Product: Funny Girl [VHS] (1968)
Rating: 4.0
The Ugly Duckling And The Con Man
I recently rewatched FUNNY GIRL for the first time in perhaps twenty years. And though I still think it is a fine film I was not as charmed by it as I was in my earlier days. Maybe I've read too much about the real Fanny Brice and Nick Arnstein and found out how very sanitized Arnstein's life story was for the Broadway musical and this film that is quite closely adapted from it. For whatever reason I did not find Omar Sharif's portrayal of the handsome gambler Nick as breathtaking in this viewing and I actually found his accent annoying. At any rate the film is still a must see for musical lovers and those like me with an interest in entertainment history though the viewer should be very aware of the great deal of license taken in retelling this bittersweet love story. And Streisand of course was young and at her full powers in her star making role as Fanny that still seems positively tailor made for her voice, looks and screen presence.