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By
NICK ZEGARAC
In William Wyler's only
musical "Funny Girl," Barbra Streisand is a young
Fanny Brice -- inexperienced performer but
desperate to make good on a contract with Broadway
impresario, Florenz Ziegfeld Jr. (Walter Pigeon).
Fanny's outspoken determination is often at odds
with Flo's idea of what his follies should be
(Fanny does, after all, perform what is supposed
to be a sumptuous musical number disguised as an
obviously pregnant bride). But Flo endears himself
to Fanny's musical talents, which are vast and
marvelous. Yet, even before Fanny becomes a star
she manages to falls in love with handsome
gambler, Nick Arnstein (Omar Shariff). Their
tempestuous love affair and marriage is the
subject of the latter half of this overpowering
musical. The score features songs that have since
gone on to become Streisand standards, "Don't Rain
on My Parade," "People," and the riveting "My Man"
which electrifies and effectively closes the
second act.
After playing the role of Fanny on Broadway and
making it her own, Streisand took home the Best
Actress Oscar for her eclectic, electric and
thoroughly engaging performance on screen.
Director, William Wyler -- best known for his
dramatic efforts "Ben-Hur" and "Mrs. Miniver" --
has often been criticized for heavy-handed
direction on "Funny Girl." True, the pace of this
musical doesn't rival say, "The Sound of Music" or
"West Side Story" but the material is so good and
quite solidly represented, and Wyler brings his
own inimitable staging, that I can't really fault
the old master for a slightly stoic production
which, if anything, does not detract from the
enjoyment of this classic movie musical, even
today.
Columbia has done an outstanding job in
remastering "Funny Girl" on DVD. Colors are
eye-popping rich, vibrant and bold. Shadow
delineation is incredible and contrast levels are
as they should be. There is almost a dimensional
quality to the transfer that is quite unexpected.
There are no digital anomalies for a thoroughly
film-like and very smooth visual presentation that
is never anything less than astonishing. The
soundtrack is remastered to 5.1 surround and
positively explodes across all channels,
particularly during the musical sequences.
Streisand's bravado in "Don't Rain On My Parade"
or "My Man" gives one goose bumps; an incredibly
solid remastering effort of a vintage soundtrack.
There are no extras but with quality like this
it's hard to squawk. A very fine effort and a
definite must have! |
