Bradley Cooper And Lady Gaga Shine In A Winning Remake Of 'A Star is Born'

Copyright 2018 Fresh Air. To see more, visit Fresh Air . DAVID BIANCULLI, HOST: This is FRESH AIR. The new film "A Star Is Born" opens this weekend. It was directed by and stars Bradley Cooper and gives Lady Gaga her first leading film role as a hopeful singer-songwriter. This is the fourth version of "A Star Is Born." The original, made in 1937, was directed by William Wellman and starred Fredric March as a fading alcoholic movie star and Janet Gaynor as the aspiring actress he falls in love with who becomes a sensation. In 1954, it was remade as a musical with Judy Garland and James Mason. The 1976 version paired Barbra Streisand and Kris Kristofferson. Film critic David Edelstein has a review of the new "A Star Is Born." DAVID EDELSTEIN, BYLINE: The first thing you'll notice in Bradley Cooper's crowd-pleasing remake of "A Star Is Born" is that Lady Gaga, the artist who rode to fame with avant-garde stunts and a firm refusal to do anything natural - anything that didn't smack of