A STAR IS BORN (1976)

This is the third version of a story which frankly I’ve never found that compelling.  Given also that it stars Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson, whose talents lay more in the music industry, meant that I watched it more out of curiosity than hope.

Frank Pierson was, on the face of it, a strange choice as director given that he had little experience at this late stage in his career (he was born in 1925). On the other hand he was a talented screenwriter, having received two Oscar nominations before winning at the third attempt with ‘Dog Day Afternoon’.  Surprisingly he is only one of three screenwriters credited to this film.

By chance, having just watched one film with a very troubled production history (‘Superman II’) I was now watching another such film, as Pierson documented in detail after it was released. 

Pierson found himself embroiled in a battle with Streisand and her then boyfriend Jon Peters, who was the inexperienced producer on the film.  He wanted to make a gritty drama whereas they wanted a commercial vehicle for Streisand which would help move her career away from its musical theatre roots.

With this in mind I think we can now see why an inexperienced director was chosen.

It’s pretty clear who won the battle, given that we end up with a tepid drama in which Streisand gets to sing a lot and show off a good array of outfits (reportedly her own).  

Kristofferson has the thankless job of playing Johnnie, a self destructive rock star whose behaviour right from the start is boorish and irresponsible in the extreme.  I found it hard to care as his career goes on its inevitable slide.

Streisand plays Esther, who is a much more sympathetic character given that she is talented and hardworking, but who falls for Johnnie big time.  

As an example as to how far we are from reality, at one point we are supposed to believe that Johnnie can quite quickly knock up an entire ranch house for the two of them out of nothing in the middle of the desert.

Given the focus on the two leads it’s no surprise that despite the input of three talented screenwriters none of the minor characters comes to life or contributes much.

So what we are left with is the music, of which the standout is the hit ballad ‘Evergreen’ which is top notch but not presented in the film especially well.

I also enjoyed 'Hellacious Acres' which Johnnie and his band perform in the opening scene, and 'I Believe in Love', an up-tempo soft rock number which Streisand puts across well.

On the other hand there's a song, 'Watch Closely Now', which combines a forgettable tune with awful lines such as “Your eyes are like fingers They’re touching my body And arousing my soul”.

Weirdly, this song crops up several times throughout the film.  It even appears, in a modified form, in the strange final scene (if one can call it that) which is a closeup of Esther singing at a memorial service for Johnnie.  In other words it's just another opportunity for Streisand to show off her singing prowess, and an appropriate way to close proceedings.