers of the movie were released to the public, and continued soaring as its days in theaters piled up. The movie snatched up several nominations at award shows when A Star is Born dropped, and even earned a few wins. A Star is Born may have seemed fresh to the zoomers streaming the film at home, but the story of A Star is Born has been around for quite some time.
2018’s A Star is Born is a remake, but we can’t say the film is a result of Hollywood’s decay over the last decade or so, remaking, rebooting, and franchising every story into oblivion. No, directors have been remaking A Star is Born for some time now.
1937
A Star is Born first came to audiences in 1937, and firmly sealed the story’s fate as one destined for success.
The film was a big hit and snatched up a handful of awards way back at the tenth ever Academy Awards. Furthermore, the film wasn’t a musical like we’re used to now. However, that would all change with the next version of A Star is Born.
1954
A Star is Born was remade as a made-for-TV movie in 1951, but the story hit the big screen for the second time in 1954. Judy Garland starred in the movie, and used the pipes which made her famous in the first musical version of the story.
The film was another massive hit, and James Mason & Judy Garland both nabbed Golden Globe Awards for their starring performances. Judy Garland started the A Star is Born legacy of triple-threat leading ladies, and before long the Judy Garland A Star is Born would be replaced by another blowout version.
1976
In 1976, A Star is Born hit theaters for the third time. Audiences were given another musical with the 70s version, and Barbra Streisand led the film as the titular star. The film lived up to its legacy, as 1976’s A Star is Born was praised across the board and picked up both Golden Globes & Oscars alike.
Barbra Streisand is certainly a Star is Born OG compared to 2018 stars Lady Gaga & Bradley Cooper, so what did the formally most recent A Star is Born lead have to say about director Coop’s version?
Backpedaling
Entertainment Weekly reported on Monday that Barbra Streisand first praised Cooper’s version of A Star is Born when the flick dropped in 2018, but has since backpedaled her approval.
Reports indicated Streisand spoke with an Australian talk series over the weekend and is quoted saying, “At first, when I heard it was going to be done again, it was supposed to be Will Smith and Beyoncé, and I thought, that’s interesting. Really make it different again, different kind of music, integrated actors, I thought that was a great idea . . .So, I was surprised when I saw how alike it was to the version that I did in 1976”.
Streisand said, despite being unable to argue with the 2018 version’s success, she “thought it was the wrong idea”. In a final passive shade thrown to the most recent version of A Star is Born, Streisand said “I don’t care so much about success as I do originality”.
Streisand may have drawn a line in the sand about 2018’s A Star is Born, but lucky for her, we are positive there will be another version of the flick down the line which will have the opportunity to woo Barbra with a fresh unique take.
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What’s your favorite version of A Star is Born? Let us know in the comments below!
