A Star is Born and Judy Garland
The 1954 version of A Star Is Born eerily echoes the life of Judy Garland, let’s open up the floor for discussion.
Judy Garland was one of the world’s greatest entertainers. But like many celebrities from the Old Hollywood era, her star burned out too quickly. Why may you ask? Judy got into the cycle of addiction at a young age: opioids. Addiction… a problem that millions in America suffer from on a daily basis. But back in the Golden era, we did not have the knowledge of addiction we have today.
A Star is Born has been made into a film FOUR times with the most recent being with Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper. But each time it focuses on how an addiction can kill every aspect of a person’s life. Destroying relationships, finances, physical health, and most importantly yourself. The 1954’s version of A Star is Born is equally as amazing as the 2018 version. But each film plays to its time period is what is so unique.
Judy Garland plays the female lead, while the sexy James Mason plays Norman Maine. Norman is openly drunk throughout the film to the point where he is committed to a sanitarium towards the end for alcoholism (Cukor, 1954). Garland, in reality, was high and drunk throughout her mid-30s to her death. Judy had been to rehab but nothing ever seemed to work permanently due to her going back to work and starting on the pills upon return. Like Norman, she never got a chance to get her life together.
Judy’s real-life story mirrors the message of the film, in that she lost custody of her kids at the end of her life, got arrested, ruined her career, and physically shrunk due to her opioid addiction. Addiction affects everything in one’s life and it’s tragic that at times it can lead to death. Each film ending leaves the male lead dead either by accident or by suicide (Cooper, 2018). Suicide and addiction are related as sometimes a substance abuse diagnosis is comorbid with a possible mental health disorder. On June 22, 1969, Judy Garland died of an accidental overdose of barbiturates. She would have been a 100-years old today.
References:
Cooper, B. (Director). (2018). A Star is Born [Film]. Warner Bros.
Cukor, G. (Director). (1954). A Star is Born [Film]. Warner Bros.
