All of the 'A Star Is Born' movies ranked from worst to best

1937’s “A Star is Born” is the one that started all of this, and is the only one without any songs. Its trailer, which you can watch on YouTube, labels it “Hollywood’s first true story.” It is not based on a true story.

The movie, carried by its endearing lead, Janet Gaynor — who was in a way being born as a star herself in this transition from silent film — is just fine. What is most fascinating eight decades later is its staggering separation from life and the entertainment industry in 2018. In one scene, a woman at a studio tells Gaynor’s character, Esther, an aspiring actress, that her chances of making it in the industry are “one in one hundred thousand.” Today, that’s a pretty good shot. Also, famous adult human beings in this movie drink full glasses of milk with their dinner.

The awful, and very dim lighting throughout is a victim of its time: in the 1930s, lighting wasn’t necessarily considered an art form that could be played with yet. All that really mattered was whether or not you could see anything, so it's almost unfair to compare it to Cooper’s, which uses lighting and thoughtful camera placement to highlight important things about the characters.

But the first version of this story still has one major thing in common with Cooper's 2018 version: the skepticism surrounding fame and Hollywood which, ironically, might be ingrained into the industry and our culture because of this story that Hollywood can’t stop telling.

This version of "A Star is Born" is available to watch with no additional charges on Amazon Prime.

This movie is three hours long. It literally has an intermission. It’s good, but perhaps a little too obsessed with itself. Like the 1937 and 1976 “A Star is Born” films, it lacks a strong sense of character in its male lead, Norman Maine. But Judy Garland brings her otherwise undeveloped character to life in the greatest performance of her career, and one of the greatest performances in film history.

Garland’s presence keeps you watching, even when you know exactly what will happen; even as she belts her way through boring songs that still take you on her character’s tumultuous journey. But ultimately, the screenplay clings a little too desperately to the original, which defeats the purpose of a remake, which is a bit of a disappointment. Hollywood certainly changed significantly in the 17 years in between these movies were made, but this one doesn’t feel much different, besides its transformation into a musical and the addition of palm trees at the Academy Awards ceremony.

This version of "A Star is Born" is available to rent on Amazon.

Although Bradley Cooper had the advantage of the advancements in technology, filmmaking, and storytelling to work with, his “A Star is Born” is the best by a long shot because it’s the most honest and sincere.

It’s a truly a modern retelling of the story, and unlike all the others, feels like it could have happened. The performances are exquisite, the songs brilliant and significant to moving the story forward, and most importantly, this version focuses more on its characters than the spectacle, which is the most glaring issue with all the other iterations.

This version is also the most representative of its era: Cooper’s character Jackson Maine meets Ally (Lady Gaga) at a drag bar. And alcoholism is treated as a disease: in one of the most moving scenes in the film, Ally tells Jackson that it’s not his fault he has it. The scene is telling compared to a scene in the 1976 version where Barbra Streisand screams “I’ll kill you!” at her husband, and then promptly has sex with him.

By focusing on Jackson Maine’s past, including his parentage and his brother (played by Sam Elliot who is deserving of a best supporting actor nomination at the Oscars), this movie feels grounded in a way the previous versions haven't.

"A Star is Born" comes to theaters October 5.