Product: Funny Girl [VHS] (1968)
Rating: 5.0
Groundbeaking Classic -- Well Worth Another Look!
We has the good fortune to see the newly restored version of FUNNY GIRL on the big screen last month. There were 6 of us in our group (3 men & 3 women) and we all loved every minute of it. The colors in the new print are fabulous, the soundtrack is enhanced, & Barbra is even better than you expect her to be. So here's my question: why was there so little hype for the theatrical re-release of this wonderful film?!?!?I sent this question to the Internet Movie Database & I was told that FUNNY GIRL was "not a groundbreaking movie or even an important one."Well, now, let's just look @ this a little closer. Watching it again for the first time in 30 years, one thing that amazed me was how deliberately Wyler had framed Streisand's famous nose. In many scenes, her face is shown in profile against a dark background, so that "the bump" is very pronounced. This actually occurs when she's singing PEOPLE, her big "romantic number."We are used to hearing that De Niro & Pacino changed the standard of on-screen beauty & made "ethnic" stars acceptable, but it should now be clear that the bulldozer that broke this barrier was Streisand. There she is, surrounded by gorgeous chorus girls, but no one can have any question about who "the star" is.One final comment: FUNNY GIRL was originally released in 1968, in other words about 5 years before the first publication of MS Magazine & the dawn of the Women's Movement. But here's this woman asserting herself & taking control. Framing her on that tugboat, & sending her plowing right in front of the Statue of Liberty is the most aggressive declaration of reaching out for the American Dream that I know of -- in what other country could a woman even dream of such a thing?With all due respect, I suggest folks take another look @ this film before thinking they can consign it to the dustbin of history. I can't wait to add the DVD to my permanent collection!!!