Recently, Lady Gaga’s
‘A Star is Born’ and Ryan Gosling’s ‘First Man’ were released in cinemas around
the world. Both are exciting films for 2018. ‘A Star is Born’ has already been
remade a few time, most notably in 1976 starring Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson.
This time, Bradley Cooper served as the writer-director-actor for the film with
Lady Gaga in a potentially Oscar-worthy performance. That certainly will be our
generation’s response to such an iconic film! On the other hand, ‘First Man’, which
is directed by Damien Chazelle, the filmmaker for ‘Whiplash’ and ‘La La Land’,
explored the life and experience of Neil Armstrong, the astronaut widely known
as the first man on the moon. This new film recalls another famous film that is
celebrating its 35th anniversary this year – Philip Kaufmann’s ‘The Right
Stuff’ (1983), which is one I highly recommend to everyone. The 1983 film was
more concerned with the preliminary and fundamental research and experiments,
especially those related to Chuck Yeager, before the mission to moon. It is an
iconic film because not only of the first-rate technical aspects – this was the
film that beat ‘Return of the Jedi’ in 3 Oscar categories – and also because of
Sam Shepard’s fantastic portrayal of Chuck Yeager, for which he received an
Oscar nomination. Shepard, who has achieved tremendously as a playwright, also
worked as an actor in a number of films, and ‘The Right Stuff’ was probably one
of this most memorable performance. So I guess I will talk about these films in
this article.
While ‘A Star is Born’ and ‘First Man’ seemed to be dealing with different topics, it is the common aspect between the 2 films I want to concentrate on. The common theme is the way how ordinary people can strive and have the big chance to become a superstar, and the potential pitfalls when that status is reached. The great thing about ‘A Star is Born’ is that it has a nice contrast regarding the 2 key characters in the story. The male protagonist has already been established himself as a famed musician, yet he has a lot of pressure due to his celebrity status, and while looking for ways to counteract that, he has fallen into a self-destructive pathway. The female protagonist, by contrast, is more of an underdog character and has brief stints as a singer in a bar – which is often the clichéd way of showing someone with potential as a star, but not quite there yet. Through the help of the rock star, the female protagonist has stolen the limelight and has started to develop her own fame. Yet, the two characters eventually came into conflict because of their very different personalities. While the ending for the 2018 film is similar in terms of the idea as the 1976 film, I think it is a more realistic ending compared to its predecessor, because that is a likely psychological consequence for a depressed and self-destructive individual. The 1976 ending was more about fate and coincidence, which was closer to the attitude of the style from the 1970s.
Another great point
about the 2018 version is that both Cooper and Lady Gaga make the film as actors
rather than a musician. Well, while the 1976 film is quite an engaging film, it
did not get to a critical top shot because the film treated Streisand and
Kristofferson as famed musicians, and much of the charisma from the film
originated from their songs, rather than a great story or their acting skills.
While that may be spectacular for a MTV, that should certainly compromise those
members of audience who comes for a great movie. Lady Gaga has achieved tremendously
as a musician throughout the years, and this time what she has done rather well
is to focus herself as an actress in this film about music. She has proved that
she can act well, and I really hope that she will be nominated for an Oscar for
her performance!
For Gosling’s ‘First
Man’, it also deals with similar themes. Even if the astronauts are detached
from Earth when they are exploring in space, they are just human beings when
they come back to their everyday lives. The pressure and stress from fame,
relationships, and the various issues from life will test them just like
anyone. When we look at ‘The Right Stuff’, there is also close to this point.
While the astronauts can travel in space, they are just as comfortable to blend
in as ordinary citizens in their familiar surroundings. Indeed, one of the memorable
scenes I like in the film is with Sam Shepard’s character with Barbara
Hershey’s character in a bar. It is just a beautiful image, and because that
emphasizes the humanity of this ‘superstar’ and the human connections they
need. What makes these people special is their will and perseverance to explore
for new things, even when others think it is more of a pipe dream and never
possible to achieve. I guess when the astronauts are working on their plans,
there are many ‘nay-sayers’ hanging around and they will ridicule this
‘space-travelers’. The key is to have a strong confidence and resilience from
these pressure and just concentrate on what you believe in. ‘The Right Stuff’
has explored how these men were willing to work hard to fulfill the
larger-than-life dream, and also explored the inevitable turmoil they
experienced as humans. This is a key point to look at in Chazelle’s ‘First Man’
- to explore the cosmological, as well as psychological, journeys of Neil
Armstrong’s developed as a successful astronaut.
by Ed Law
Film Analysis
