Hollywood has always been fond of movies about Hollywood, not only because life in movieland is often more dramatic than movies but also because such movies only enrich the Hollywood mystique. A remake of the 1937 film of the same title that was inspired by several real-life stories, A Star is Born is a melodramatic fable about the rise of a star and the fall of another, who happen to be married to each other. Director George Cukor tells the story alternating between exquisite drama and sumptuous musical numbers, capturing the harsh reality of the movie industry and the seductiveness of the showbiz world. Cukor had wanted to release the film at 182 minutes, but Warner Brothers cut it to 154 minutes without the director's consent. The film was restored in 1983 to 176 minutes, reinstating two excised musical numbers but some missing scenes were reconstructed with stills.

6/5

(Sun)

2:00pm *

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

20/5

(Sun)

7:30pm

Cinema, Hong Kong Film Archive

* Post-screening talk with Shu Kei