Liverpool Sound and Vision Rating * * * * *
Cast: Bradley Cooper, Lady Gaga, Sam Elliott, Andrew Dice Clay, Rafi Gavron, Anthony Ramos, Dave Chappelle, Alec Baldwin, Marlon Williams, Brandi Carlile, Ron Rifkin, Barry Shabaka Henley, Michael D. Roberts, Michael Harney, Rebecca Field, Drena De Niro, Greg Grunberg.
All we have is the truth, and yet for the vast majority of times in our lives we cannot live with the prospect of telling it, of showing somebody our true and unfiltered emotions, mindful of the promise we make to be kind, to love unconditionally, so we shrink into ourselves like an actor who has lost the will to perform on stage, who requires a stimulant to leave the safety of the dressing room; all we have is truth, and as we start to lose the ability to see it, we suffer, and we pass the hurt onto those around us.
Being true and seeking truth is not the same as being rude, always be kind a wise person once said, the spectre of the home truth is just someone wishing to impose their will and opinions onto someone they consider their inferior, being honest must come from within, it must never interfere with the way someone else leads their life; it is a truth that perhaps that is reflected upon with great joy, and with equal sadness, in the 2018 remake of A Star Is Born.
Unlike the three other versions of the film that have encapsulated the talents of Judy Garland, James Mason, Fredric March, Janet Gaynor, Kris Kristofferson and Barbra Streisand, this 2018 adaptation is arguably grittier, more in keeping with the idea of truth, bitterness, realisation of hurt and undiscovered potential, a star is indeed born, or in this case unveiled and relished in, as Bradley Cooper gives the performance of his life, Sam Elliott is the personification once more of all that is cool, and Lady Gaga transcends with magnificent ease the boundary of pop.
When one suspects ones power of truth is fading, when the song you sing or the poem you write is no longer honest, that is the time to take notice and find a way to live with yourself, when you no longer push the point of human existence and you are exhausted with what you have become, then before someone removes you, it is time to step back and enjoy the performance of others.
It is in this catalyst of emotions that Bradley Cooper’s Jack Maine and Lady Gaga’s Ally encapsulate truth, the rise and eventual fall, no matter how hard, or as gentle as dimming down a light may be, must come to all those willing to pursue something more than the ordinary. This is a film that touches upon idealism, of honour, of love and death, and yet throughout it all the audience cannot fail to be moved with how truth dominates when you allow it to feel your soul. Small talk may make the world turn, but it is in being honest with your message that makes it spin that little bit faster.
A Star Is Born, one of the great films of 2018, undaunting in its pursuit of honesty.
Ian D. Hall