Product: Funny Girl [VHS] (1968)
Rating: 5.0
Greatest Movie Musical Ever Made!
Barbra Streisand reprised her role from Broadway to Hollywood as the legendary comedian Fanny Bryce (1891-1951) in Julie Styne's masterpiece "Funny Girl". The stage production debuted on Broadway in 1964, and was nominated for 8 Tony Awards thereafter (including Best Actress, Best Actor, and Best Musical). So when the production was adapted from stage to screen, Streisand kept her role as Bryce and Omar Sharif played leading man, Nick Arnstein. What is striking, and makes "Funny Girl" truly unique, is the fact that a movie musical can be greatly comical, yet dramatic at the same time. The film's focus is on the turbulent, on/off romance between Bryce and Arnstein and it's bitter end. The story begins with Fanny looking back at her humble beginnings in a small Jewish community. She was a girl who didn't possess the beauty required of Ziegfeld-caliber showgirls, but she did have an amazing vocal range (no acting required by Streisand). Along the way to stardom, Fanny discovers her inability to `play it straight', and her ability to make the audience laugh because of this quality. But soon, the joke's on her in the end when she realizes that she has been using her comedy as a way to shut out her troubles and not confront her problems. Throughout the film, Streisand delivers consistently in the acting department (hence, the Academy Award for Best Actress). And much of composer, Julie Styne's, original score remained intact in the film. Most of these songs have become the show tunes we all know and love, like "Don't Rain On My Parade", "Second Hand Rose", and "People" (the latter of which became Streisand's first #1 hit on the Billboard charts). In addition, two new songs were added and became as equally popular as some of the aforementioned numbers. The title song was penned into the film along with the poignant closing number, "My Man". All in all, `Funny Girl' has been a fondly remembered and brilliant film featuring (arguably) the greatest female performer of the 20th century. The accolades are a mute testimony to the film's true greatness. In the spring following its release, `Funny Girl' garnered 8 Academy Award nominations, including Best Original Score, Best Music, Best Supporting Actress (Kay Medford), Best Actress (Barbra Streisand), and Best Picture. In addition, it picked up 3 Golden Globe nominations for Best Director (William Wyler), Best Actress (Barbra Streisand), and Best Original Song. This is perhaps the only movie musical that intergrades all elements of the performing arts (comedy, drama, music, etc.) without losing sight of its permeating concept.