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Dorthea Geroulakos

Dr. Tabitha Clark

ENGW1111

04/18/2022

A Star is Reborn in a More Progressive Generation

Roaring fans, catchy soundtracks, star-studded casts, and a yearn for an inside view of

celebrity life have kept fans intrigued by the A Star Is Born franchise since its inception in 1937

(“A Star Is Born 2018”). While its 1937 and 1954 predecessors focused on Hollywood, in 1976

Barbara Streisand and Kris Kristofferson reconstructed the tragic love story for the music

industry (“A Star Is Born 1976”). Despite being the second highest grossing film of the year,

topics of substance abuse and characters in A Star Is Born’s (1976) lacked complexity and was

what the Boston Globe deemed “a flaming, spectacular disaster, a film that would best be served

by having every print confiscated and burned” (Ebert, “A Star Is Born 1976”). Thankfully, Lady

Gaga playing Ally, the star to be born, and Bradley Cooper both director and falling star Jackson

Maine won the publics hearts with their undeniable chemistry in A Star Is Born (2018). As the

Vulture points out, Bradley Cooper “de-machos the role, and creates a backstory of

vulnerability” which made it highly regarded with 8 grammy nominations and one win for its

revered soundtrack (Bramesco). While A Star Is Born (1976) upholds the stereotypes of the

‘macho’ violent man and completely lacks diversity, the 2018 version breaks gender roles and

has a more diverse cast.

Men in A Star Is Born (1976) are portrayed as violent and the protectors of women. Male

violence at the time of the movie’s release was not only acceptable but noble against any man
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disrespecting a woman. When two of John Norman’s fans kept rudely speaking over Esther’s

performance at the café, John gladly conformed and punched them bringing the performance to a

halt altogether. At the time this would have been viewed as a romantic gesture and it clearly

swooned Esther who led him through the back exit and back to her house. John is impulsive in

his dangerous shows of masculinity as is further shown during his concert in Tempe, Arizona

with Esther. He takes a fan’s motorcycle, a symbol of the ultimate macho man, and rides it

around and off the stage, putting himself in crutches and his fans in danger. This is a regular

occurrence for John whose manager warns, “this time only 17 people were hurt” (Pierson). His

dangerous shows of masculinity are not just a show to win over women, but also a normalized

way of solving conflict for men in the 1970s. When the radio show host Bebe Jesus flies his

helicopter over John Norman’s backyard for the latest gossip, John immediately goes for his gun

and shoots at it directly at the helicopter twice, what could have been a fatal shooting. When

John if forced to apologize, he concedes to violence yet again. Bebe Jesus calls him a “burned-

out superstar” and John with his hurt ego throw’s a case of alcohol straight through the window

at Bebe Jesus’ face to assert his dominance like ‘real’ men were supposed to do (Pierson).

A Star Is Born (2018) portrays people expressing themselves outside of traditional gender

roles and stays clear of ‘macho’ man stereotypes in its lead Jackson Maine. Ally and Jackson’s

romance begins in the drag bar in which she sings along with other drag queens studded in

sparkly eyeshadow and makeup, voluminous wigs, jewelry, and effeminate costumes. Famous

drag queens William and Shangela from RuPaul’s Drag Race are cheered on by the audience

and show that anyone can express themselves fluidly and be celebrated for it. Jackson praises

that “it’s incredible what they do” (Cooper). Drag isn’t viewed as ‘otherness,’ but for Ally, who

is played by the longtime LGBTQ+ ally, Lady Gaga, it is an “honor” to take part in (Cooper).
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There are many nonheteronormative characters in the cast such as Ally’s best friend Ramon who

is gay and wears a man bun and a floral velvet suit to the drag show. A Star Is Born (2018) also

challenges the norm of male violence. When a drunk fan keeps asking Jackson Maine for a photo

while at the bar with, he remains calm and even agrees, instead Ally is the one to escalate the

situation, punch the man in the face, and be carried out by Jackson. This is a direct contradiction

to A Star Is Born (1976) when the male lead punched his fans and had to dragged out by Esther,

the female peacekeeper. Furthermore, Jackson is a vulnerable man who is not afraid of emotions

or apologies. After ruining Ally’s Grammy award speech while intoxicated he apologizes, “listen

I’m sorry; I’m sorry I did that” as tears roll down his cheeks (Cooper). He admits his weakness

and does not need to put a front of masculinity on to impress her.

The directors, screen writers, and almost all of the actors in A Star Is Born (1976) are white

which is more representative of white-washed Hollywood at the time than the public. The

concert montages are in some of the biggest and most diverse cities in the United States such as

Tempe, Arizona, a city with a large Latino population, yet the film pans over an almost entirely

white crowd. The few examples of diversity in the film are the two Black singers in Esther’s

band who did not even get names nor more than a few words for lines despite being her only

friends throughout the movie. In Esther’s performance the night she meets John Norman at a

café, the trio is introduced as “The Oreos” (Pierson). The crowd cheers them on without shock at

the term which at the time was a well-known derogatory word for a Black person who behaved

in a way society deemed as ‘white.’ The cinematography and stage placement of the singers is

made to make the only diverse roles in the film blend into oblivion and depict Esther as superior.

For a total of 8 seconds the faces of Esther’s Black bandmates take up the screen as they sing

some vocals. Then, Esther’s head pops up in between them and they immediately are shooed off
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the screen, not to be seen for almost the entire scene. When they are seen again, they are standing

on both sides of Esther farther back. Although Esther seems to be the main singer in the trio, the

other two Black singers are purposely made to blend in to make room for the ‘star’ Esther. They

have matching straightened hair and bangs, cohesive red and denim fits, and even switch sides

behind her as if the choreographer wants them to be viewed as interchangeable. The stage light

and camera remain on Esther and her distinctive white blouse for the rest of the performance as

the other two women’s disembodied arms flail into the shot around her face. At the Native

American charity concert, not much changes as the women sing a few meters back from Esther

on the stage in the nonexistent lighting for a matter of seconds. They graciously clap for Esther

as she bows multiple time but do not take bows themselves or get a spotlight.

The cast of A Star Is Born’s (2018) is much more diverse and less offensive than its

predecessor. All writers and directors were white as in the last one, but there was more diversity

in the cast. Ramon played by Anthony Ramos a Puerto Rican is Ally’s supportive best from her

restaurant job who is there through her relationship and career troubles. Jackson Maine’s oldest

friend called Noodles is a Black man who would play blues music in clubs with Jackson when

they were younger. He also takes on an extremely supportive role when he is there to pick up the

drunken Jackson Maine from his front lawn, give him a pep talk, take him in, and feed him

alongside his family. Jackson proposes to Ally at Noodle’s house and is married that very day at

his church with the fully Black congregation as their guests. The positive representation of

diverse characters is a great step above to the nameless backup dancers in the previous movie,

but they lack a plot outside of supporting the white leads. The universe outside of their friendship

circle is also more reflective of America with people of color in the crowd of the Grammy’s

awards show, the drag bar, and the stars’ concerts. Moreover, people of color are the backup
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dancers in some of Ally’s performances, but they are not represented as an accessory and appear

alongside other dancers.

Forty-two years lie between the release of A Star Is Born (1976) and A Star Is Born (2018),

during which Hollywood has slowly tried to update its portrayal of gender and race in a way that

is less offensive and more representative of society. Although A Star Is Born (2018) is void of

gender and racial diversity behind the camera and in the writing room, its positive portrayal of

free gender expression and diverse characters is a huge step forward that better resonates with

todays’ viewers and makes it the sparking award-winner it is. Future iterations of the franchise

are highly probable due to its reliable fanbase and the public’s adoration of rags to riches stories.

There is no doubt that as culture continues to evolve, sequels will continue to push boundaries

not only in representation of gender and race but also substance abuse and fame which continue

to become even more prevalent in our digital and isolated society.

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Works Cited

“A Star Is Born 1976.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 17 Dec. 1976,

https://www.imdb.com/title/tt0075265/. 

“A Star Is Born 2018.” IMDb, IMDb.com, 5 Oct. 2018, https://www.imdb.com/title/tt1517451/. 

Bramesco, Charles. “What Did Critics Think of the Other Versions of a Star Is Born?” Vulture,

Vulture, 4 Oct. 2018, https://www.vulture.com/2018/10/revisiting-the-1937-1954-1976-

versions-of-a-star-is-born.html. 

Cooper, Bradley, director. A Star is Born. Warner Bros. Pictures, 2018.

Pierson, Frank, director. A Star is Born. Barwood Films, 1976.

Roger Ebert, Field N. ``KRISTOFFERSON GOES CLEAN: [FIRST EDITION]." Boston Globe

(pre-1997 Full Text), Dec 15, 1981, pp. 1. ProQuest, https://link.ezproxy.neu.edu/login?

url=https://www.proquest.com/newspapers/kristofferson-goes-clean/docview/294118073/se-

2?accountid=12826.
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