The Greatest Star Comes to DVD - Worth the Wait!
First off - the DVD: It's a letterbox transfer of pristine new print that has been digitally restored (sometimes frame by frame) back to its original condition. Funny Girl hasn't looked this good in thirty years - so if you've only seen it on VHS or TV, you're in for a visual treat. I saw the restored print on a huge screen this past fall, and believe me, this transfer does it justice. In addition they have included the pre-show and intermission music as well. The additional documentary material is nothing to write home about. But I think whoever did the DVD menu deserves kudos for styling it like the New Amsterdam theater marquee from the first shot of the movie, with highlights from the film playing in the background. Very appropriate and very clever.
Funny Girl is A.) the musical biography of comedienne-singer Fanny Brice, and B.) the Oscar-winning film debut of 26 year old Barbra Streisand. As theatrical history lesson it's pretty flawed - (Arnstein was Brice's *second*...
"He's got polish on his nails."
The ultimate showcase for an actress, Barbra Streisand's highly publicized film debut in FUNNY GIRL met every single expectation and then some. The film was the highest-grossing film of 1968, and it's very easy to see why. The film has many great qualities: It's expertly directed by three-time Academy Award winner William Wyler (the finale of the "Don't Rain On My Parade" number is just as astonishing as the chariot race in Wyler's BEN HUR), the storyline is extremely compelling, Omar Sharif is an incredibly suave and charismatic leading man, the supporting players are perfectly cast (particularly Kay Medford, Lee Allen, and Walter Pidgeon), and the song score (primarily by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill) is first-rate.
However, virtually everything that FUNNY GIRL has working for it would be worthless without Barbra Streisand's absolutely phenomenal performance. I honestly cannot think of enough good descriptive adjectives to do justice to her amazing performance in this film...
Streisand's First, Streisand's Best
Wow. One usually becomes a Streisand fan after seeing this movie. I certainly did. Streisand's movie debut begs the question: "Is a nose with deviation such a crime against the nation?" (sung by Fanny Brice's mother in the film). Barbra is Fanny is Barbra. When Streisand as Fanny tells Omar Shariff as Nick that he made her feel "beautiful", who can not love this woman?
The new DVD includes a restored version of the film and an incredibly clear soundtrack. Unless you saw the limited theatrical release this summer, then you have probably never seen FUNNY GIRL in its widescreen presentation. For years I had watched a faded pan-and-scan VHS version. Barbra's hilarious business of straightening her dress in the "You Are Woman" scene is completely cut out in pan-and-scan! Director William Wyler shot the film with a lot of widescreen compositions that the pan-and-scan versions always butchered. Thank you, Columbia, for this restored, widescreen DVD!
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