The Barbra Streisand-Kris Kristofferson remake of the tragic musical love story A Star is Born will have its DVD premiere on September 20th, when it is released from Warner Home Video with bonus features including Streisand Commentary, a remastered Dolby Digital®
5.1 soundtrack, additional scenes/alternate takes and wardrobe tests.
The 1976 film is timed to coincide
with the September release of Streisand's 61st album (with Barry Gibb). A Star Is Born was nominated for four Academy Awards and won five
Golden Globes, including Best Picture, Actress, Actor and Original
Score. Paul Williams, Kenny Loggins, Leon Russell and others worked
with Streisand on the pop score, which was most notable for the
Streisand/Williams hit "Evergreen." "Evergreen" won both the Oscar® and Golden
Globe® as Best Original Song. The original 1937 film was a straight drama with Janet Gaynor and Fredric March; it garnered seven Academy Award nominations and won one (Best Screenplay). A smash 1954 musical version starring Judy Garland and James Mason reignited the troubled career of its legendary star, who sang such numbers as "Born in a Trunk," "Lose That Long Face," and perhaps most unforgettably, "The Man That Got Away." The latter film was nominated for six Oscars, including Best Actress for Garland.
In the remake, "the story centers around rock star John Norman (Kristofferson) whose
career has peaked. One night, after a concert, he stumbles into a club
where he sees a singing group fronted by young singer Esther Hoffman
(Streisand). The two quickly fall in love, although Esther has trouble
with John's rock star lifestyle. One night, a typically burned-out John
lets Esther sing a few songs at one of his shows and before long she's
the talk of the record business. While Esther's star begins to rise,
John's continues to sink, and while she desperately tries to help him
clean up and focus on his music, it may be too late to save him."A Star is Born will also be available in a 5 DVD Barbra Streisand Collection gift set that includes The Main Event, Nuts, Up The Sandbox and What's Up Doc? Also from WHV, it's priced at $49.92 SRP, with A Star Is Born available individually at $19.97 SRP/$14.95 MAP;
the other four titles in the gift set will also be able to be purchased
separately, re-priced at $14.97 SRP.
Now in its fifth decade, Barbra Streisand's extraordinary career has
earned her recognition and popularity as an actress, singer, director,
producer and activist. Streisand has received
two Oscars®, including one for Best Actress, eleven Golden Globes®, six
Emmy® Awards, a Tony® Award, ten Grammy® Awards, a Lifetime Achievement
Award from the American Film Institute and others. Streisand also has
achieved sales unequaled by any other female recording artist, and with
49 gold albums, she is second in the all-time charts, exceeded only by
Elvis Presley.
