"The 1954 version of A Star Is Born, the ultimate Hollywood story, was the crowning film achievement of legendary entertainer Judy Garland's career. But the troubled production was also one of the most talked about in movie history. The story, which depicts the dark side of fame, paralleled Garland's own life in many ways, ultimately leading to an Academy Award-nominated performance. Still, the studio behind the film was uncertain audiences would embrace the lengthy film, and cut extensive amounts of footage from the finished print, leaving A Star Is Born in tatters and breaking the heart of both the film's star and director George Cukor. Today, with a director's cut reconstructed from previously lost scenes and audio, the 1954 A Star Is Born has taken its deserved place among the most critically acclaimed movies of all time, and continues to inspire each new generation that discovers it. Now, Lorna Luft--daughter of Judy Garland and the film's producer, Sid Luft--tells the story of the production, and of her mother's fight to save her career, as only she could. Teaming with film historian Jeffrey Vance, A Star Is Born is a candid account of the crafting, loss, and restoration of a movie classic, complemented by a trove of images from the family collection. The book also includes essays on the other screen adaptations of A Star Is Born, to round out a complete history of a story that has remained a Hollywood favorite for nearly a century."--Dust jacket.
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