With the blockbuster-filled summer now behind us, we are entering fall festival season, where awards hopefuls debut to standing ovations and begin to build their case for Oscar gold. One of the most buzzed about films heading into this season is the remake of A Star is Born, directed by and starring Bradley Cooper, alongside pop star Lady Gaga. A lot of the hype around the film has been about Lady Gaga's performance as a young singer-songwriter, and it's looking like that hype is well founded. Check out the clip below to see Lady Gaga belting it out in A Star is Born:
And that right there is the benefit of casting a legit singer in this role. The studio wasn't convinced of Lady Gaga for this movie originally, but this clip highlights why she eventually got the gig. The clip shows a quiet and simple scene between Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper's characters that is both sweet and stirring. We heard this song in the first trailer for A Star is Born and I think it's safe to say that "Shallow" will wind up being the most popular single on what is sure to be a very popular soundtrack. This clip does a smart thing though, letting us hear the song again in a very different way by just keeping the sound of Lady Gaga's Ally singing a capella over the flashes of other scenes in the movie, without any sort of background music.
This is a showcase of her raw talent, with nothing artificial and it is very effective way of conveying the potential Bradley Cooper's Jackson Maine sees in her. Also, the juxtaposition of a song sung a capalla in a parking lot playing over images of Ally becoming a star and singing in front of huge crowds is a great encapsulation of the journey this film will take her on, as big things come from small beginnings.
One thing that comes across in this clip is how authentic the singing is, and there's a reason for that. Lady Gaga insisted to director Bradley Cooper that all the singing be done live, not lip-syncing over playback. While that terrified him, the results speak for themselves. If this clip wasn't enough to sell you, the early reviews for A Star is Born out of the Venice Film Festival were very positive, with the oft-cited highlight being Lady Gaga's performance.
A Star is Born opens in theaters on October 5th. Keep an eye on CinemaBlend as we bring you the latest news from TIFF and all of the emerging awards contenders and check out our release guide for all the biggest films still to come the rest of this year.
