Don't Rain on My Parade: The 'Funny Girl' Movie Love Thread

I'm in the middle of watching this. Right now Fanny (Barbra Streisand) has just left the stage dressed as her "Baby Snooks" character only to learn that Nick Arnstein (Omar Sharif) has been arrested in connection with a phony bonds scheme.

Funny thing is, at this time in Fanny's life she hadn't yet created the "Snooks" character.

Although not a documentary and more a "romanticized" version of Fanny's rise to fame and her marriage to gambler Arnstein, one can't help notice while watching this film the ever growing number of anachronisms that clutter the film.

Period detail, if any exists in the film went out the window. From the opening titles to Streisand's hair styles, costumes, make up not to mention the pop arrangements given to Jule Styne's score scream 1960's.

Yet and still no one can argue that Streisand, in her first film, in her signature role was a force to be reckoned with and that even with a sluggish second act the film remains one of the most important film musicals of all time.

Updated On: 6/11/10 at 01:20 AM

Streisand's star rose just when the old studio system was coming to an end and by the time FUNNY GIRL made it to the big screen it really was a thing of the past. She would have made quite an impact on musical film had she been around in the 40's and 50's.

That is a very keen observation Paulo. The Don't Rain on My Parade sequence plays like what could now be considered a music video. It can be literally lifted from the film and stand alone in that context.

I also love that overture. Jule Styne was an exciting composer, "Gypsy" is sure proof of this and his overture for that show is legendary. His overture for this is a great second runner especially when it segues and builds and then finally explodes with that hyperkinetic version of "Don't Rain on My Parade". One thing the film version of the overture omits is that blaring horn at the very end as "Parade" ends that emulates the last note other than that minor quibble it's pretty damn close to perfect.

Fanny also had a penchant for heavy eye makeup and immaculately manicured loooong fingernails at a very, very young age didn't she?

Here is an in depth article on the restoration of the 'Funny Girl' film. It was spearheaded by Grover Crisp, Vice President of Assets Management over at Sony Pictures. The restoration took three years to complete. A fascinating read.

FUNNY GIRL: Restoration

As a person who loves musicals, I absolutely love Barbra Streisand's performance and the songs from Funny Girl. No one could do what she did. I was so happy when she won the Oscar.

The movie itself has not aged well with me. I could sit through it now only to watch the musical numbers. I find it way too sluggish.

And Funny Lady... as this is a love thread, I won't to go there.

"When some controversy erupted from ads depicting a kiss between a nice Jewish girl from Brooklyn and an Islamic native Egyptian... Streisand replied: "You think Cairo was upset? You should see the letter I got from my Aunt Rose!"

I love this!

"Stories of Streisand's strong will, and desire for control, began with her first film. An oft-repeated, but unconfirmed account has someone consoling veteran Director William Wyler, saying something like, "after all, this is the first movie Barbra's ever directed." Other accounts have them getting along very well after an initial period of conflict."

Oh, why I'm not surprised? Thanks so much for the article, Marquise. You opened my day!

Whatever happened to that cute younger guy with the Streisand-ish nose who used to post here?

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"I really like this movie simply because this probably is the first musical movie that tells the story visually."

I'm a little confused by this, as well.

I basically feel the same way Ebert felt about the film. It's not a bad film, just an unbalanced one but it remains one of my all time favorites, flaws and all.

Another film that I also get a good laugh at the hair is CAMELOT.

All of those styles were SO wrong.


But, I just love FUNNY GIRL. It's one of my favorite shows and films.

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Love Streisand in this movie and it definitely has some incredible moments but its one of those mid-sixties movies like CAMELOT or THE SWIMMER or even VALLEY OF THE DOLLS that seems hopelessly stuck in between eras and neither here nor there.

I disagree Streisand would have been a huge star in fifties cinema where the archetype was Janet Leigh, Grace Kelly or Audrey Hepburn. Streisand came along at a time when tastes were changing towards the more unusual likes of Mia Farrow, Dustin Hoffman, John Voight, Ali MacGraw, etc. She fit right in, had the stuff, and off she went.

I so wish we would have another "unusual" revolution in movie actors.

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