1240 Funny Girl

[swo17]

Funny Girl



Witness the birth of a movie star as Barbra Streisand makes a screen debut for the ages in this musical spectacular. From humor to pathos, she hits every note as popular 1920s singer-comedian Fanny Brice, a young Jewish New Yorker whose spirit and supernova talent propel her to fame in the Ziegfeld Follies, but whose devotion to an unreliable gambler (a charismatic Omar Sharif) brings drama and heartbreak into her life. Adapted from a hit Broadway show and directed by Hollywood master William Wyler, Funny Girl hits emotional highs in unforgettable performances of songs like "People" and "Don't Rain on My Parade"—moments that won Streisand one of the most richly deserved Best Actress awards in Oscar history.

4K UHD + BLU-RAY SPECIAL EDITION FEATURES

• 4K digital restoration, with 5.1 surround DTS-HD Master Audio soundtrack
• One 4K UHD disc of the film presented in Dolby Vision HDR and one Blu-ray with the film and special features
• New audio interview with actor Barbra Streisand
• New conversation between director William Wyler's son David and author Alicia Malone
• Directed by William Wyler (1986), a documentary on Wyler's life and career
• Archival interview with actor Omar Sharif
• Deleted scene featuring Streisand and Sharif
• Featurettes from the original theatrical release
• English subtitles for the deaf and hard of hearing
• PLUS: An essay by author and film critic Michael Koresky

[domino harvey]

I guess we can thank Streisand’s strong hand for this being the most stacked Criterion release in a while — but it’s interesting that her extra is audio-only. Wonder if this has been in the works since the COVID era?

[domino harvey]

I will add, since I suspect a lot of people will be avoiding this one, that whatever you think of Streisand in the years since, you may be surprised if you do watch to realize that she gives a film debut on par with Audrey Hepburn in Roman Holiday in terms of true A Star is Born icon arrival. It is insane that she tied for Best Actress for this film with the other Hepburn, because that means the Academy was only one vote away from being completely embarrassing. She’s incredible here, but ego only gets you so far

[Lowry_Sam]

This would probably be my #3 choice for her inclusion after What's Up Doc? & her most criminally overlooked film, Up The Sandbox, which would be my first choice as it has never been released on blu-ray and marks her best departure from her Broadway career (musicals & slapstick comedy), and predates her "serious" acting career (ie. Hollywood star actress) which began with the success of The Way We Were.

[ryannichols7]

has anyone seen that doc on Wyler? great inclusion on their part. I've never seen this movie (only seen Streisand in What's Up Doc) but will pick it up cause I generally love everything Wyler did, and they did load up this edition

[domino harvey]

Unless it’s a different special with the same name, it’s on KLSC’s release of the Big Country

[thekeystobarton]

I personally have not seen the aforementioned Wyler documentary, but in her audio commentary on "How to Steal a Million" Catherine Wyler does spend a lot of timing discussing the filming of the documentary itself and some of her recollections about interviews and researching her father and his work.

[Beloved Aunt]

I wonder if

Deleted scene featuring Streisand and Sharif

is the extended "Swan Lake" number.

I

[Matt]

has anyone seen that doc on Wyler?

It’s on YouTube if you want to sample/watch it.

[Altair]

This would probably be my #3 choice for her inclusion after What's Up Doc? & her most criminally overlooked film, Up The Sandbox, which would be my first choice as it has never been released on blu-ray and marks her best departure from her Broadway career (musicals & slapstick comedy), and predates her "serious" acting career (ie. Hollywood star actress) which began with the success of The Way We Were.

I genuinely think that a scholarly edition of The Way We Were would be phenomenal.

[thekeystobarton]

My copy of the 4K-Blu ray arrived yesterday. Just to clarify from posts here and elsewhere online, the remaining existing footage cut from the "Schwann" Lake-ballet sequence does still exist, but is not included in this release. Barbra mentions during her audio interview that she has parts of this deleted footage and will be included in her own forthcoming documentary.

[The Curious Sofa]

Great first half, where Babs gets to show her mettle, but the second half is a drag. We are asked to invest in her love story with a woefully miscast Omar Sharif, whose approach to the role seems to be "when in doubt, smile graciously".

[jbeall]

I quite liked the first half, but the second half was indeed a bit of a slog with the combination of Nick's downward spiral and Fanny's codependency becoming a turn-off. It made me wonder if there wasn't a better title for this movie than Funny Girl. On the other hand, those helicopter shots that caught Streisand singing on the train, and again on the boat are still astonishing today. (Was Working Girl's opening shot of the Staten Island ferry an homage to the earlier film?)