Hollywood loves a remake. It’s basically the industry's favorite security blanket. But in 1976, when the Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson movie hit theaters, it wasn't just another retread of a classic story. It was a cultural earthquake. A Star Is Born had already been filmed twice before, but this version swapped the dusty backlots of Old Hollywood for the sweat-soaked, cocaine-fueled arenas of 1970s rock and roll.
Honestly, the movie is a bit of a trip. You have Barbra Streisand, the ultimate perfectionist, playing Esther Hoffman, an up-and-coming singer with a voice that could shatter glass. Opposite her is Kris Kristofferson as John Norman Howard, a rock star who is essentially a human landslide.
He’s drinking. He’s doing drugs. He’s riding motorcycles off the stage into the audience.
Why the 1976 Version Was Such a Messy Masterpiece
The production of the Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson movie was legendary for all the wrong reasons. Or the right ones, depending on how much you like drama. Streisand wasn't just the star; she was the executive producer. It was her first time holding that title, and she took it seriously. Very seriously.
She wasn't just showing up to say her lines. She was picking the costumes, many of which came from her own closet. She was directing the extras at the massive concert scenes. She even spent four months in the editing room, which was basically unheard of for an actor at the time.
🔗 Read more: The Reality of Sex Movies From Africa: Censorship, Nollywood, and the Digital Underground
Director Frank Pierson was so miserable that he actually wrote a tell-all article for New West magazine titled "My Battles with Barbra and Jon." Jon, of course, being Jon Peters—Streisand’s boyfriend and the film’s producer. Pierson described a set that was constantly in a state of civil war. He claimed they’d hired and fired three directors and four writers before they even started.
But here’s the thing: despite the screaming matches and the ego clashes, the movie worked.
The chemistry between Streisand and Kristofferson was electric. Some people say it’s because they were actually real-life lovers once, years before the cameras started rolling. Whether that’s true or not, the "female gaze" in this movie is turned up to eleven. Kristofferson, with his beard and his quiet, aching vulnerability, was the perfect foil for Streisand's high-energy intensity.
The Music That Saved the Movie
You can't talk about the Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson movie without talking about "Evergreen." That song is the glue that holds the whole thing together. Streisand actually wrote the melody herself, which surprised a lot of people.
💡 You might also like: Alfonso Cuarón: Why the Harry Potter 3 Director Changed the Wizarding World Forever
She was learning guitar for the role. She’d get frustrated, go hide in the bathroom, and cry. Then she’d come out and try again. That persistence led to one of the biggest hits of her career.
- "Evergreen" won the Academy Award for Best Original Song.
- It won a Grammy for Song of the Year.
- The soundtrack album stayed at number one on the Billboard 200 for six weeks.
The film's ending is a seven-minute, one-take performance where Streisand sings her heart out. It’s raw. It’s loud. It’s completely different from the polished, studio-perfect sound of her earlier career. She wanted it to feel like rock and roll, even if the critics at the time thought her version of "rock" was a little too "easy listening."
The Legacy and That 2018 Remake
Critics were kinda mean to this movie when it first came out. They called it a "vanity project." One reviewer even retitled it A Bore Is Starred. But the public didn't care. It grossed $80 million on a $6 million budget. In today’s money, that’s like making $350 million.
People loved seeing these two icons together. Even now, decades later, when Lady Gaga and Bradley Cooper did their version, they paid homage to the 1976 film. If you look closely, you’ll see similarities in the concert staging and the way the romance unfolds.
📖 Related: Why the Cast of Hold Your Breath 2024 Makes This Dust Bowl Horror Actually Work
Interestingly, Streisand has been a bit vocal about the Cooper/Gaga version. She thought it was "too similar" to hers. She’d hoped they would do something wildly different, like casting Will Smith and Beyoncé to give it a totally new musical flavor.
If you're looking to revisit the Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson movie, keep an eye out for the "rock and roll cut" of the finale. Streisand actually went into the archives (well, a salt mine in Kansas, technically) to find lost footage to restore the scene. It shows her character truly taking on the persona of her late husband—it's a haunting, powerful way to end a story about fame and loss.
To get the most out of a rewatch, try to find the special edition version. It includes the scene where Esther first plays "Evergreen" for John Norman on a guitar in their bedroom. It's the most intimate moment in the film and explains exactly why these two characters were so obsessed with each other despite the chaos.