A Star is Born (1954)

George Cukor returns to his What Price Hollywood? (1932) story, adapting the screenplay for Judy Garland and James Mason. This time, original songs were written by Harold Arlen and Ira Gershwin to maximize the talents of the film’s leading lady. Although nearing the end of her film career, Garland was still a box office draw and perfectly typecast as Esther/Vicki, who faces a brutish husband and unforgiving business. Nearly sixty years after her death, Garland remains mythological. Crushed by an industry that once exalted her, Garland’s heartbreaking demise forever deepens her mystique.