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A Star Is Born (1954)
A Star Is Born (1954) poster

A Star Is Born (1954)

Drama, Music, Romance • 2h 34m

Director: George Cukor

Cast: Judy Garland, James Mason, Jack Carson, Charles Bickford, Tommy Noonan, Lucy Marlow, Amanda Blake, Irving Bacon, Hazel Shermet, James Brown, John Alban, Laurindo Almeida, Leon Alton, Rudolph Anders, David Armstrong, Phil Arnold, Nadine Ashdown, Gertrude Astor, Jack Baker, George Becwar, Don Beddoe, Rodney Bell, Oscar Blank, Lennie Bluett, Lulu Mae Bohrman, Willis Bouchey, Marshall Bradford, Ruth Brady, Paul Brinegar, Tex Brodus, Sheila Bromley, Paul Bryar, Benny Burt, Boyd Cabeen, George Calliga, Kathryn Card, John Carlyle, Beth Carter, Spencer Chan, Chick Chandler, Lauren Chapin, Beulah Christian, Samuel Colt, Heinie Conklin, Charles J. Conrad, Tom Cound, Oliver Cross, Russell Custer, Blythe Daley, Havis Davenport, Rudy Del Campo, Harry Denny, Eddie Dew, Alan DeWitt, Joe Dougherty, Helen Eby-Rock, Jack Ellis, Jean Engstrom, Harry Evans, Rex Evans, Franklyn Farnum, Timothy Farrell, Frank Ferguson, Elizabeth Flournoy, Bess Flowers, Almeda Fowler, Raoul Freeman, Nacho Galindo, Kenneth Gibson, Joe Gilbert, Joseph Glick, Jack Gordon, Wilton Graff, Marion Gray, Robert Haines, Charles Halton, Joseph Hamilton, Sam Harris, Ray Heindorf, Percy Helton, Louis Jean Heydt, Al Hill, Stuart Holmes, Olin Howland, Robert F. Hoy, James Hyland, Bob Jellison, Jay Johnson, Dick Johnstone, Arlene Karr, Fred Kelsey, Jack Kenney, Tom Kingston, George Kitchel, Allen Kramer, Frank Kreig, Henry Kulky, Nancy Kulp, Richard LaMarr, Carl M. Leviness, Paul Levitt, Carey Loftin, Robert Locke Lorraine, Frank Marlowe, Mae Marsh, Strother Martin, Dorothy Martinson, Louis Mason, Nita Mathews, Ila McAvoy, Jack McCoy, Philo McCullough, Don McKay, Heidi Meadows, Joseph Mell, Harold Miller, Nolie Miller, Patrick Miller, Todd Miller, Wade Miller, Mort Mills, John Monaghan, Hal J. Moore, Monette Moore, Charles Morton, Jack Mower, George Nardelli, Tom Nolan, Anton Northpole, Barry Norton, Ron Nyman, William H. O'Brien, Monty O'Grady, Pat O'Malley, Leonard Penn, Barbara Pepper, Jack Pepper, Hilda Plowright, Mel Pogue, Murray Pollack, Ezelle Poule, Frank Puglia, Grandon Rhodes, Don Richards, Leoda Richards, Kay Riehl, Larry Rio, Lotus Robb, Walter Rode, Patricia Rosemond, Riza Royce, Henry Russell, Loretta Russell, Dick Ryan, John Saxon, Bernard Sell, Patrick Sexton, Harry Seymour, Joan Shawlee, Don Shelton, Charles Sherlock, Dick Simmons, Reginald Simpson, Arthur Space, Bert Spencer, Buddy Spencer, Eileen Stevens, Robert Stevenson, Robert Strong, Grady Sutton, Kay Tapscott, Dub Taylor, Wayne Taylor, Al Thompson, Ted Thorpe, Louis Tomei, Emerson Treacy, Dale Van Sickel, Valerie Vernon, Ralph Volkie, Geraldine Wall, Ruth Warren, Charles Watts, Harte Wayne, Richard Webb, Duff Whitney, Shirley Whitney, Josephine Whittell, Frank Wilcox, Jean Willes, Tom Wilson, Eric Wilton, Stephen Wyman, Mary Young

Theatrical cut / Roadshow cut: 35mm scans
Restored cut: WB Blu-ray

Best English-friendly & video release · updated 18 days ago

Overview

A movie star helps a young singer-actress find fame, even as age and alcoholism send his own career into a downward spiral.

Release details

TSPDT
2026: #442
2025: #437
2024: #426
2023: #448
2022: #448
Length
154 mins
Type
Movie

Featured in National Film Registry

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Director: Steve James

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion Blu-ray and UK Dogwoof Blu-ray probably similar

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Victor Fleming

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

2D: Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

3D: Warner Bros 3D Blu-ray or Apple Vision Pro

Best Audio:

1989 MGM LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

(caveat: "there's" in first "there's no place like home" utterance in final Kansas scene truncated)

Director: Vincente Minnelli

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Best Audio:

1991 MGM LaserDisc

Director: Morton DaCosta

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray Nov 24th

Director: Tony Scott

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

70mm 6-track mix in 5.1: Paramount THX LaserDisc

Dolby Stereo mix in 2.0: Paramount THX LaserDisc

Additional Info:

The 70mm 6-track mix has a higher bitrate on the Paramount 1998 DVD, but is more limited than on the THX LaserDisc The Paramount 1998 DVD also has open matte versions in fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 instead of the theatrical aspect ratio of 2.39:1, but the 2.00:1 widescreen presentation is non-anamorphic. The THX LaserDisc is available in both fullscreen 1.33:1 and widescreen 2.00:1 variants.

Director: Terrence Malick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

Lovely underlying remaster by Criterion and Resillion but encode is sadly low-pass filtered by Pixelogic, and even then, the encode is still less than ideal. Still easily obliterates any prior disc release, but certainly wouldn't hurt to have a UK or German label take a crack at this same master.

Best Audio:

1999 Paramount DVD

Director: Anthony Mann

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly:

Criterion 4K Blu-ray, Universal 2008 DVD

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2008 Universal DVD mono

Audio Notes:

The mono on the Criterion is severely filtered resulting in it sounding incredibly muffled. It is nearly as filtered as the 2003 original Universal DVD which had extreme filtering and sounds horribly thin. The 2008 DVD remaster and original Laserdisc analog mastering are mostly left alone. The original LD master is from a worn element but otherwise sounds very natural. The 2008 DVD is the highest quality version we have without the heavy filtering and the defects of the LD master. It isn't perfect but easily the best of the main four sources by a dramatic margin. 

Additional Info:

The existing 4K SDR restoration looks excellent, but the Criterion extras are limited and disappointing. The classic Stewart interview commentary from the LD is ported over but given a new mastering. Compared to past releases it has been very slightly noise reduced.

Director: Alfred Hitchcock

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal 4K Blu-ray

Best Audio:

2005 Universal DVD

Director: Howard Hawks

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Indicator Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set coming October 20th with FiM encode, work done to un-Nolan the 4K master, the first ever appearance of the 35mm mono track on physical media and a new restoration/remastering of the 70mm 6-track mix.

Video Notes:

(early pressing has errors of a shot, later pressings fixed)

Best Audio:

1997 MGM LaserDisc, 1998 MGM DVD

More from George Cukor

See more →

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion 4k transfer

Best Audio:

1986 MGM LaserDisc

Audio Notes:

1987 VHS probably even better

Director: George Cukor

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

Paramount 4K Blu-ray

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly:

Criterion Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Video:

Criterion Blu-ray, 4k transfer

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly & Video:

US Twilight Time Blu-ray or UK Signal One Blu-ray

Sources: caps-a-holic (opens in a new tab)

Video Notes:

US Twilight Time Blu-ray or UK Signal One Blu-ray are basically the same see cap

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Universal Blu-ray

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Kino Lorber Blu-ray

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

Director: George Cukor

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Archive Blu-ray

More from Warner Bros

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Director: David Lean

Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Warner Archive 4K Blu-ray Dec 1st

Director: Martin Rosen

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

BFI 4K Blu-ray

Sources: Criterion Forum (opens in a new tab)

Best Audio:

2002 R2 WB DVD

Director: Roman Polanski

Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

2011/2025 WB Blu-ray

Audio Notes:

2011/2025 WB Blu-ray for correct audio (2010 release has audio issue)

Director: Andy Muschietti

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Director: Michael B. Jordan

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Video Notes:

Caveat: No IMAX expanded aspect ratio

Director: James Gunn

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly, Video & Audio:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

Commentary is only on Streaming

Director: Steven Caple Jr.

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Director: Chris Columbus

Best English-Friendly & Video:

Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray (includes Extended Cut on regular Blu-ray)

Best Audio:

Original theatrical 6.1 mix: 2009 Warner Bros Blu-ray Ultimate Edition (Theatrical Cut only) 

Extended Cut 5.1 mix: Warner Bros Blu-ray

DTS:X remix: Warner Bros 4K Blu-ray

Additional Info:

The film is titled Sorcerer's Stone in the US, India, and the Philippines.

Wizard's/Hogwarts Collection has all the bonus features for all the 8 films. 

The lossless version of the original 6.1 mix is only available on the ultimate edition blu-ray not to be confused with the ultimate collectors edition blu-ray.

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Solid
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set coming October 20th with FiM encode, new restoration/remastering of the mono mix which should be better than the 1999 WB DVD, revised colour timing to make the film look more like it did in 1987 and for the first time ever on physical media, the film will be in its original aspect ratio of 1.85:1.

Best Audio:

1999 WB R1 DVD

Director: Stanley Kubrick

4K · Excellent
Best English-Friendly & Video:

WB 4K Blu-ray

Upcoming Release:

Criterion Box Set coming October 20th with FiM encode, new restoration of mono mix which should be better than what was on the WB 4K Blu-ray and 1999 DVD and revised colour timing to make the film look more like it did in 1971.

Best Audio:

WB 4K 5.1: a remix but has higher fidelity

Mono: 4K Blu-ray/1999 DVD

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Researched and maintained by

JojoTheMovieOtter

· last reviewed 18 days ago

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