Ster-Kinekor has, for some months, been running a promotion called “Throwback Cinema”, which allows audiences to watch classic movies from the past – and for a mere R50.

• ‘Funny Girl’, starring Barbra Streisand and Omar Sharif, was the highest-grossing movie of its year.
• It cost a whopping $14.1million to make, which equates to about $130 today. It’s box office returns, however, quadrupled that amount.
• Catch Tat Wolfen’s entertainment commentary on The Sandton Times Hour, every Monday at 7pm on 91.9FM.
• Visit www.sandtontimes.co.za for more stories.

Yes, you may have seen them at home, but experiencing them in a movie theatre (either again, or for the first time) will give you a taste of that magic of cinema from a bygone era – a time when movie houses weren’t cluttered with unending sequels, prequels, and overlong superhero sagas. Under the microscope today, ‘Funny Girl’.

What’s It About, Then?

Seeing as you asked nicely, it’s a biopic of the great Fanny Brice, a ditzy and unconventional beanpole of a Jewish lass, but gifted comedienne/singer who became the toast of Broadway, and brightened the stages and screens of the 1920s and ’30s. ‘Funny Girl’, starring Barbra Streisand in her cinematic debut, is an enormously fictionalised and sanitised version of Brice’s story, particularly where her hubby, an international gangster, was concerned. The film also erases Fanny’s first two marriages, but goodness knows it’s long enough, without having to go into granularities. These trifling details, however, are not what lovers of classic musicals care about.

A Washed-Up Diva?

It’s no secret that Streisand was a bossy presence on set, and not the greatest fun to work with. When the director of ‘Funny Girl’ was asked whether she’d been hard to work with, he flashed back, “No, not too hard, considering it was the first movie she ever directed.” Streisand, it seems, always believed in herself, and her talent backed up her brassy self-confidence. It therefore couldn’t have been easy for her when her voice started crumbling about a decade ago, and she had to start dealing with the reality that the curtain had fallen on her career.

Instead of being grateful for a helluva ride, however, she’s sadly turned into an embittered old harridan, and spends her days railing at her political foes on X. She also keeps threatening to leave the US (as though it would make a difference to anyone), yet never does so. It’s depressing to witness this decline, but such is the way of human flesh, and rather than dwell upon the frailty of earthly creatures, we should sit back and relish these early accomplishments that are preserved by the magic of cinema. She would do well to likewise; i.e. bask in her former glory.

A Perfect Movie? Perhaps Not

Some would argue that the movie’s a tad too long, at two and a half hours. Possibly, though its joys outweigh its few sagging patches. Another reservation that fans have expressed over the years, is that the Egyptian actor Omar Sharif, a heartthrob of his era, was miscast as Nick Arnstein, the gangster/con-man who stole Fanny Brice’s heart. Firstly, his accent immediately gives him away as a non-American. He’s also too slick, charming and smooth to have honestly portrayed the grubby Arnstein, although one should remember that Arnstein was still alive at the time of the movie’s release, just waiting to sue someone. Plus, the movie’s producer, Ray Stark, was related to Arnstein by marriage. These reservations aside, Sharif was a respectable actor who owned his screen-space. And things get better still…

Strong Supports

The cast is packed with treasures for showbiz afficionados. Kay Medford, who played Fanny’s mom, was the only cast member, along with Streisand, who came to the film from the ‘Funny Girl’ Broadway show. (As an aside, it had always amused the devoutly Catholic Medford that she was frequently cast as Yiddishe mommas!) One the tale’s neighbourhood yentas is played by Mae Questel, who will go down in movie history as being the voice of that naughty animated lady, Betty Boop. The stately Walter Pidgeon portrays the larger-than-life Broadway producer Florenz Ziegfeld, who helped to thrust Fanny Brice into superstardom, much as this film would do with Streisand. (Yup; the film is littered with parallels between these two women’s lives.)

A Fresh Coat Of Paint

Unlike the rather soft-looking trailer above, the remastered Panavision print that you’ll enjoy at the movies is crisp and sharp, and its multichannel stereo soundtrack has been digitally revised and tweaked for its re-release. In short, ‘Funny Girl’ has never looked or sounded better.

Magical Movie Moments

Streisand fans – or once-fans – will revel in the now-legendary shot that zooms back dramatically from Streisand on a tugboat in New York Harbor. [Geek alert: This shot would later be referenced in the film ‘Yentl’ (1983), which starred, and was directed by, Streisand.] Even non-geeks, however, should be interested to witness the movie that launched Streisand’s career – if not her ego, which was already firmly in place by then! They’ll hopefully also enjoy, amongst the film’s numerous numbers, the two big hits that were to become lifelong signature songs: “People”, and “Don’t Rain On My Parade”.

Streisand’s first words in a movie career that would last decades also stand as one of filmdom’s undying quotes: “Hello, gorgeous…” And she certainly was, albeit in unconventional fashion. Furthermore, she had pipes that could blast the dust off a cathedral ceiling. And yes; she did possess an overwhelming chutzpah that made her easy to dislike, to this day. Love her or hate her, however, her talent was undeniable, and this epically entertaining piece of musical history, peppered through with dialogue that crackles like salt on a hot coal, deserves to be reprised on the big screen – only at selected Ster-Kinekor Nouveau theatres, and sadly, for a very short run.

Tat Wolfen is a multimedia communicator, entertainment commentator and leisure journalist. Tune in for Tat’s razor-sharp takes on the latest on stage and screen, every week on The Sandton Times Hour – Mondays at 7pm on 91.9FM or on a fine selection of the world’s leading podcast platforms. [Disclaimer: Views expressed by reviewers/contributors are their own, and do not necessarily reflect those of The Sandton Times and its ownership or management.]

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