This is going under Z because of the character Ziegfeld.
Director: William Wyler
Writer: Isobel Lennart (Screenplay)
Starring: Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford, Anne Francis, Walter Pidgeon, Lee Allen
Plot: The life of Fanny Brice, famed comedienne and entertainer of the early 1900s. We see her rise to fame as a Ziegfeld girl, subsequent career, and her personal life, particularly her relationship with Nick Arnstein.
Tagline – Hello, gorgeous!
Runtime: 2 Hours 31 Minutes
There may be spoilers in the rest of the review
Story: Funny Girl starts when Fanny Brice (Streisand) looks to make an impact on Broadway, she will take any role in a show to get started, with her doing whatever she can to make an impact, catching the eyes Nick Arnstein (Sharif), who suggests her for Florenz Ziegfeld’s (Pidgeon) latest show.
As Fanny becomes a bigger star, she finds herself touring America, getting fleeting visit from Nick, but his vices for gambling leave the strain upon the relationship and her future in the business.
Thoughts on Funny Girl
Thoughts – Funny Girl is the Oscar winning movie from 1968 that shows the dreams of a star that will fall into the trap of stardom, leading to the struggle to remain on top of the game in the ruthless stage musical world. We get to see how love will drive people to make crazy decisions, ones that will see them put careers on the line for a maybe, with someone that is even more dangerous than they could imagine. When it comes to the films of a certain era, they do seem to lose a connection with the more modern audience, with the pacing, which this is a film that does suffer from that, it would have felt like the event when it got released, but now it is more of a musical about love and risk. The performances are wonderful and you can see why Barbra Streisand won best actress in the Oscars this year. This is one for the classic Hollywood fans to enjoy, one they can get plenty out of.
Final Thoughts – Funny Girl is one that fits into the classic Hollywood wonder years.