It's been five or so years since I last watched the 1937 original (I haven't seen the Gaga remake). As I recall, the severely alcoholic husband (whose name is Norman Maine) of main character Esther (she's professionally known as Vicki Lester) drowns himself, in an act of self-sacrifice, knowing that she'll be better off with him out of the picture. It wasn't really so her character could take her career to the next level (she's already the #1 female movie star), instead was to free Esther of the ongoing burden and responsibility of having to deal with his self-destruction. He knew (if I recall correctly) that she was intending to give up her career so she could devote her life to looking after him.

Incidentally, 1932's What Price Hollywood? https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/56724-what-price-hollywood?language=en-US tells a near identical overall story. In that movie, the husband character commits suicide by shooting himself.

SPOILERS It does end the same way as @genplant29 noted above, but he committed suicide in a different way in the new version.

@genplant29 said:

It's been five or so years since I last watched the 1937 original (I haven't seen the Gaga remake). As I recall, the severely alcoholic husband (whose name is Norman Maine) of main character Esther (she's professionally known as Vicki Lester) drowns himself, in an act of self-sacrifice, knowing that she'll be better off with him out of the picture. It wasn't really so her character could take her career to the next level (she's already the #1 female movie star), instead was to free Esther of the ongoing burden and responsibility of having to deal with his self-destruction. He knew (if I recall correctly) that she was intending to give up her career so she could devote her life to looking after him.

Incidentally, 1932's What Price Hollywood? https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/56724-what-price-hollywood?language=en-US tells a near identical overall story. In that movie, the husband character commits suicide by shooting himself.

Thanks @genplant29 so in the GAGA version Bradley Cooper hangs himself but it wasn't all that bad in terms of his self destruction. i mean they were actually getting along and he just completed a rehab program. what made him decide to kill himself was Gaga's manager told him to get out of the picture so she could take her career to the next level. The manager said you are holding her back but she loves you too much to tell you herself. So Bradley then all of a sudden decides to kill himself after the manager basically tells him to get out of the picture.

Again in this movie it was actually stabilizing and getting back to a more normal relationship for Bradley and Gaga, which made it more shocking. I mean things were improving its not like Bradley F'd up bad the night before or anything, just the manager telling him to get lost, made him kill himself.

To me that seemed odd that someone who has a drinking problem and suicidal thoughts would end up killing himself after completing a rehab program and while things were getting the best they have ever been just because a douchey hollywood producer said to get lost? Did anyone else have a problem with this?

@Michelle_Dessler said:

SPOILERS It does end the same way as @genplant29 noted above, but he committed suicide in a different way in the new version.

@Michelle_Dessler thanks I jut had a problem with him killing himself right after successfully completing rehab and when things finally got the best they ever were between him and GAGA. It like didn't fit the story to me. It was like he finally seemed to get better and realize hey i found a great woman who cares about me and she's even starting to blow up now too, shoot she can even be the breadwinner of this family, and she's my F'n wife. But no the douchey hollywood manager convinced me to kill myself right when everything was going well and the best its ever been?

@Invidia said:

@MrCharmingMan

To me that seemed odd that someone who has a drinking problem and suicidal thoughts would end up killing himself after completing a rehab program and while things were getting the best they have ever been just because a douchey hollywood producer said to get lost? Did anyone else have a problem with this?

The reason why he BELIEVES what the PRODUCER said is because of what the GAGA character previously said in the other scene.

Remember how she comes to see him when we see him swimming in the pool???

How she ASKED him if he still plans on coming HOME??? And she said since he'd never KNOWN her when he was SOBER, she thought he might not want to be with her anymore???

That question was what made him think what the PRODUCER said was TRUE.

Because he thought she was hoping he would BREAK OFF the relationship between them that day, and then he probably also thought she'd gotten the PRODUCER to tell him what he said because she didn't have the COURAGE to tell him herself.

Because he probably also assumed she'd planned to break up with him that day he went swimming.

What he should have done was at least WAIT to ASK her how she felt about what the PRODUCER said before killing himself.

And he'd no doubt have seen her getting ANGRY and FIRE the guy for saying that to him.

But his SELF ESTEEM was also so LOW at that point after the SCREW UP at the AWARD SHOW and the other way he wasn't allowed to sing at the ROY ORBISON EVENT that he probably didn't even consider that the PRODUCER was just being a SELFISH PRICK who wanted him out of the way so he could MAKE still MORE MONEY off of his CLIENT.

But like his brother said, it also wasn't HER FAULT or HIS FAULT that he killed himself. And that he was also the one to blame for what he did to himself. Because NO ONE forced him to ABUSE the ALCOHOL and the other DRUGS that he took.

And he'd also tried to kill himself when he was only age 12 (which was also related to the VOID in his life that the DRUGS and ALCOHOL he later took weren't able to FILL).

So by killing himself one can also imagine the VOID in his life was finally filled (if one also imagines his being united again with his DEAD MOTHER again who died when he was born).

Tell me something boy …

Aren't you tired of trying to fill that VOID

Now thats all way too deep for a 10PM response lol. Maybe I'll read that over tomorrow morning or something lol.

@MrCharmingMan said:

SPOILERS Does the original film end the same way?

As in who ever was playing Bradley Cooper's character kill himself in order for the Lady Gaga character to go on with her career and take it to the next level?

That's the idea behind ALL the versions of this movie: a rising star crosses paths with a star in decline. Same for the Garland version; and the Streisand version.

@Thespear said:

@MrCharmingMan said:

SPOILERS Does the original film end the same way?

As in who ever was playing Bradley Cooper's character kill himself in order for the Lady Gaga character to go on with her career and take it to the next level?

That's the idea behind ALL the versions of this movie: a rising star crosses paths with a star in decline. Same for the Garland version; and the Streisand version.

Thats so depressing tho?

@MrCharmingMan said:

To me that seemed odd that someone who has a drinking problem and suicidal thoughts would end up killing himself after completing a rehab program and while things were getting the best they have ever been just because a douchey hollywood producer said to get lost? Did anyone else have a problem with this?

It's because he knew that he would relapse and drag the woman he loved down with him and so she'd be better off without him in the long run.

@MrCharmingMan said:

Thats so depressing tho?

I don't think it was as clear in the 2018 version but the "star" character publicly takes her dead husband's for the first time, acknowledging his sacrifice and how much she still loves him in front of the world. There's a reason why it's known as a tear-jerker!

"Thats so depressing tho?"

Depressing but could be seen as redeeming also: That in order for the new to truly thrive, some of the the old has to die off. Kind of like a basic rule in nature.

@M. LeMarchand said:

@MrCharmingMan said:

To me that seemed odd that someone who has a drinking problem and suicidal thoughts would end up killing himself after completing a rehab program and while things were getting the best they have ever been just because a douchey hollywood producer said to get lost? Did anyone else have a problem with this?

It's because he knew that he would relapse and drag the woman he loved down with him and so she'd be better off without him in the long run.

@MrCharmingMan said:

Thats so depressing tho?

I don't think it was as clear in the 2018 version but the "star" character publicly takes her dead husband's for the first time, acknowledging his sacrifice and how much she still loves him in front of the world. There's a reason why it's known as a tear-jerker!

I get that, but if I was an addict, which I'm not so I can't speak on that really, but if I was and I found the love of my life later on and she made me happy and fulfilled, then you BET I'm stop my addiction issues, because in my mind that hole is now fulfilled with the new woman of my dreams. She now fills that void, or even the new goal of helping her succeed and take over so i can just kick back and lay low.

I'd love to be Kelly Ripa's husband lol. Let her get all the fame, money and I just stay home with the kids or hire a nanny and I'd just do my true passions or hobbies lol. But I think her kids are all grown up now too even better lol.

@MrCharmingMan said:

I get that, but if I was an addict, which I'm not so I can't speak on that really, but if I was and I found the love of my life later on and she made me happy and fulfilled, then you BET I'm stop my addiction issues, because in my mind that hole is now fulfilled with the new woman of my dreams. She now fills that void, or even the new goal of helping her succeed and take over so i can just kick back and lay low.

I'd love to be Kelly Ripa's husband lol. Let her get all the fame, money and I just stay home with the kids or hire a nanny and I'd just do my true passions or hobbies lol. But I think her kids are all grown up now too even better lol.

If addicts were that logical, they probably wouldn't have got addicted in the first place!

As for your "plan" with Kelly Ripa: I thought I was pretty smart with Mme LeMarchand, whose kids were already housebroken when we got together. I forgot that one day they'd be having their own kids...