Monday, April 2, 2018

Top 50 Actresses, #2 - Barbra Streisand: "Funny Girl" (1968)

Movie Stats:
Released 1968 (USA)
American, in English (very minor, non-translated French)
Director - William Wyler
Stars - Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif

Plot Summary:
A biopic, of sorts, of famed Ziegfeld Follies comedienne Fanny Brice (Streisand), specifically focusing on her relationship with Nick Arnstein (Sharif).

Warnings:
Implied sexy times.

Bad Stuff:
I’m sure I’ve complained about this before, but there’s something about the way many 1960s movies were filmed or produced or whatever that they always feel like 1960s films, no matter the time period they’re portraying. I find it super distracting.

I was really disappointed that the film focused so heavily on Fanny’s relationship with Nick. I was more interested in her career. I particularly disliked how it romanticized that relationship (in real life, he was a con artist & a crook). Also, he was her second husband. The film not only fails to mention that, it implies that Nick took her virginity.

I watch a lot of old films, so it’s not as though I’m unused to seeing misogyny, but it seemed particularly rampant in this.

Good Stuff:
It has some genuinely funny moments.

Streisand is a delight.

I loved the big musical numbers set in the Ziegfeld Follies.

About the Performance:
As I said above, Streisand is so much fun to watch in this. She truly commands the screen. However, at no point does she actually “feel” like a woman from the early 20th century, especially not when she wisecracks. I never forgot that I was watching Barbra Streisand playing a character. I’ve only seen a few of her films, but I don’t recall getting that impression of her from the others I’ve seen, so I’m not maligning her as an actress in general. However, I’m not convinced this was her strongest performance, and I certainly don’t consider it worth the Oscar she won for it. (IMDB tells me she tied with K. Hepburn for her performance in The Lion in Winter. K. Hepburn was robbed.)

Other performances of Streisand’s I’ve reviewed: none.

The Verdict:
I had a lot of problems with it. Most of them are listed above. I’ll add another: it’s way too long (nearly 3 hours). Look, I like Streisand. She’s funny, she has a commanding presence, she lights up the screen, and her singing voice is phenomenal. But I didn’t find her believable as Fanny Brice, and I didn’t find the film believable as a portrayal of early 20th century America. I’m glad I saw this in a “got that famous film checked off the list” sort of way, but I doubt I’ll ever feel compelled to watch it again.

I give it 3 stars.

3 comments:

Patricia said...

I know exactly what you are talking about re: 60s films. I think it's some combination of the color saturation and the way sets were built or lit.

I've just checked IMDB and I don't think I've actually liked Barbara Streisand in any movie I've seen her in. This is another reason why I am probably putting of watching the third version of A Star is Born. I think she's an amazing singer and I love how larger than life she is, but I think that larger than life thing gets in the way of her being an actress I want to watch.

Patricia said...

Wait. Barbara Streisand is number 2? NUMBER 2? What sort of crazy travesty is this?

balyien said...

Well, this list was based on public votes, and Baby Boomers, I've noticed, really, really love Barbra Streisand. Personally, I don't think she has a large enough body of work film-wise to even be considered for the list. Also, I don't think she's that great of an actress because mostly she seems to just play herself. But I had to work with the list I had.

I think you might have put your finger on it re: 60s films. It's definitely something about the color of them that makes them so obviously 60s films.