Sunday, April 28, 2013

Funny Girl



 
Fist of All, if you haven’t seen it shame on you, no just kidding. So Funny Girl, is based on the true story of Fanny Brice and her relationship with Nicky Arnstein. Brice is a triple threat who has mastered, Broadway, film and comedy, much like the woman who played her, Barbara Streisand. Nicky Arnstein is played by the debonair Omar Sharif. 
 
One of the main reasons why I love musicals is simply the music. Besides the plot lines, great memorable music adds to any great musical. For instance, Funny Girl, My Fair Lady, and Singin in the Rain all have terrific soundtracks. 
 
Funny Girl is a classic musical that was released in 1968. Funny Girl is one of the last films that came out of the musical genre. Musicals were all about extravagance and glamour. The 1950s and 1960s were a time to occupy the minds of American with laughter, beautiful images and music. 
 
As the 1960s came to a close, the movie business took a turn and people were no longer interested in making musicals due to huge production costs and the long process of making musicals.
 
Funny Girl has won numerous awards and was nominated for best song “Funny girl.” If you take a look at the soundtrack, Funny Girl has some wonderful hit songs including “I’m the Greatest Star, ”People,” “You are Woman, I Am Man,” “Sadie, Sadie,” “Funny Girl,” and, “My Man.”
 
 
Besides the magical songs that came out of Funny Girl, I adore Barbara Streisand. I’ve seen many of her movies and she plays emotion so well. And what I mean by emotion, is that the audience can tell how she’s feeling. Either happy or sad, she is a wonderful portrayer of emotion which can be seen especially in the following scenes.  
 
In Don’t Rain on my Parade, Streisand who plays Brice is the most happiest woman in the world, because she’s about to become Mrs. Arnstein. 
 
In one of the final scenes, it shows Arnstein leaving Brice for jail. During this song, you can feel the sadness and isolation that is only enhanced by her sitting in an empty theatre.
 
 
After Arnstein tells Brice it's over, she gives her final performance. This final scene is Brice reflecting on her marriage and realizes how screwed up her husband is, but for whatever reason is still in love with him. During this scene you can feel the sadness and hope that she emits in this song. 
 
 
It's funny how things come back around, much like bell bottoms, Afros and now musicals. For the past two decades, musicals have slowly been making a comeback. They are wonderful theatrical performances that are nice every now and again. I can say this with total confidence though, the movie industry will never find another gem like Barbara Streisand. 

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