The On a Clear Day You Can See Forver Film...zzzzzzzzzzzzz- Page 2

[lvpblues]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 11:56am

I finally caved and watched this film for the first time a few weeks ago. Weak in every department. How I missed Barbara Harris every time Streisand opened her mouth. Though the stage show is pretty much just as uneven, scriptwise, as the film, the score has its delights, especially as heard on the OBCR. The film was overlong, poorly written, and Streisand's British accent had me bewildered.

[Borstalboy]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 12:03pm

I actually have a soft spot for this show, I wish someone smart--Craig Lucas???--would gut and re-work the book and give this incredible score the respect it deserves.

Interesting note about the film: It's the ONLY film where you get a shot of Barbra's "bad" side.

[Flahooley]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 1:36pm

I thougt I read a few years back that someone like Paula Vogel was working on revising it. Or was she just doing work on the ENCORES concert version?

I really think the show is salvagable. Did Burton Lane ever write a bad score?

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 2:23pm

Barbra's whole face *is* her bad side...

[WonderBoy]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:11pm

Blasphemy darling!

[BobbyBubby]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 3:18pm

That's a bit unfair. In her youth, Babs was quite stunning.

[Millie Lammoreaux]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 10:28pm

Loved it, too, Glebb. Didn't you once name a pet for one of the characters?

[RecycledH20]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 10:37pm

Love the movie. I'd love to be ravished by Robert Tentrees.

[fflagg]

Posted: 12/16/05 at 10:40pm

My opinions:

1. As with many films in this period, its creators were past their prime: Alan Jay Lerner, Vincente Minnelli.
2. No one cared about traditional musicals in 1970
3. Barbra was wonderful considering what she was given. Instead of Yves Montand her costar should have been Richard Burton.
4. The scenes where she is at the orphanage are wickedly funny.
Her ability with accents is just as good as overrated Meryl. And her perfs of the title song, He Isn't You, and What Did I Have are great. The latter suffers from poor staging.

And any film with Elaine Giftos is worth the price of admission. :)

I blame Barbra though re the DVD; why couldn't she and Liza find the cut scenes, put them in, and for fun, talk about them. But 'fun' is no longer in Barbra's vocabulary.

[Joe Mike2]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 1:44am

Yves Montand ruined the film. He had no chemistry with Striesand and his thick French accent was hard to uderstand. With a different leading man, it could have been a great film.

[Marquise]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 2:56am

how did i miss Elaine Giftos?!!!?
Elaine Giftos rules!

[BwayLover]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 4:33am

I agree with every word fflagg wrote!! I can't say this is one of my favorite movies, but it does have a lot going for it.

Oh and btw, half of "Yentl" shows Barbra's right side - when she's supposed to be Anshel. When she goes back to being Yentl, the camera angel changes again. Brilliant.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 8:52am

In my storage space I have some LP's . I have a series of 3 which feature cut songs from obscure & not so obscure musicals. On one of them is a cut song sung by Jack Nicholson in On A Clear Day. Next time I am over there I will take a look & tell one & all the title of the song - not sure if part of the original score or a new one written for the movie & not used.

While on the subject of Nicholson in a Babs movie, how about a musical retelling of The Shining with Babs doing the Shelly Duvall part? She could break into song while Jack tries to take a meat cleaver to her

[Dollypop]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 8:56am

Has anyone noted that the character of Daisy Gamble is supposed to be the daughter of an Episcopal minister? Why, then, does That Streisand Woman use s Jewish inflection when she speaks?

[Glebb]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 9:28am

Welcome back Millie Lammoreaux!
I've miss you!
Please don't stay away for long.

The film is great.
The Pavillion at Brighton scene is gorgeous.
Vincent was best at decorating sets.

Oh yes Millie, I did name that poor little dog after Lord Percy.

[BwayLover]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 9:48am

Mr Roxy, that song's name is "Who Is There Among Us". It's mostly sung by Nicholson, with Barbra humming at the beginning and at the end. Pretty cute, but not outstanding.

[Mr Roxy]

Posted: 12/17/05 at 10:22am

Assume the song in question was written for the film. I really have to pull these 3 LP's out & see what else might be on them