I have quite an academic background and now that we started out this blog with a history lesson it’s time to transition to film studies.
I said I’d begin with the “original original” A Star Is Born. What Price Hollywood? is appropriately enough the first film I watched out of any of them. In fact it’s the only one I’d watched before giving myself this project.
Watching it again actually took me back in a big way. Although I’ve gotten better about dealing with my condition over the years, once upon a time I was a shy kid who didn’t really make friends or network in college and thus I did the safe thing and started a grad program immediately. I did take the boldest action of my 22-year -old life going hundreds of miles from home and attending Berkeley -though. It was a lovely experience. Not in terms of finding lasting friendships (I didn’t) or learning stuff that would serve me in my career (I didn’t) but I was by myself in a nice room, free to explore a town so different from anything I’d seen before. Berkeley is filled with all sorts of boutique stores, including a place called Reel Video filled with the most incredible collection of old, classic, foreign, and obscure videos you will ever find anywhere. The first night of every weekend I would stroll over to Reel and walk back to my pad with four DVDs or VHS tapes. I know, I just aged myself, but bear with me.
Somehow there was a film I wanted to watch not even available at Reel. However, my university-owned apartment at Cal is the only place outside of a residential neighborhood I’ve lived in my life and across the street there was another video store. This was really small and most of the films were in unmarked tapes. It felt less like a video store and more like a cinephile’s closet. It was still a great place to be though-someone who took a film class with me was actually working there. I asked him the day I stopped by if they had What Price Hollywood? He checked and said it was under the Cukor section.
I was surprised that the film was directed by someone as famous as George Cukor, given how little known it is compared to some other A Star is Born versions. While researching for this blog though, I discovered that Cukor was offered the chance to direct the 1937 A Star is Born and turned it down because the plot was too similar to What Price Hollywood? (He did later direct the 1954 version, which speaks to his longevity).
Having now seen all the films in quick succession, I can honestly say that I am surprised A Star is Born is so often labeled a ripoff/unofficial remake of What Price Hollywood? –to the point where IMDB lists it as such and the producers of What Price Hollywood? even considered suing. There’s no denying that the plots are similar, but no more so than Midnight Express and The Shawshank Redemption. Or The Birds and Signs. I’d say the very fact that the ingénue and the older drunk man are never a couple and she is married to someone else qualifies it as a significantly different story.
With that out of the way, the question that really matters is how good is the film. To be honest, I have a tough time recommending it. I have a tough time recommending movies from the early 1930s in general, as early during the sound era the technology did not exist to move around the cameras picking up sound. Thus films from this era would feel very static, with a camera simply sitting still watching people talk.
Leaving that aside, I have some issues with this specific film too. I mentioned how this story differs from the others. The fact that the ingénue and the man who makes her famous aren’t a couple, but rather a mentee and mentor, lowers the stakes considerably as far as his decline and her loyalty. It is alluded to that he feels possessive of her and that affects her marriage, but that is not really developed. Meanwhile, her husband might be jealous of her closeness with the older man but that is not really developed either. Instead the husband simply comes across as someone resentful of his wife having a demanding career, the director seems like a likable old dude who happens to have a drinking problem, and the star doesn’t have that compelling a conflict-should she remain one of the top actresses in the industry even though her husband’s being a bit of a jerk about it and the man who made her famous needs some help getting sober?
All that being said, it’s still a fairly good movie. It was the first notable Hollywood film ABOUT Hollywood and does a solid job showcasing how quickly the industry will turn you into tabloid fodder and betray you. Also, it’s the earliest film I’ve ever seen utilize montages; those hold up surprisingly well. Most importantly, Lowell Sherman gives a strong performance and Constance Bennett gives a breathtaking one. You really see the love in the heart of this character who cherishes her dream but cherishes people more and tries not to let the savage industry break her.
My feelings are obviously mixed on this film and so were those of people at the time-it was nominated for the now defunct Academy Award for Best Story but flopped at the box office, losing roughly (adjusting for inflation) a million of its over seven million dollar budget.
Final Verdict: If you’re a fan of film history watch What Price Hollywood? for its historical significance. It’s good enough to warrant that. Otherwise, just watch the story delivered in a much more powerful way in A Star is Born.
Which version of A Star is Born though? Keep reading my posts, starting with this one!
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