Funny Girl – 1968
Funny Girl was Barbara Streisand’s first film, which makes her performance pretty impressive, even though she may have been slightly miscast. I mean, she was 95% perfect for the role, but that extra 5% didn’t work for me. What I mean by that is that one of the major plot points of the film concerned her character’s self-image. She thought of herself as an unattractive woman. The problem is that Streisand was not unattractive, especially not in her younger years. Sure, she was no Marilyn Monroe, but how many people were?
Aside from that, they couldn’t have cast anyone better than Barbara. She played the character of Fanny Brice in a musical, loosely based on both the famous Zigfield girl’s career and her personal life. Early on, before she becomes a huge star, she meets Nick Arnstein, played by Omar Sharif. Their love affair and marriage was rocky, which gave us most of the film’s drama. Walter Pidgeon played Florenz Ziegfeld, and that pretty much covers the major cast.
You see, the show was really all about Barbara… I mean Fanny… No, I mean Barbara. In fact, Barbara had played the role on Broadway, and when it was decided that a film would be made, Streisand was producer Ray Stark’s first and only choice to play the part. Columbia Pictures executives suggested that veteran actress Shirley MacLaine should play Fanny, but when William Wyler agreed to direct the film, he was quoted as saying of Streisand that, “I wouldn’t have done the picture without her.” Columbia pictures gave in and they made the right choice. Barbara was fantastic in the role and won the Academy Award for Best Actress for her performance. Funny Girl was also nominated for 7 other Oscars including Best Picture.
Now, I have to mention something that, in my opinion, could have been better. Sharif should never have been allowed to sing. He was passible, but he was put opposite Barbara Streisand. For that reason alone, he sounded worse than he really was. I noticed that they kept his singing to a minimum, but he stood out in a bad way whenever he did. But aside from that, his acting, as always, was just fine. He did a good job as the depressed but loving husband who couldn’t keep up with his wife’s successful career.
I’d also like to mention the costumes. I was surprised that the film was not nominated for Best Costume Design. Irene Sharaff was the designer, and she really did a fantastic job. The colors were bright and cheerful, but not obnoxious. Streisand’s costumes, in particular were lovely and exuberant. And I’ve no doubt that Sharaff had a field day designing for the Ziegfeld Follies sequence.
And while I’m on the subject, I have to mention how much I loved that whole scene. Fanny was told to sing a bridal song called His Love Makes Me Beautiful. Well, Fanny almost refused to sing it, which would have ended her career before it had begun. So she agrees to sing the song, but turns it into a hilarious comedy number by stuffing a pillow under her wedding gown, making herself look very pregnant. The stunt nearly gets her fired anyway, but the audiences loved it so much that Ziegfeld reluctantly ordered her to perform the number the exact same way until the song could be changed.
Streisand did a wonderful job, and I enjoyed watching the film. Several wonderful songs like People, Second Hand Rose, Don’t Rain On My Parade, and My Man were memorable and there’s no doubt that Barbara knew how to sell a song. She was mesmerizing. In fact, I knew some of those songs before watching Funny Girl, and it was great to see them in the context of the show.
Funny Girl had a sequel called Funny Lady that was made in 1975. Despite the fact that Streisand reprised her role, the film, from what I have read, wasn’t nearly as good and was not anywhere near as successful as its predecessor. So, I think I’ll be skipping that one. Sorry Barbara.