Produced by David O. Selznick, directed by William A. Wellman, and screenplay by Robert Carson, Dorothy Parker, and Alan Campbell from a story by Wellman and Carson, A Star is Born is the story of a farm girl from North Dakota who goes to Hollywood in the hopes of becoming a movie star where she meets an actor whose career is on his way down as he helps her become a star only to see her rise big while he continues to spiral. The film is a romantic drama that explores the different trajectories between two people who meet and fall for each other only for their fates in their professional lives to change drastically. Starring Janet Gaynor, Fredric March, Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Andy Devine, Lionel Stander, and Owen Moore. A Star is Born is a majestic and rich film from producer David O. Selznick and director William A. Wellman.
The film is the simple story of the rise of a young farm girl who meets a movie star at a dinner party in Hollywood as she would become an actress of her own right while the movie star she meets and marries would endure a fall of his own just as hers is on the rise. It’s a film with a simple premise as it play into the different paths two people endure upon their initial meeting as one dreams of making while the other has made it but has become burned out by stardom. The film’s screenplay, which feature additional contributions from producer David O. Selznick, Ben Hecht, Ring Lardner Jr., John Lee Mahin, Budd Schulberg, and Adela Rogers St. Johns, opens with the young woman Esther Victoria Blodgett (Janet Gaynor) coming home from a movie theater in her small North Dakota home having seen a film starring Norman Maine (Fredric March) as she hopes to be an actress in the movies as she is encouraged by her grandmother Lettie (May Robson) to follow her dreams.
While Blodgett struggles to get work, she meets an unemployed assistant director in Danny McGuire (Andy Devine) as they both live in the same boarding house as he would get her a job working as a server at a Hollywood party where she meets Maine properly after she and McGuire saw him days earlier at the Hollywood Bowl drunk. At the party, she and Maine become friends as the latter is impressed by her charms as he believes she can be an actress as he would introduce her to producer Oliver Niles (Adolph Menjou) who sees her potential as he would put her and Maine into a film that would be successful while Blodgett would get a new name in Vicki Lester as she and Maine would later marry. The script has a unique structure with the first act being about Blodgett’s early struggles and her meeting with Maine while the second act is about her rise and her marriage to Maine that also interacts with Maine’s struggle to be sober. The third act is about his fall and attempts to revive his already troubled career as he’s known more as Lester’s husband with Blodgett trying to help him.
William A. Wellman’s direction is largely straightforward in terms of the compositions he creates while it also play into some of the romanticism about the one in hundred thousand chance of someone making it in Hollywood as the film is shot on location in studio lots in Hollywood and locations nearby. With additional yet un-credited direction from Jack Conway, Wellman does maintain this world that is enchanting of what Hollywood is where there are some wide and medium shots to capture the beauty of it but there’s also some realism into what Blodgett has to face. The medium shots also play into the way characters interact as well as the relationship between Blodgett and Maine as there is something special in their growing love for one another. Wellman also maintains that sense of grandeur of the world that is Hollywood but also infuse that realism into its third act as it relates to Maine’s downward spiral as he struggles to stay sober and get his act together only to deal with adversity and disdain with some calling him a has-been. Overall, Wellman crafts a mesmerizing and wondrous film about a woman’s rise to stardom as she also witness her husband’s fall from grace.
Cinematographer W. Howard Greene does brilliant work with the film’s Technicolor cinematography in one of its early usage of the format where it does capture the beauty in some of the colors including the dresses that Blodgett would wear but also the locations that she and Maine would go to as it’s a highlight of the film. Editors James E. Newcom and Anson Stevenson do some excellent work with the film’s editing as it has bits of style in a few transitions while also playing into the frenzy of Blodgett’s rise and the slow burn through some straightforward editing in Maine’s fall. Production designer Lansing C. Holden and art director Lyle R. Wheeler do amazing work with the look of the house where Maine and Blodgett meet as well as some of the places including the small camper they used for their honeymoon.
Costume designer Omar Kiam does fantastic work with the design of the many dresses that Blodgett would wear along with the stylish clothes that the other women would wear in the film. The film’s special effects by Jack Cosgrove is terrific to help play with some of the visuals including a scene involving the camper. Sound recordist Oscar Lagerstrom does superb work with the sound in the way certain objects sound on location including the scene involving the camper and at the Academy Award ceremony where Maine makes a spectacle of himself. The film’s music by Max Steiner is wonderful for its soaring orchestral score that has elements of bombast with its strings and percussions while it also feature themes that are serene and somber to play into the drama.
The casting by Charles Richards is marvelous as it feature some notable small roles from J.C. Nugent as Blodgett’s father, Clara Blandick as Blodgett’s aunt, Guinn “Big Boy” Williams as a posture coach, Jonathan Hale as a night court judge, Elizabeth Jenns as a fellow actress/former girlfriend of Maine, Edgar Kennedy as the boarding house landlord Pop Randall, Peggy Wood as a Hollywood secretary in Miss Phillips, and Owen Moore as the film director Casey Burke. Andy Devine is superb as Danny McGuire as an unemployed assistant director who would get Blodgett the job as a server at a party as he would be part of Blodgett’s circle of friends as a way to ground her and to get himself some work. Lionel Stander is fantastic as the press agent Matt Libby as a man who does publicity for the studio while is also someone that isn’t fond of Maine due to his troubles as well as say things that are uncalled for. May Robson is excellent as Blodgett’s grandmother Lettie as a woman who encourages Blodgett to go after her dreams as well as arrive late in the film for a pep talk as well as be someone who is full of spunk and will.
Adolphe Menjou is brilliant as producer Oliver Niles as a man who is a friend of Maine who takes notice of Blodgett’s talents as he is also protective of both of them as well as wanting what is best for both of them. Finally, there’s the duo of Fredric March and Janet Gaynor in sensational performances in their respective roles as Norman Maine and Esther Victoria Blodgett/Vicki Lester. March’s performance as the tormented and troubled Maine showcases a man who had it all as well as a lot of problems as he helps Blodgett become a star but deals with the decline of his career as some of it is attributed to himself. Gaynor’s performance as Blodgett is one of grace and charm but also a woman who is grounded in her humble beginnings as she is happy to be noticed but also wants to protect her husband. March and Gaynor radiate with the chemistry as the capture the sense of joy and tragedy they would endure as well as the idea of stardom as they represent those two different trajectories.
A Star is Born is a remarkable film from William C. Wellman and producer David O. Selznick with great performances from Janet Gaynor and Fredric March. Along with top-notch supporting performances from Adolphe Menjou, May Robson, Lionel Stander, and Andy Devine as well as a sumptuous music score and gorgeous early usage of the Technicolor film format. The film is definitely a touching and riveting romantic drama that play into a lot of conventional ideas expected of the times but also with an intriguing study of fortunes between two people. In the end, A Star is Born is a marvelous film from William C. Wellman and producer David O. Selznick.
Related: A Star is Born (1954 film) – (A Star is Born (1976 film)) – A Star is Born (2018 film)
© thevoid99 2019
Based on the novel by Margaret Mitchell, Gone with the Wind is the story of a plantation owner’s daughter and her pursuit towards a man only to be pursued by another gentleman who tries to get her to see things differently. Produced by David O. Selznick, directed by Victor Fleming, with additional directing by George Cukor and Sam Wood, and screenplay by Sidney Howard. The film is an epic romantic drama that play into a woman coping with her romantic feelings while dealing with the chaos of the American Civil War. Starring Clark Gable, Vivien Leigh, Olivia de Haviland, Leslie Howard, and Hattie McDaniel. Gone with the Wind is a sprawling and monumental film from producer David O. Selznick.
Told in the span of 12 years during the American Civil War and its aftermath, the film follows the life of the daughter of a plantation owner whose infatuation for a man leads her to being pursued by another man as she deals with her own desires and passion amidst the chaos and turmoil of the American Civil War. It’s a film that explore the journey of a woman who has known a life of comfort and luxury in the American South just days before the Civil War began as she would later endure all sorts of trials and tribulations yet would also embark on relationships either for social or financial gain as a way to fill the void for her heart’s desire as she would attract the attention of a man who admires her spirit. Even as she would get a lot of things in her life but her love for this other man who would be married to another woman who would also become a dear friend to her would also play into her undoing.
The film’s screenplay by Sidney Howard, with un-credited contributions from Ben Hecht, Jo Swerling, Oliver H.P. Garrett, and John Van Druten, play into the journey that Scarlett O’Hara (Vivien Leigh) would embark on in her pursuit of longtime family friend Ashley Wilkes (Leslie Howard) hoping to be married to him. However, Wilkes is engaged to his cousin Melanie Hamilton (Olivia de Haviland) which upsets O’Hara as she would continuously pine for Wilkes as well as get the attention of a guest in Rhett Butler (Clark Gable) who is intrigued by O’Hara. The first act is about the events before and during the war as O’Hara tries to pursue Wilkes yet would later engage into a couple of marriages that would be doomed with the first marriage to Melanie’s younger brother Charles (Rand Brooks) and then to his sister’s fiancé Frank Kennedy (Carroll Nye) in the film’s second act. It has a unique structure with its first half being about the early years of the war but also Sherman’s march through Georgia that would destroy nearly everything as well as the life that O’Hara and the people that she knew would be gone.
It’s not just in the structure of the script that is crucial to the film with its second half playing into the aftermath of the Civil War and the Reconstruction period but also into some of the development of the characters. While O’Hara would be humbled by the sense of loss she endured including around her family home of Tara, there is still this foolish pursuit of Wilkes who admits to having feelings for her but is still in love with Melanie. Melanie turns out to be a far more interesting character in terms of her gracefulness as well as being a person of reason where she seems to know more of what is going on rather than be oblivious. Then there’s Butler who is a man of charm but also someone who understands what is important as he does whatever he can to help out other people where he would really come into play in the film’s third act as someone who puts duty and family over everything else rather than O’Hara who is concerned with trying to live a lifestyle and pine for Wilkes.
The film’s direction by Victor Fleming is definitely sprawling in terms of its setting and grand visuals. Shot largely on studio and locations in Southern California including the studios in Los Angeles and Ventura County, the film does recreate this world of the American South that is lavish and full of ideals with a thriving economy and such despite the fact that they enjoyed the idea of slavery even though O’Hara and her family actually treat their slaves kinder than others in the maid Mammy (Hattie McDaniel) who would often put O’Hara in her place as well as run the house. With some contributions from George Cukor and Sam Wood during parts of the production, Fleming is able to maintain this atmosphere for much of the film’s early parts of the first act as this serene world yet there is something about that feels false due to the imagery of slavery where it is painted romantically which is far from what really did happen. When the horrors of war would emerge, the fantasy that O’Hara and her fellow Southerners had been living in burned right in front of their faces.
The usage of the wide shots including the grand detail in the crane shots that Fleming uses in a scene where O’Hara tries to find a doctor for Melanie as it’s presented in a small wide shot and then this vast crane to show all of these dead and wounded soldiers. The usage of tracking and dolly shots along with some of the presentation of the action including the scenes of the burning of Atlanta are among some of the finest usage of scenery during the first half of the film. The second act which is about the aftermath and O’Hara’s desire to return to Tara with an ailing Melanie and her baby in tow along with the maid Prissy (Butterfly McQueen). The second half begins with the rebuilding of Tara but also the arrival of the carpetbaggers as it would play into O’Hara trying to create a life similar to what she had despite having to live in Atlanta and at a smaller home. Due to her desire to make more money, she would eventually encounter a shantytown and trouble leading to an incident where it would be Butler that would help her out once again leading to their marriage and the film’s third act.
The third act is definitely the most dramatic as it play into Butler and O’Hara’s marriage and family life as well as what Butler is trying to create in this post-Civil War lifestyle that is sort of similar to the past but with some major differences. The usage of the close-ups and medium shots help play into the drama with some striking compositions as well as moments that are ambiguous. Notably in a scene where Butler would take O’Hara up to their room where even though it’s presented in a romantic tone, it does raises question into the idea of marital rape although Butler is later appalled by his actions. There is that ambiguity as it all play into O’Hara’s foolish pursuit towards Wilkes with Butler feeling spurned by what is happening as he thinks about their daughter as well as Melanie whom he cares for as a friend. Its ending is about not just this air of foolishness for both Butler and O’Hara but also in some serious revelations for both of them. Overall, producer David O. Selznick and director Victor Fleming create a spectacularly rich and majestic film about a Southern gentleman wooing a spoiled plantation daughter during the backdrop of the American Civil War and its aftermath.
Cinematographers Ernest Haller, Lee Garmes, and Ray Rennahan do amazing work with the film’s gorgeous Technicolor cinematography with its usage of colors for some scenes in the sunlight along with its usage of shadows as well as the grand detail into how vibrant the exteriors are in times when it was rich as well as how harrowing it looks following the events of the Civil War. Editors Hal C. Kern and James E. Newcom do excellent work with the editing with its usage of rhythmic cuts to play into the action and drama as well as letting shots play on for some of the film’s big moments. Production designer William Cameron Menzies, with set decorator Howard Bristol and art director Lyle Wheeler, does amazing work with the look of the mansion and land that is Tara along with some of the lavish homes of the Wilkes and many others as well as some of the ruined places and Atlanta post-Civil War. Costume designer Walter Plunkett does fantastic work with the costumes from the lavish design of the dresses and hats the women wear along with the suits and uniforms the men wore.
The visual effects work of Jack Cosgrove, Fred Albin, and Arthur Johns is terrific for some of the backdrops that is created including the scenes during the Fall of Atlanta with its images of fire. Sound recordist Thomas T. Moulton and sound editor Gordon Sawyer do superb work with the sound as it play into the atmosphere of the parties as well as the sounds of war. The film’s music by Max Steiner is incredible for its soaring and majestic orchestral score with its sweeping string arrangements and lush orchestral themes along with its take on traditional music of the times including Dixie.
The casting by Charles Richards and Fred Schuessler is marvelous for the massive ensemble that is assembled for the film as it feature some notable small roles from Cammie King Conlon as Rhett and Scarlett’s daughter Bonnie, Mickey Kuhn as Ashley and Melanie’s son Beau, Louis Jean Heydt as a Confederate soldier holding the baby Beau, Olin Howland as a carpetbagger businessman, Ward Bond as a Yankee captain trying to find suspects over a shantytown attack, Leona Roberts as Mrs. Meade, Harry Davenport as Dr. Meade, Laura Hopes Crew as Melanie’s Aunt Pittypat Hamilton, Everett Brown as the O’Hara’s field foreman Big Sam who would later save Scarlett at the shantytown, Victor Jory as the field overseer Jonas, Butterfly McQueen as the house servant Prissy who helps Scarlett with Melanie, Paul Hurst as a Yankee deserter trying to rob Tara, Howard Hickman as Ashley’s father John, George Reeves and Fred Crane in their respective roles as Scarlett’s brothers Stuart and Brent, and Ona Munson in a fantastic performance as the brothel madam Belle Watling as a woman who is known for a certain reputation yet is someone far more intriguing as she is a friend of Butler as well as someone Melanie admires.
Rand Brooks and Carroll Nye are terrific in their respective roles as Melanie’s brother Charles and Frank Kennedy as two men who would marry Scarlett in different periods in Scarlett’s life only to be unaware that she doesn’t love either of them. Evelyn Keyes and Ann Rutherford are wonderful in their respective roles as Scarlett’s sisters in Suellen and Carreen with the former as the younger of the two who really hates Scarlett for being bossy. Thomas Mitchell and Barbara O’Neal are superb in their respective roles as Scarlett’s parents in Gerald and Ellen O’Hara with the former being an Irishman trying to hold on to his land and ideals during the dark days of the war. Leslie Howard is excellent as Ashley Wilkes as the object of desire for Scarlett as a gentleman who joins the Confederacy as an officer as he deals with the realities of war while is torn for his love for Melanie but also his own feelings for Scarlett although he’s someone with not much personality.
Hattie McDaniel is brilliant as the housemaid Mammy as a woman who always says what is on her mind and doesn’t take shit from anyone while also running the house as she is sort of the film’s conscience despite being a sort of typical and subservient figure for the O’Hara family. Olivia de Haviland is amazing as Melanie Wilkes as Ashley’s cousin/wife who is a woman of grace and understanding as well as being the smartest person out there as it relates to Scarlett’s feelings for Ashley but also is someone who can bring the best in someone as well as be a sense of warmth for those feeling sad.
Vivien Leigh is remarkable as Scarlett O’Hara as this spoiled daughter of a plantation owner whose pursuit of Ashley would put her into foolish situations or moments by chance as it is a wild and over-the-top performance of a woman that is so intent on winning Ashley while at times being humbled and forced to swallow her pride. Finally, there’s Clark Gable in a tremendous performance as Rhett Butler as a Southern gentleman from Charleston who charms his way into any situations while being fascinated by Scarlett and her passion as well as being someone that is willing to humble her as well as cope with his own shortcomings including how he’s been unable to try and win over her due to her feelings for Ashley.
Gone with the Wind is an astonishingly rich and sensational film from Victor Fleming and producer David O. Selznick. Featuring a great cast, gorgeous visuals, a soaring music score, top-notch production values, and a story of love and pursuit during the era of the American Civil War and its aftermath. It’s a film that is grand in its visuals and tone despite some of romanticism towards the time of the American South and its ideas of slavery. In the end, Gone with the Wind is a spectacular film from Victor Fleming and producer David O. Selznick.
© thevoid99 2019
