A Star is Born

 And this week's Friday night movie has been... A Star is Born!

Original image located here. Accessed 6th March 2026

I'm going to try an experiment: Given that Hollywood has made four versions of A Star is Born, I will for the month of March, watch and assess all four of them. Indeed, it would be interesting to see how each
of them compare with one another. And which hold up given the passage of time.
And what better place to start than with the the very first, from 1937.

So this movie tells the story of a young actress who is determined to make it as a star in Hollywood. She eventually catches the attention of a veteran actor who then actively supports her career and is the only person who believes in her. And so while her career flourishes, his career flounders...
Perhaps the most striking thing about this movie is that it is clearly a product of it's time. It shows how Hollywood operated in the 1920s/30s (the supposed Golden Age of Hollywood) and the progression of our protagonist. And that in sense, it is odd, even with the passage of nearly nine decades, how this movie is a documentary, a cautionary tale and a propaganda piece at the same time.
And yet it's that honesty that makes this movie so compelling. 

So yes, this movie may be a product of it's time but it has held up well against the march of time. 
And it would be interesting to see how it's offspring measure up...

The Life of Emile Zola

    And this week's Friday night movie has been... The Life of Emile Zola!

Original image located here. Accessed 26th January 2024

Best Picture Oscar winner no.: 10 (1937)

Stop me if this sounds familiar: There's this guy who has a talent in a creative field. He produces works that bring him fame but antagonises those in power. He falls into a slump but then becomes aware of a man going to prison for a crime he didn't commit. Guy then rouses the public using well-worded speeches in the pursuit of truth and justice. The narrative then shifts to the courtroom where those in power are challenged and are ultimately overcome. 
If such a narrative was made today one would think it had 'Oscar Bait' written all over it.
But the thing is, that's the plot of this movie which was made in 1937.....

It would seem that time has not been kind to this movie, with the major problem being the application of self-censorship as to not antagonise 1930s Germany (ie references to the accused being a Jew removed; why the image used in the poster does not resemble the protagonist). 
Personally, it wasn't bad: It does present an interesting version of historical events. Muni does a magnificent job in the lead role. And I can't say it was dull.
But reading up on the production of the movie, I was struck by the constant clashing between producer Henry Banke and exec. producer Hall B Wallis. And someone should adapt that because that would make a movie worth watching.

Snow White and the Seven Dwarves

  And this week's Friday night movie has been... Snow White and the Seven Dwarves!

Original image located here. Accessed 10th November 2023

I've been meaning to get this on DVD for the longest time and Disney's recent announcement that they will no longer distribute physical media in Australia is a good enough reason to grab it.
So why on earth would I get the physical release in this age of streaming? Well there was a special feature on the DVD that caught my attention: An audio commentary by Walt himself. Granted buying a DVD for a special feature, let alone buying a DVD, would look downright archaic now but keep in mind: once upon a time, special features were once a major selling point for DVDs.
Furthermore, the audio commentary got my attention just to see/hear how they did it (turns out, gathering all these sound clips of Walt, stitching them together and boom: there it is).

So about the movie: It's the big one. The one that proved feature length animation could work and the one that built an empire from the ground up. 
Of course, it may be easy to dismiss this movie for it's age but I don't think so. The animation and art direction still stand up really well. There is a lot of creativity and expressiveness on play here. Sure one might think that Disney and his animators are showing off what they can do but the animation still works some eighty six years later. 
And for a studio noted for formula, it is interesting to see it being put into play first up. And just how it works: Proof that the formula so well the first time that it has been reused many times since. 

So yeah, an important movie to the history of film that, remarkably, still holds up