Take a photo of a barcode or cover
9 reviews for:
A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away
Jeffrey Vance, Turner Classic Movies, Lorna Luft
4.03 AVERAGE
9 reviews for:
A Star Is Born: Judy Garland and the Film That Got Away
Jeffrey Vance, Turner Classic Movies, Lorna Luft
4.03 AVERAGE
A Star is Born by Lorna Luft is a free NetGalley ebook that I read in early September.
Up until the time that I began reading this book, I hadn't yet realized that this book's publishing might coincide with the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper film remake. Anywho, Luft shines a greater mirror onto the Hollywood system and Garland's own life with some echoes to topics from the book/movie, Valley of the Dolls, and shares a studied, mindful, surprisingly impartial view of her mother's early life with MGM, then the reshoots and noted scenes/makeup/costumes/line readings from A Star is Born. Garland experiences mercurial highs and lows, heavy reliance on drugs and alcohol, suffers emotionally due to the fierce cuts in the film after its initial premiere, then appear in TV broadcasts, Vegas shows, and nightclub acts before her death. From there, this book documents the earlier and later incarnations of A Star is Born as reflecting the times when the movie(s) was produced and Luft herself being reunited with her mother through its subsequent viewings and rereleases.
Up until the time that I began reading this book, I hadn't yet realized that this book's publishing might coincide with the Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper film remake. Anywho, Luft shines a greater mirror onto the Hollywood system and Garland's own life with some echoes to topics from the book/movie, Valley of the Dolls, and shares a studied, mindful, surprisingly impartial view of her mother's early life with MGM, then the reshoots and noted scenes/makeup/costumes/line readings from A Star is Born. Garland experiences mercurial highs and lows, heavy reliance on drugs and alcohol, suffers emotionally due to the fierce cuts in the film after its initial premiere, then appear in TV broadcasts, Vegas shows, and nightclub acts before her death. From there, this book documents the earlier and later incarnations of A Star is Born as reflecting the times when the movie(s) was produced and Luft herself being reunited with her mother through its subsequent viewings and rereleases.
emotional
informative
lighthearted
sad
fast-paced
This would have made a great magazine article, if it stayed focused on the 1954 film. Instead it's some odd reports on the 1937 and 1976 films, and a lot of ramblings on Lorna Luft's relationships with her mother and father. What she does discuss about the book is fairly interesting.
I received this free copy from netgalley.com for an honest review.
This was a quick read and I loved that! I love everything about Judy Garland and fell in love with Lorna when I first saw her in Grease 2. I was ecstatic to find this book.
I love the premise of following Judy through the process of A Star is Born. I loved the detail from Lorna on her memories of seeing this movie for the first time. I adored the photos that were included as well. The one section that threw me off was the chapter regarding Barbara Streisand and her remake of A Star is Born. For me, it felt rushed and it was just thrown in there for filler.
I give this book 4 Stars. Hoping to hear more from Lorna in book world.
This was a quick read and I loved that! I love everything about Judy Garland and fell in love with Lorna when I first saw her in Grease 2. I was ecstatic to find this book.
I love the premise of following Judy through the process of A Star is Born. I loved the detail from Lorna on her memories of seeing this movie for the first time. I adored the photos that were included as well. The one section that threw me off was the chapter regarding Barbara Streisand and her remake of A Star is Born. For me, it felt rushed and it was just thrown in there for filler.
I give this book 4 Stars. Hoping to hear more from Lorna in book world.
Mostly for Judy fans, there isn’t much new information here. But Lorna shares many pictures, and covers the history of the movie beyond her mother’s film. But I loved it all the same.
Enjoyable read. As someone who is fully invested in the A Star is Born legacy, I appreciated that although the focus is on the 1954 version, there is plenty of information about the 1937 and 1976 versions, What Price Hollywood? as well as a bit about the upcoming film. There was one factual error in the introduction but otherwise it was a stand up book. Full review is available on my YouTube channel https://youtu.be/gPGwVxL7GoY
NOTE: Received as an ARC from Netgalley.
A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making (and unmaking) of the film, how it affected Judy Garland’s career and life, and the restoration and rebirth of A Star is Born. If you haven’t already seen the restored version of this classic, you’ll definitely want to after reading this.
Lorna Luft writes about the great responsibility she feels toward her mother’s legacy, and with this book, I feel she has done that legacy justice.
A fascinating behind-the-scenes look at the making (and unmaking) of the film, how it affected Judy Garland’s career and life, and the restoration and rebirth of A Star is Born. If you haven’t already seen the restored version of this classic, you’ll definitely want to after reading this.
Lorna Luft writes about the great responsibility she feels toward her mother’s legacy, and with this book, I feel she has done that legacy justice.
I'm a fan of A Star is Born in general - I loved the Garland, Streisand and Gaga versions (still need to see the Gaynor one). This is a lovely companion book with lots of pictures - a nice tribute from Luft to her mother.
This book is an interesting and touching read for any fans of Judy Garland or old Hollywood, balanced between the personal perspective of Garland's daughter Lorna Luft and the analytical perspective of film historian Jeffrey Vance. It explores both Judy's life and legacy, particularly in her favorite film of her career, and the context of the various versions of A Star Is Born from 1937 through 2018. The narrative shifts between Luft and Vance could be a bit jarring, but I really enjoyed learning more about the history of this film and seeing all of the fantastic behind-the-scenes photos. I'll definitely be having an A Star Is Born movie marathon soon!