Hollywood depictions tend to lean towards one of these two extremes: glorification or demonisation.

Rarely we get to see a stoic, naturalistic depiction of the film industry. And I would argue that A Star is Born is quite pro-Hollywood. Yes, we see an example of Norman Maine, who was discarded by the industry, which led to his tragic demise, and yet, the ending of the film shows us an optimistic idea of the future of Hollywood led by devoted and hardworking actresses and actors.

I still think the film has quite a solid foundation for critical view on the film industry, and yet the tone of it, and the way a lot of problematic things are just swept under the rug, are tricking the audience into thinking that the good in the industry still wins at the end.

And even if it is the case sometimes, there is still a lot of things to fix. Even today, 87 years after the film’s release.

No piece of art deserves the sacrifice of one’s sanity in order to be created.

As we discussed in many other classes, you should always try your best to plan as much as possible during pre-production process. Inventiveness and improvisation are essential to the craft of filmmaking, but one should always make the shoot as comfortable as possible. To rewrite your script in the middle of production sounds like a big no-no to me. If you are unsure whether something works, spend more time on it before jumping into the action.

And even if something you created achieves cult status, it doesn’t justify all the questionable choices made along the way.

Dear reader,

Today I would like to show some clips from The American Friend (1977) dir. Wim Wenders cut specifically to match the action of each shot.