Letting the Old Ways Die GENDER AND CHARACTERISATION IN A STAR IS BORN
Bradley Cooper’s 2018 adaption of A Star Is Born is frequently concerned with questions surrounding past and present, old fashions and new trends – fitting for a movie based on three previous ones.1 ‘Tell me somethin’, girl: are you happy in this modern world? Or do you need more?’ Jackson Maine (Bradley Cooper) sings to Ally (Lady Gaga) at the beginning of their romance. The lyric suggests that he considers her old-fashioned, romantically so – someone who will appreciate his chivalry and gravelly voiced charm. Yet, at the start of the film, and then repeatedly throughout, Jackson sings that ‘maybe it’s time to let the old ways die’. Is A Star Is Born nostalgic for the past, or discarding it in favour of the future? Is Ally an old soul, or a contemporary woman? There are times when the film doesn’t seem sure whether to stick to the old script or update the story.
The plot of A Star Is Born has mostly been left unchanged across the decades: a famous, burnt-out, world-weary man with substance-abuse issues encounters a young, incredibly talented woman performing somewhere that doesn’t match her stardom potential. He introduces her to the right people and makes her famous, and, along the way, they fall in love. Her stardom skyrockets at the same time as his addictions and desperation for his old fame intensify, and eventually he suicides – in his mind, sparing her from the career damage and personal burden of looking after him.
The three earlier versions of were William A Wellman’s 1937 original, starring Janet Gaynor and Fredrich March; George Cukor’s 1954 remake, with Judy Garland and James Mason as leads; and Frank Pierson’s 1976 version, featuring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. While the plot has remained essentially the same, each film ischanged?
