Funny Girl (1968)

Ah, Barbra. Of all her onscreen personas, she sparkles in none as she does in her role as 1930s comedian Fanny Brice in the musical Funny Girl. Portraying the life of this star of stage and radio, Brice preens and prances and sings, captivating her audience both onscreen and off. Fanny Brice started life on the Lower East Side of New York, the daughter of a Jewish saloon owner. Not the prettiest girl around, Brice still managed to quickly rise to stardom as a performer in the Ziegfield Follies. A shrewd, obstinate woman, Brice dictated her own success story on stage; things were a different matter in romance. Falling hard for the stunning Nick Arnstein (suavely played by Omar Sharif), Brice must navigate a difficult marriage. While kids may love the tunes (which include the now-infamous "People," as in "People who need people are the luckiest people in the world"), the plot is definitely adult-oriented. Enjoy this one, but don't go too far out of your way for the sequel, Funny Lady. --Jenny Brown Amazon.com essential video

Fantastic

Her first film; Her first success.

FUNNY GIRL is essentially what Barbra Streisand is all about. It is a lush, lavish, funny, tuneful and an all-out wonderful musical. Slightly nostalgic, William Wyler gives us more than just a dash of the opulent MGM-style musicals that Arthur Freed use to turn out by the dozen.

From start to finish, Barbra makes this her own film. More than a debut, it actually helped to further create the legend that is Barbra (and always will be). Everything about this picture is perfect - the sets, the scoring, the music, the cast (especially Kay Medford and Omar Sharif). But it is Barbra Streisand from start to finish that you will always remember.

Whether she is the gawky Fanny trying to break into show business (complete with an oil can marked MAKE UP), seeing Nicky Arnstein for the first time or pouring her heart out with such numbers as Don't Rain On My Parade/ My Man/ I'd Rather Be Blue/ and, of course, People - it is Barbra Streisand who makes this film memorable. Her voice is pure, her actions are natural and everything clicks to make this one of the best musicals of all time. August 20, 2008

Modifed from its original

Bad in the day, this was my most favorite movie. I was sitting down with my partner watching it, and we both noticed that several scenes were deleted. Except for the two songs missing, this is the best movie I have ever seen, funny and witty. June 13, 2008

GREAT Movie!

This movie is such a great movie! I just bought it the other day and I really got my money's worth. I didn't realize how long it was, but in a good way! It is one where you don't mind how long it is because it is so good.

If you love the classics you will love this movie! It is a musical and the music I think is really pleasing to the ears.

Parts of it are also really FUNNY! I know why they called it Funny Girl. With a more serious ending that really brought the movie together and gave a whole new meaning to the title. March 9, 2008

Mrs. Arnstein, Mrs. Arnstein. What a Beautiful Beautiful Name...

When Barbra Streisand reprised her role as Fanny Brice in the movie version of Funny Girl, her stardom was cemented. Not only was it a huge hit, but it was loved by audiences, has gone on to be one of her most adored performances, and made her an Academy Award winning actress. Through it all, she deserved every bit of it.

The movie tells a loosely-told story of famous vaudeville star Fanny Brice, and how she struggled for fame and finding the man she loves in the first half, and the second half goes more dramatic, telling how her true love, Nicky Arnstein, threatens to drag her down with him as he digs deeper and deeper into gambling debt and corrupt behavior. The story, if you really pay attention to it, is not terribly deep or original, and in the middle switches from a rags-to-riches/beating the odds in show business story to a more dramatic star-crossed lovers story. But even so , with likeable characters like Fanny, Nicky, Mr. Ziegfeld, and so on, you cannot help but feel involved in their ordeals.

The performances here are all top notch. Omar Sharif brings a perfect amount of charm and shadiness to Nicky, and Walter Pidgeon is delightfully smug and caring as Florenz Ziegfeld. But the performance to watch, without a doubt, is Barbra Streisand as Fanny. She not only balances her comic and dramatic abilities beautifully, but makes us really like Fanny as a friend. She is confident, naive, happy-go-lucky, and vulnerable all at once. She deserved the Oscar more than anyone else that night, and she got it.

Last, but not least, the songs are just magnificent. Almost exclusively sung by Barbra, she is perfectly at home singing all of them, and succeeds in most. She's fun in "I'm The Greatest Star," radiantly sexy in "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You," tearjerking in "People," and, of course, her bravura performance of "Don't Rain on My Parade" (the scene with the tugboat will give you shivers the same way Julie Andrews' scene on the hill does in Sound of Music). Some songs are good, and some songs are great, but no song is mediocre.

I could go on and on, but I want those who haven't discovered the movie yet to find out on their own. Barbra's fans will worship it, fans of musicals will love it, and even those who don't care for either musicals or Barbra Streisand will smile at least a few times. If you haven't seen it yet, don't waste another second. January 23, 2008

Funny Girl/Funny Lady DVD - Great Seller, very fast delivery

The seller was great. I received the product shortly after I ordered it. It was in perfect condition. I will buy from this seller again!

Great Job. September 21, 2007

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