|
By
BILL CONIFF
If Barbra Streisand could
have seen into the future like her character in
"On a Clear Day," she might have found it bleak
indeed: Seventeen movies over a span of 36 years
-- a surprisingly low total for a star of her
magnitude -- and many of them quite forgettable
("For Pete's Sake" and "The Main Event," anyone?).
It's a tremendous shame. But we can't blame
Hollywood alone for not always giving her worthy
vehicles. Streisand herself hardly seems to know
how to best showcase her talent, based on the
evidence (Exhibit A: "The Mirror Has Two Faces").
This sad record gives "On a Clear Day," her third
movie, a distinction it wouldn't have otherwise.
It followed "Funny Girl" (1968) and "Hello Dolly"
(1969), both also available on DVD. All three are
Hollywood adaptations of Broadway musicals, but
"On a Clear Day" is the least faithful to its
source. On Broadway, the main role was played by
Barbara Harris, a charming comic actress little
seen in movies -- you might remember her from the
original "Freaky Friday" and Alfred Hitchcock's
final movie, "Family Plot."
"On a Clear Day" capitalizes on the interest in
ESP and reincarnation of the time. The lyricist
and screenwriter, Alan Jay Lerner (of Lerner and
Loewe fame), was reportedly fascinated by the
subject. Burton Lane composed the enjoyable and
catchy music, which includes the well-known title
song and "Come Back to Me" -- where Yves Montand
pleads for Streisand to return "wrapped in mink or
Saran," in one of the many delightfully playful
lyrics by Lerner. The arrangements, by Nelson
Riddle, are much more lush than in the Broadway
edition, giving Streisand a glorious wave of sound
to belt over.
Although it's entertaining, the film doesn't quite
jell. Streisand is funny in her role of the
awkward New Yorker (Daisy Gamble) who has more of
a past than she realizes, and her voice is at its
peak. Montand, as the psychiatrist who falls for
her past persona during hypnosis sessions, does a
good job too, although he was savaged by critics
at the time. He certainly sings smoothly in his
usual manner, but it's true that he falls short in
the charm department, and he brings little
chemistry to his scenes with Streisand. And it's
also undeniable that his accent makes some words
hard to understand. On the other hand, it's hard
to see how the original choice for the role, Frank
Sinatra, would have served any better.
Technically, the film looks patched together. By
this point, Vincente Minnelli had lost his touch,
so charmingly displayed in classic musicals like
"Meet Me in St. Louis" and "Gigi." This was his
next to last film. (The last one was the disaster,
"A Matter of Time," starring his daughter Liza.)
Minnelli doesn't bring much visual originality to
the movie, and he over-relies on looping and rough
lip-synching, making for a very artificial
experience. Often, you're better off just
listening to the soundtrack CD, where the bad
lip-synching doesn't become a distraction.
On the road from Broadway to Hollywood, several
songs were dropped and others added -- not an
unusual occurrence -- and new characters were
introduced. One of them is Daisy's stepbrother,
played by a young Jack Nicholson. It's said that
much of his role ended up in the cutting room, and
certainly he's left with little screen time with
which to make an impression.
And that brings us to the many shortcomings of
this DVD, which frankly, Paramount has botched.
There are no extras whatsoever. None of the cut
numbers. None of the other footage (about an hour
was cut from the film before it was released). No
commentary. No making-of featurette. No bios.
What's more, the print isn't very good. There are
numerous visual defects throughout, and the sound
distorts at song climaxes.
Because of these shortcomings, I can recommend
this DVD only to Streisand fans and Nicholson
completists. |
