''Funny Girl'' is a 1968 American
biographical musical
Musical is the adjective of music
Music is generally defined as the The arts, art of arranging sound to create some combination of Musical form, form, harmony, melody, rhythm or otherwise Musical expression, expressive content. Exact def ...
comedy-drama film directed by
William Wyler
William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...
and written by
Isobel Lennart, adapted from her
book
A book is a medium for recording information in the form of writing or images, typically composed of many pages (made of papyrus, parchment, vellum, or paper) bound together and protected by a cover. The technical term for this phys ...
for the
stage musical of the same title. It is loosely based on the life and career of
Broadway and film star and comedienne
Fanny Brice and her stormy relationship with entrepreneur and gambler
Nicky Arnstein.
Produced by Brice's son-in-law,
Ray Stark (and the first film by his company
Rastar), with music and lyrics by
Jule Styne
Jule Styne (; born Julius Kerwin Stein; December 31, 1905 – September 20, 1994) was an English-American songwriter and composer best known for a series of Broadway musicals, including several famous frequently-revived shows that also became ...
and
Bob Merrill
Henry Robert Merrill Levan (May 17, 1921 – February 17, 1998) was an American songwriter, theatrical composer, lyricist, and screenwriter. He was one of the most successful songwriters of the 1950s on the US and UK single charts. He wrote ...
, the film stars
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
(in her film debut reprising her Broadway role) as Brice and
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...
as Arnstein, with a supporting cast featuring
Kay Medford,
Anne Francis,
Walter Pidgeon, Lee Allen and
Mae Questel
Mae Questel (born Mae Kwestel, September 13, 1908 – January 4, 1998) was an American actress. She was best known for providing the voices for the animated characters Betty Boop (from 1931) and Olive Oyl (from 1933). She began in vaudeville, ...
.
A major critical and commercial success, ''Funny Girl'' became
the highest-grossing film of 1968 in the United States and received eight
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
nominations. Streisand won
Best Actress, tying with
Katharine Hepburn
Katharine Houghton Hepburn (May 12, 1907 – June 29, 2003) was an American actress in film, stage, and television. Her career as a Hollywood leading lady spanned over 60 years. She was known for her headstrong independence, spirited perso ...
(''
The Lion in Winter
''The Lion in Winter'' is a 1966 play by James Goldman, depicting the personal and political conflicts of Henry II of England, his wife Eleanor of Aquitaine, their children and their guests during Christmas 1183. It premiered on Broadway at the ...
''). In 2006, the
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees.
Lead ...
ranked the film #16 on its list commemorating
AFI's Greatest Movie Musicals. Previously it had ranked the film #41 in its 2002 list of
AFI's 100 Years...100 Passions, the songs "
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of proper ...
" and "
Don't Rain on My Parade" at #13 and #46, respectively, in its 2004 list of
AFI's 100 Years...100 Songs, and the line "Hello, gorgeous" at #81 in its 2005 list of
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes. ''Funny Girl'' is considered one of the greatest musical films ever made.
In 2016, ''Funny Girl'' was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States
Library of Congress
The Library of Congress (LOC) is the research library that officially serves the United States Congress and is the ''de facto'' national library of the United States. It is the oldest federal cultural institution in the country. The librar ...
, and selected for preservation in the
National Film Registry
The National Film Registry (NFR) is the United States National Film Preservation Board's (NFPB) collection of films selected for preservation, each selected for its historical, cultural and aesthetic contributions since the NFPB’s inception ...
.
Plot
Set in and around
New York City
New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the most densely populated major city in the U ...
just prior to and following
World War I
World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was List of wars and anthropogenic disasters by death toll, one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, ...
, the story opens with ''
Ziegfeld Follies
The ''Ziegfeld Follies'' was a series of elaborate theatrical revue productions on Broadway in New York City from 1907 to 1931, with renewals in 1934 and 1936. They became a radio program in 1932 and 1936 as '' The Ziegfeld Follies of the ...
'' star
Fanny Brice awaiting the return of husband
Nicky Arnstein from prison, and then moves into an extended
flashback focusing on their meeting and marriage.
Fanny is a stage-struck teenager who lands her first job in
vaudeville
Vaudeville (; ) is a theatrical genre of variety entertainment born in France at the end of the 19th century. A vaudeville was originally a comedy without psychological or moral intentions, based on a comical situation: a dramatic compositio ...
. Her mother and her friend Mrs. Strakosh try to dissuade her from show business because Fanny is not the typical beauty ("If a Girl Isn't Pretty"). While rehearsing at a vaudeville theater, the boss complains about Fanny's unsynchronized performance and her appearance. Upon his decision to sack her, she perseveres ("I'm the Greatest Star"). With Eddie's help and encouragement, Fanny is given a part in a roller-skating act despite lacking roller-skating skills. Although the act turns into a big mess, the audience find it to be hilarious and cheer her ("Rollerskate Rag"). Fanny has her first performance, "I'd Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Happy With Somebody Else)". Following the debut, she meets the suave Nicky. Six months later, Fanny is hired to become a member of the ''Ziegfeld Follies'' – something she has always dreamt of. In the debut performance, she adds a comic twist to the supposedly romantic number, ending the number as a pregnant bride ("His Love Makes Me Beautiful"), which nearly results in Fanny getting fired from the ''Follies'', until the members of the Brice family come backstage to compliment her for her comic acts, which causes Ziegfeld to change his mind, telling her to do the same thing she did for every future performance. She meets Arnstein again, who accompanies her to the celebration at her home on Henry Street ("People").
One year later, Fanny is now the rising star of Broadway. She and Nicky meet again when she travels to Baltimore as a part of her tour. After having a romantic dinner at a swanky restaurant and declaring their feelings ("You Are Woman, I Am Man"), the pair become romantically involved. Instead of going to Chicago with the ''Follies'', Fanny decides to take another train to New York in order to be with Nicky ("Don't Rain on My Parade"). While traveling aboard the
RMS ''Berengaria'', Nicky promises that if he could win a fortune by playing
poker
Poker is a family of comparing card games in which players wager over which hand is best according to that specific game's rules. It is played worldwide, however in some places the rules may vary. While the earliest known form of the game w ...
, then they could get married, which eventually comes true. They move into a mansion and have a daughter ("Sadie, Sadie"). Meanwhile, Fanny returns to Ziegfeld and the ''Follies''.
Nicky's various business ventures fail, causing him to lose a lot of money. Nicky being busy gambling and not showing up to Fanny's new play premiere ("Swan") makes her upset and the two have an argument. Fanny's mother, who has known about Nicky's corruption, advises Fanny to "love him less" and to "help him more". Refusing financial support from his wife, he becomes involved in a bonds scam and he gets caught by the authorities. Fanny receives the news about the imprisonment from Ziegfeld, who advises her not to leave the theater and go to court, which she resists, leaving the theater. At a court hearing, Nicky refuses to answer the charges, and is imprisoned for
embezzlement
Embezzlement is a crime that consists of withholding assets for the purpose of conversion of such assets, by one or more persons to whom the assets were entrusted, either to be held or to be used for specific purposes. Embezzlement is a type ...
for eighteen months. At the moment of the farewell, Nicky calling her "Funny Girl" leaves her feeling bitter ("Funny Girl"). Following Nick's release from prison, they agree to separate. She is heartbroken and claims that "I am his forever more" ("My Man").
Cast
Production
Development
Isobel Lennart originally wrote ''Funny Girl'' as a screenplay for a
drama film
In film and television, drama is a category or genre of narrative fiction (or semi-fiction) intended to be more serious than humorous in tone. Drama of this kind is usually qualified with additional terms that specify its particular super ...
entitled ''My Man'' for producer
Ray Stark (whose mother-in-law was Fanny Brice). No studio was interested in the project, except for
Vincent Donhue, who suggested turning it into a stage musical. Lennart consequently adapted her script for what eventually became a successful Broadway production starring Barbra Streisand.
Although she had not made any films, Streisand was Stark's first and only choice to portray Brice onscreen. "I just felt she was too much a part of Fanny, and Fanny was too much a part of Barbra to have it go to someone else," he said, but
Columbia Pictures
Columbia Pictures Industries, Inc. is an American film production studio that is a member of the Sony Pictures Motion Picture Group, a division of Sony Pictures Entertainment, which is one of the Big Five studios and a subsidiary of the multi ...
executives wanted
Shirley MacLaine in the role instead. MacLaine and Streisand were good friends and shared a birthday; both actresses rolled their eyes at the idea. Stark insisted if Streisand were not cast, he would not allow a film to be made, and the studio agreed to his demand.
Mike Nichols,
George Roy Hill, and
Gene Kelly were considered to direct the film before
Sidney Lumet
Sidney Arthur Lumet ( ; June 25, 1924 – April 9, 2011) was an American film director. He was nominated five times for the Academy Award: four for Best Director for '' 12 Angry Men'' (1957), '' Dog Day Afternoon'' (1975), '' Network'' (19 ...
was signed. After working on pre-production for six months, he left the project due to "creative differences" and was replaced by
William Wyler
William Wyler (; born Willi Wyler (); July 1, 1902 – July 27, 1981) was a Swiss-German-American film director and producer who won the Academy Award for Best Director three times, those being for '' Mrs. Miniver'' (1942), '' The Best Years o ...
, whose long and illustrious award-winning career never had included a musical film; he originally was assigned to direct ''
The Sound of Music
''The Sound of Music'' is a musical with music by Richard Rodgers, lyrics by Oscar Hammerstein II, and a book by Howard Lindsay and Russel Crouse. It is based on the 1949 memoir of Maria von Trapp, ''The Story of the Trapp Family Singers''. ...
''. Wyler initially declined Stark's offer because he was concerned his significant hearing loss would affect his ability to work on a musical. After giving it some thought, he told Stark, "If
Beethoven
Ludwig van Beethoven (baptised 17 December 177026 March 1827) was a German composer and pianist. Beethoven remains one of the most admired composers in the history of Western music; his works rank amongst the most performed of the classic ...
could write his ''
Eroica Symphony'', then William Wyler can do a musical."
Streisand had never heard of Wyler, and when she was told he had won the
Academy Award for Best Director
The Academy Award for Best Director (officially known as the Academy Award of Merit for Directing) is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given in honor of a film director who has exhibit ...
for ''
Ben-Hur Ben-Hur or Ben Hur may refer to:
Fiction
*'' Ben-Hur: A Tale of the Christ'', an 1880 novel by American general and author Lew Wallace
** ''Ben-Hur'' (play), a play that debuted on Broadway in 1899
** ''Ben Hur'' (1907 film), a one-reel silent ...
'', she commented, "Chariots! How is he with people, like women? Is he any good with actresses?" In fact Wyler had directed ''
Roman Holiday
''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress for ...
'' (1953) which won three Academy Awards including the Best Actress award for
Audrey Hepburn
Audrey Hepburn (born Audrey Kathleen Ruston; 4 May 1929 – 20 January 1993) was a British actress and humanitarian. Recognised as both a film and fashion icon, she was ranked by the American Film Institute as the third-greatest female screen ...
who had been chosen by Wyler despite her relative obscurity at that time. As for Wyler, he said, "I wouldn't have done the picture without her." Her enthusiasm reminded him of
Bette Davis
Ruth Elizabeth "Bette" Davis (; April 5, 1908 – October 6, 1989) was an American actress with a career spanning more than 50 years and 100 acting credits. She was noted for playing unsympathetic, sardonic characters, and was famous for her p ...
, and he felt she "represented a challenge for me because she's never been in films, and she's not the usual glamour girl".
Casting

Styne wanted
Frank Sinatra for the role of Nicky Arnstein, but the actor was willing to appear in the film only if the role was expanded and new songs were added for the character. Stark thought Sinatra was too old and preferred someone with more class like
Cary Grant
Cary Grant (born Archibald Alec Leach; January 18, 1904November 29, 1986) was an English-American actor. He was known for his Mid-Atlantic accent, debonair demeanor, light-hearted approach to acting, and sense of comic timing. He was one o ...
, even though Grant was eleven years older than Sinatra.
Marlon Brando,
Gregory Peck
Eldred Gregory Peck (April 5, 1916 – June 12, 2003) was an American actor and one of the most popular film stars from the 1940s to the 1970s. In 1999, the American Film Institute named Peck the 12th-greatest male star of Classic Hollywood ...
,
Sean Connery,
David Janssen, and
James Garner
James Garner (born James Scott Bumgarner; April 7, 1928 – July 19, 2014) was an American actor. He played leading roles in more than 50 theatrical films, including '' The Great Escape'' (1963) with Steve McQueen; Paddy Chayefsky's ''The Ameri ...
were also considered.
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
ian
Omar Sharif
Omar Sharif ( ar, عمر الشريف ; born Michel Yusef Dimitri Chalhoub , 10 April 193210 July 2015) was an Egyptian actor, generally regarded as one of his country's greatest male film stars. He began his career in his native country in the ...
was cast to star opposite the Jewish Streisand after Wyler noticed him having lunch in the studio commissary. When the
Six-Day War
The Six-Day War (, ; ar, النكسة, , or ) or June War, also known as the 1967 Arab–Israeli War or Third Arab–Israeli War, was fought between Israel and a coalition of Arab world, Arab states (primarily United Arab Republic, Egypt, S ...
between
Israel
Israel (; he, יִשְׂרָאֵל, ; ar, إِسْرَائِيل, ), officially the State of Israel ( he, מְדִינַת יִשְׂרָאֵל, label=none, translit=Medīnat Yīsrāʾēl; ), is a country in Western Asia. It is situated ...
and
Egypt
Egypt ( ar, مصر , ), officially the Arab Republic of Egypt, is a transcontinental country spanning the northeast corner of Africa and southwest corner of Asia via a land bridge formed by the Sinai Peninsula. It is bordered by the Med ...
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. When asked about the controversy, Streisand replied, "You think Cairo got upset? You should see the letter I got from my Aunt Rose!"
Anne Francis was cast in a new role as the lead chorine in the Ziegfeld Follies.
Choreographer
Herbert Ross, who staged the musical numbers, had worked with Streisand in ''
I Can Get It for You Wholesale'', her Broadway debut.
Filming
Rehearsals and pre-recording of the songs began in July 1967.
During pre-recording, Streisand had demanded extensive retakes until she was satisfied with them, and on the set she continued to display her perfectionist nature, frequently arguing with Wyler about costumes and photography.
Principal photography
Principal photography is the phase of producing a film or television show in which the bulk of shooting takes place, as distinct from the phases of pre-production and post-production.
Personnel
Besides the main film personnel, such as a ...
began in August 1967 and was completed by December. Streisand's first scene took place at an abandoned rail depot in New Jersey where she just got off from the train and posing for the photographers. Filming was more difficult for Barbra than she thought because she had to do musical numbers multiple times for different camera angles. For the helicopter shot of "Don't Rain on My Parade", aerial photographer Nelson Tyler had to develop a special helicopter camera rig.
Streisand allegedly had so many of her scenes with
Anne Francis cut before the film's release that Francis sued to have her name removed from the credits, but lost.
Streisand later claimed she never told Wyler to cut anything and the final film reflected his choices, not hers. Francis later said "I have no feud with Barbra. But doing that film was like ''
Gaslight''. What infuriated me was the way they did things—never telling me, never talking to me, just cutting. I think they were afraid that if they were nice to me, Barbra would have been upset." Shooting for the musical number "My Man", which the original Fanny Brice made famous, took place at the end of the shooting phase. Sharif was present to help Streisand get emotional and build up sadness. The crew did at least ten takes. Also in that shoot, Stark thought the film would cost $8 million, which he deemed to be "half as much as any other big musical
..and it will be twice as big."
Release
Prior to release, Columbia Pictures produced 3
featurettes for publicity ― "This Is Streisand", "Barbra in Movieland" and "The Look of Funny Girl".
Music
# "
Overture
Overture (from French ''ouverture'', "opening") in music was originally the instrumental introduction to a ballet, opera, or oratorio in the 17th century. During the early Romantic era, composers such as Beethoven and Mendelssohn composed over ...
"
# "If a Girl Isn't Pretty" – Mrs. Strakosh, Rose and Fanny
# "
I'm the Greatest Star" – Fanny
# "Rollerskate Rag" – Fanny and Rollerskate Girls
# "
I'd Rather Be Blue Over You (Than Happy With Somebody Else)" – Fanny
# "
Second Hand Rose" – Fanny
# "His Love Makes Me Beautiful" – Fanny and ''Follies'' Ensemble
# "
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of proper ...
" – Fanny
# "
You Are Woman, I Am Man" – Nicky and Fanny
# "
Don't Rain on My Parade" – Fanny
# "
Entr'acte"
# "Sadie, Sadie" – Fanny and Nicky
# "The Swan" – Fanny
# "
Funny Girl" – Fanny
# "
My Man
"Mon Homme" (),also known by its English translation, "My Man", is a popular song first published in 1920. The song was originally composed by Maurice Yvain with French lyrics by Jacques-Charles (Jacques Mardochée Charles) and Albert Willemet ...
" – Fanny
# "Exit Music"
''Funny Girl'' originally had 18 musical numbers in 160 minutes of film, 60 minutes of which are tuned. Arnstein used to have a solo called "Temporary Arrangement".
Seven numbers from the original musical production were removed, while "Rollerskate Rag", "The Swan" and "Funny Girl" are composed specifically for Streisand and are unrelated to Brice.
[Basinger, p. 493]
Although originally released on her 1964 album ''
People
A person ( : people) is a being that has certain capacities or attributes such as reason, morality, consciousness or self-consciousness, and being a part of a culturally established form of social relations such as kinship, ownership of proper ...
'', the song "People" was re-recorded for the film with a different tempo and additional lyrics. Because "My Man", "Second Hand Rose" and "I'd Rather Be Blue" were frequent in Brice's career, they were interpolated into the score.
In the 1985 book ''Barbra Streisand: The Woman, the Myth, the Music'' by Shaun Considine, Styne revealed he was unhappy with the film's
orchestration
Orchestration is the study or practice of writing music for an orchestra (or, more loosely, for any musical ensemble, such as a concert band) or of adapting music composed for another medium for an orchestra. Also called "instrumentation", or ...
s. "They were going for pop arrangements," he recalled. "They dropped eight songs from the Broadway show and we were asked to write some new ones. They didn't want to go with success. It was the old-fashioned MGM Hollywood way of doing a musical. They always change things to their way of vision, and they always do it wrong. But, of all my musicals they screwed up, ''Funny Girl'' came out the best."
Soundtrack
The
soundtrack album to the film was released by
Columbia Records
Columbia Records is an American record label owned by Sony Music, Sony Music Entertainment, a subsidiary of Sony Corporation of America, the North American division of Japanese Conglomerate (company), conglomerate Sony. It was founded on Janua ...
in 1968.
Box office
''Funny Girl'' premiered on September 18, 1968 at the Criterion Theatre in New York; whose ticket cost $100. It was Streisand's first premiere as a movie star, and she said she felt like a "kid with a plaything". The Hollywood premiere was held on October 9, 1968 at the
Egyptian Theatre.
Having grossed $24.9 million, ''Funny Girl'' was
the highest-grossing film of 1968 in the United States.
Critical reception
The film holds a 94% approval rating on review aggregation site
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is an American review-aggregation website for film and television. The company was launched in August 1998 by three undergraduate students at the University of California, Berkeley: Senh Duong, Patrick Y. Lee, and Stephen Wan ...
, based on 47 reviews, with an average rating of 7.6/10. The website's critical consensus states: "
arbraStreisand elevates this otherwise rote melodramatic musical with her ultra-memorable star turn as Fanny Brice." On
Metacritic
Metacritic is a website that aggregates reviews of films, TV shows, music albums, video games and formerly, books. For each product, the scores from each review are averaged (a weighted average). Metacritic was created by Jason Dietz, Marc ...
, it has an 89 out of 100 rating, based on 7 critics, indicating "universal acclaim". Streisand was widely praised by critics, with ''
The New Yorker
''The New Yorker'' is an American weekly magazine featuring journalism, commentary, criticism, essays, fiction, satire, cartoons, and poetry. Founded as a weekly in 1925, the magazine is published 47 times annually, with five of these issue ...
''s
Pauline Kael
Pauline Kael (; June 19, 1919 – September 3, 2001) was an American film critic who wrote for ''The New Yorker'' magazine from 1968 to 1991. Known for her "witty, biting, highly opinionated and sharply focused" reviews, Kael's opinions of ...
calling it "A bravura performance .... As Fanny Brice, she has the wittiest comic inflections since the comediennes of the 30s; she makes written dialogue sound like inspired improvisation. ... Streisand's triumphant talent rides right over the film's weaknesses." In his review in ''
Chicago Sun-Times
The ''Chicago Sun-Times'' is a daily newspaper published in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Since 2022, it is the flagship paper of Chicago Public Media, and has the second largest circulation among Chicago newspapers, after the ''Chicago T ...
'',
Roger Ebert
Roger Joseph Ebert (; June 18, 1942 – April 4, 2013) was an American film critic, film historian, journalist, screenwriter, and author. He was a film critic for the ''Chicago Sun-Times'' from 1967 until his death in 2013. In 1975, Ebert beca ...
called Streisand "magnificent" and added, "She has the best timing since Mae West, and is more fun to watch than anyone since the young Katharine Hepburn. She doesn't actually sing a song at all; she acts it. She does things with her hands and face that are simply individual; that's the only way to describe them. They haven't been done before. She sings, and you're really happy you're there." But he thought "the film itself is perhaps the ultimate example of the roadshow musical gone overboard. It is over-produced, over-photographed and over-long. The second half drags badly. The supporting characters are generally wooden . . . That makes the movie itself kind of schizo. It is impossible to praise Miss Streisand too highly; hard to find much to praise about the rest of the film."
Richard L. Coe Richard Livingston Coe (New York City, November 8, 1914 – Washington, D.C., November 12, 1995) was a theater and cinema critic for The Washington Post for more than forty years. Coe became known as one of the most influential theater critics outsi ...
of ''
The Washington Post
''The Washington Post'' (also known as the ''Post'' and, informally, ''WaPo'') is an American daily newspaper published in Washington, D.C. It is the most widely circulated newspaper within the Washington metropolitan area and has a large n ...
'' agreed that the film was "overdone," writing that Streisand was "her first-rate self" during the musical numbers and "probably is capable of more variety than this," but "is so carefully presented and limited that she and the picture become a long, drippy bore."
Renata Adler
Renata Adler (born October 19, 1938) is an American author, journalist, and film critic. Adler was a staff writer-reporter for ''The New Yorker'', and in 1968–69, she served as chief film critic for ''The New York Times''. She is also a write ...
of ''
The New York Times
''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' wrote that "Streisand's talent is very poignant and strong," but that the film had "something a little condescending about it," with Wyler "treating Barbra rather fondly, improbably and even patronizingly," and concluded that "Miss Streisand doesn't need any of this."
''
Variety'' said Streisand makes "a marked impact" and continued, "The saga of the tragi-comedienne Fanny Brice of the ungainly mien and manner, charmed by the suave card-sharp Nicky Arnstein, is perhaps of familiar pattern, but it is to the credit of all concerned that it plays so convincingly."
Jan Dawson of ''
The Monthly Film Bulletin
''The Monthly Film Bulletin'' was a periodical of the British Film Institute published monthly from February 1934 to April 1991, when it merged with ''Sight & Sound''. It reviewed all films on release in the United Kingdom, including those with a ...
'' wrote, "The story of the actress whose dramatic rise from rags to riches is accompanied by the discovery that suffering lies on the flip-side of success has provided the basis of many an American musical. But William Wyler manages to transcend the clichés of the genre and create—largely through Barbra Streisand's characterisation of Fanny Brice—a dramatic comedy in which the musical numbers illustrate the public aspect of the star's life without once interrupting the narrative."
David Parkinson of ''
Empire
An empire is a "political unit" made up of several territories and peoples, "usually created by conquest, and divided between a dominant center and subordinate peripheries". The center of the empire (sometimes referred to as the metropole) ex ...
'' rated the film four out of five stars in a retrospective review and called it "one of those films where it doesn't really matter what gets written here – you will have made your mind up about Babs one way or the other, but for the rare uninitiated, this is a fine introduction to her talents." It is ''Funny Girl'' that made Streisand a movie star, although it also gave her the reputation for being perfectionist and 'difficult'. According to film historian Jeanine Basinger, this film helped Streisand to be regarded as a "funny girl" in her own way, and not another actress who played Fanny Brice.
[Basinger, p. 493]
Awards and nominations
''Funny Girl'' garnered eight Academy Award nominations, ultimately winning Streisand the Oscar as Best Actress for her film debut.
[Basinger, p. 493] Along with Columbia's other
Best Picture nominee and eventual winner ''
Oliver!
''Oliver!'' is a coming-of-age stage musical, with book, music and lyrics by Lionel Bart. The musical is based upon the 1838 novel '' Oliver Twist'' by Charles Dickens.
It premiered at the Wimbledon Theatre, southwest London in 1960 before ...
'', the studio secured a combined total of nineteen
Academy Award
The Academy Awards, better known as the Oscars, are awards for artistic and technical merit for the American and international film industry. The awards are regarded by many as the most prestigious, significant awards in the entertainment in ...
nominations, the most nominations for musicals from one studio in a year. Streisand won Best Actress at the Golden Globe Awards, while ''Funny Girl'' garnered three additional nominations.
Home media
The film was released on
region 1 DVD on October 23, 2001. A
Blu-ray
The Blu-ray Disc (BD), often known simply as Blu-ray, is a digital optical disc data storage format. It was invented and developed in 2005 and released on June 20, 2006 worldwide. It is designed to supersede the DVD format, and capable of s ...
edition released on April 30, 2013 with the same bonus material as the DVD. The Blu-ray was concurrent with Streisand's then-recent film, ''
The Guilt Trip
A guilt trip is a feeling of guilt or responsibility, especially an unjustified one induced by someone else.
Overview
Creating a guilt trip in another person may be considered to be manipulation in the form of punishment for a perceived transg ...
''.
Legacy
Jewish representation
In her book ''Talking Back: Images of Jewish Women in American Popular Culture'', Joyce Antler writes that Streisand has created several rich images of a Jewish woman within film, ''Funny Girl'' being one of them. In ''Funny Girl'', Antler writes, During the time the film was made, Jewish women had the stereotype of being dependent upon men, yet Streisand tends to defy this stereotype.
"Hello, gorgeous"
"Hello, gorgeous" are the first words uttered by Streisand in the film. Upon winning the
Academy Award for Best Actress
The Academy Award for Best Actress is an award presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences (AMPAS). It is given to an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance in a leading role in a film released that year. ...
, Streisand's first comment when handed the Oscar statuette was to look at the Oscar and say "Hello, gorgeous."
Since release, "Hello, gorgeous" has been referenced in several films. The line appeared as the name of the salon where
Michelle Pfeiffer's character worked in ''
Married to the Mob''. The line was also uttered by the character
Max Bialystock in the 1967 film ''
The Producers'' and
its Broadway adaptation, but the inflection used by
Zero Mostel is different from that used by Streisand. The line is also regularly peppered through popular culture.
Sean Harris may be known for playing darker characters in series such as ''
Southcliffe'' or ''
The Borgias'', but he says that he was inspired to become an actor when he saw
Barbra Streisand
Barbara Joan "Barbra" Streisand (; born April 24, 1942) is an American singer, actress and director. With a career spanning over six decades, she has achieved success in multiple fields of entertainment, and is among the few performers awar ...
in ''Funny Girl''.
In 2005, the line was chosen as #81 on the
American Film Institute
The American Film Institute (AFI) is an American nonprofit film organization that educates filmmakers and honors the heritage of the motion picture arts in the United States. AFI is supported by private funding and public membership fees.
Lead ...
list,
AFI's 100 Years...100 Movie Quotes.
Sequel
In 1975, Streisand reprised her role of Brice opposite
James Caan as Brice's third husband,
impresario
An impresario (from the Italian ''impresa'', "an enterprise or undertaking") is a person who organizes and often finances concerts, plays, or operas, performing a role in stage arts that is similar to that of a film or television producer.
H ...
Billy Rose, in a
sequel
A sequel is a work of literature, film, theatre, television, music or video game that continues the story of, or expands upon, some earlier work. In the common context of a narrative work of fiction, a sequel portrays events set in the sam ...
entitled ''Funny Lady''. Production began in April 1974, the film premiered in March 1975 to mixed reviews from critics.
See also
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List of American films of 1968
This is a list of American films released in 1968.
''Oliver!'' won the Academy Award for Best Picture.
Top-grossing films
# '' 2001: A Space Odyssey''
# '' Funny Girl''
# '' Planet of the Apes''
# '' Rosemary's Baby''
# '' The Odd Couple''
...
Notes
References
Bibliography
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External links
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Funny Girl
1968 films
1968 comedy-drama films
1968 musical comedy films
1968 romantic comedy films
1960s American films
1960s biographical drama films
1960s English-language films
1960s musical comedy-drama films
1960s romantic comedy-drama films
1960s romantic musical films
American biographical drama films
American musical comedy-drama films
American romantic comedy-drama films
American romantic musical films
Backstage musicals
Biographical films about entertainers
Columbia Pictures films
Comedy-drama films based on actual events
Films about mother–daughter relationships
Films about musical theatre
Films based on musicals
Films directed by William Wyler
Films featuring a Best Actress Academy Award-winning performance
Films featuring a Best Musical or Comedy Actress Golden Globe winning performance
Films scored by Walter Scharf
Films set in Baltimore
Films set in New York City
Films set in the 1910s
Films set in the 1920s
Films shot in New Jersey
Musical films based on actual events
Romance films based on actual events
United States National Film Registry films