Oh, wow — a five minute overture with a completely black screen.
Wasn’t there another movie that did something similar? But with a screen that said “Overture”? Like… er… one of the big tropical musicals of the 50s?
I think I probably saw this on VHS back in the 80s — one of those movies that came on a double VHS tape, probably. But I have absolutely zero recollection of the movie. Is this a musical? I’m not sure.
I picked it up now because it’s a new 4K restoration from Criterion and I was shopping at their site and I just went “hm!”.
Oh, William Wyler!
Barbra!
Yup, it’s a musical. From 1968!
This 4K restoration looks sensational. The audio, though — it sounds a bit… too cleaned up? Like all the sounds have been made separately on a sound stage. It just sounds a bit canned? And there’s pre-echoes and weird stuff… It’s odd.
You know — I’ve never really liked Omar Sharif. Ever since I was a child I found him smarmy and artificial, and that hasn’t changed. So whenever he’s playing the romantic lead, it’s an uphill battle for me. It’s like watching a movie with Michael Douglas in the lead — I’m always hoping that his character will die and I don’t have to watch him on the screen any more.
Come to think of it, they are my least two favourite actors ever, and they do rather resemble one another, don’t they?
This is Barbra’s go-to thing — looking a bit to the side of and a bit over the camera — not actually at the character she’s talking to… really works.
It’s an amusing movie.
It is a pretty odd conceit — the thing is that Barbra is supposed to be this horribly ugly and/or funny-looking girl, so she can’t play glamour roles, but only funny bits.
And… er… that doesn’t really work now does it?
This is where you switch VHS tapes.
I have no idea how Sharif became a Hollywood star. It seems so odd — he has few obvious qualities…
The first half of this movie was pretty amusing, but the second half is mostly drama, and it’s just not very convincing.
Much of that is down to Sharif (because he’s having the drama), but it’s just a bit on the boring side script-wise, too.
There should have been more musical numbers — they could have incorporated the drama into the music instead, perhaps?
So much drama:
Egyptian Omar Sharif was cast to star opposite the Jewish Streisand after Wyler noticed him having lunch in the studio commissary. When the Six-Day War between Israel and Egypt broke out, studio executives considered replacing Sharif, but both Wyler and Streisand threatened to quit if they did. Later, the publication of a still depicting a love scene between Fanny and Nicky in the Egyptian press prompted a movement to revoke Sharif’s citizenship.
Man, Hollywood was strange:
Wyler crafted various scenarios to foment romantic impulses between the two stars; one such tactic was to place Streisand’s trailer window in direct, but hidden view of Sharif’s. One of Wyler’s assistants later gave Sharif the go-ahead to use the on-set shower while Streisand was still using it. These stratagems bore the fruit Wyler intended. An affair did indeed take place between Sharif and Streisand for the duration of filming.
Oh, and there was a sequel — I remember reading the Mad Magazine version of that movie.
Well — Barbra is good and carries the movie. And also the music — the music is totally Now That’s What I Call Vamping Over Musical Standard Chords, but with her singing, it sorta works.
But I have to say that I was rather disappointed by this movie.
Funny Girl. William Wyler. 1968. ⚃
