IMDb >
Funny Girl (1968)
Watch It
Buy it at Amazon
Rent it at Blockbuster.com
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
BETA
Discuss in Boards More at IMDb Pro Add to My Movies Update Data
Quicklinks
Top Links
trailers and videosfull cast and crewtriviaofficial sitesmemorable quotesOverview
main detailscombined detailsfull cast and crewcompany creditstv scheduleAwards & Reviews
user commentsexternal reviewsnewsgroup reviewsawardsuser ratingsparents guiderecommendationsmessage boardPlot & Quotes
plot summarysynopsisplot keywordsAmazon.com summarymemorable quotesFun Stuff
triviagoofssoundtrack listingcrazy creditsalternate versionsmovie connectionsFAQOther Info
merchandising linksbox office/businessrelease datesfilming locationstechnical specslaserdisc detailsDVD detailsliterature listingsNewsDeskPromotional
taglines trailers and videos posters photo galleryExternal Links
showtimesofficial sitesmiscellaneousphotographssound clipsvideo clipsFunny Girl (1968) More at IMDbPro »
| Photos (see all 40 | slideshow) | Videos (see all 9 NEW) |
Overview
User Rating:
Release Date:
19 September 1968 (USA) moreTagline:
People who see FUNNY GIRL are the luckiest people in the world!Plot:
The life of comedienne Fannie Brice, from her early days in the Jewish slums of the Lower East Side... more | add synopsisAwards:
Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 16 nominations moreNewsDesk:
(44 articles)
George Lopez Promotes New Show With Twitterboard (From Extra. 7 November 2009, 1:02 PM, PST)
AFI's 100 Years ...100 Movie Quotes
(From Extra. 4 November 2009, 4:45 AM, PST)
User Comments:
A Funny Girl Happened on the Way to the Follies. more (63 total)Cast
(Cast overview, first billed only)| Barbra Streisand | ... | Fanny Brice | |
| Omar Sharif | ... | Nick Arnstein | |
| Kay Medford | ... | Rose Brice | |
| Anne Francis | ... | Georgia James | |
| Walter Pidgeon | ... | Florenz Ziegfeld | |
| Lee Allen | ... | Eddie Ryan | |
| Mae Questel | ... | Mrs. Strakosh | |
| Gerald Mohr | ... | Tom Branca | |
| Frank Faylen | ... | Keeney | |
| Mittie Lawrence | ... | Emma | |
| Gertrude Flynn | ... | Mrs. O'Malley | |
| Penny Santon | ... | Mrs. Meeker | |
| John Harmon | ... | Company Manager | |
| Thordis Brandt | ... | Ziegfeld Girl | |
| Bettina Brenna | ... | Ziegfeld Girl |
Additional Details
Parents Guide:
Add content advisory for parentsRuntime:
151 min | USA:155 min (roadshow version)Country:
USALanguage:
EnglishColor:
Color (Technicolor)Aspect Ratio:
2.20 : 1 moreCertification:
Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PGFilming Locations:
Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA moreFun Stuff
Trivia:
The highest-grossing film of 1968. moreGoofs:
Continuity: In Baltimore, Fanny and Nick come out of a restaurant and lean on a post. In the next cut, they are further down the pier and not leaning on the same post as before. moreQuotes:
Fanny Brice: You think beautiful girls are going to stay in style forever? I should say not! Any minute now they're going to be out! Finished! Then it'll be my turn! moreSoundtrack:
People moreFAQ
This FAQ is empty. Add the first question.more (63 total)
Message Boards
Discuss this movie with other users on IMDb message board for Funny Girl (1968) moreRecommendations
If you enjoyed this title, our database also recommends:
Show more recommendations
|
|
|
|
|
| Stage Door | Gone with the Wind | 8½ | Limelight | L'accompagnatrice |
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
IMDb User Rating:
|
Related Links
| Full cast and crew | Company credits | External reviews |
| News articles | IMDb Biography section | IMDb USA section |
| Add this title to MyMovies |
















There are not enough superlatives in the world to bestow on Barbra Streisand for her rags-to-riches portrayal of 20s Ziegfeld Follies star Fanny Brice. To say she gives the single most triumphant musical performance ever showcased on the silver screen could be close. I am constantly bowled over with each viewing at how the 26-year-old Brooklyn novice ever pulled off this incredible stunt. Cinderella playing Cinderella. Even the finicky Hollywood powers-that-be, who NEVER use untried screen talent for such a weighty role (Julie Andrews and "My Fair Lady" come to mind), knew that nobody but Barbra could inhabit this part. She won the Oscar, naturally, and it was befitting that the newcomer should share this honor with perhaps the greatest screen legend ever, Katharine Hepburn.
Barbra's Fanny Brice first conquered Broadway where she lost the Tony award to another irrepressible talent, Carol Channing, for "Hello Dolly!" She got her revenge of sorts years later when she won the coveted screen role of Dolly due strictly to her auspicious debut in "Funny Girl." Transferred to celluloid, the movie loosens its bustles quite a bit and grants more breathing room for Barbra to expand her natural comic and dramatic talents both keenly and intimately amid the elaborate sets and costumes.
The timing of this film couldn't have been better for Streisand. The late 60s ushered in a new legion of stars. The rash of talent coming to the forefront purposely lacked the super-model good looks and incredibly-sculpted physiques of their predecessors. Audiences now clamored for realism...human imperfection. What less attractive guys like Dustin Hoffman and Al Pacino did for the men, Barbra did for the distaff side. She dragged out her own Cinderella version, making a virtue of her odd looks and gawky gait while laying out her two big trump cards -- she was a supreme song stylist and a gifted, self-deprecating cut-up.
Hardly ever off screen, Streisand totally immerses herself in the role of chorus clown-turned-Ziegfeld headliner, weaving a spell around each and every song she touches. From the stubbornly optimistic "I'm the Greatest Star" to the profoundly touching "My Man", the actress matures Brice into the glowing swan of her own dreams, while exposing a deep, personal vulnerability she never recaptured (or allowed) again on screen -- to her detriment.
Despite heavy critical lambasting, I still say exotically handsome Omar Sharif was indeed the consummate choice to play wanderlust husband and card shark Nicky Arnstein. Polished, prideful and totally in his element as the global-gambling playboy, one can believe the ungainly Fanny (or Streisand, for that matter) placing this glossy god on a pedestal. It may not appear to be much of a stretch (in real life, Sharif was a world-class bridge player), but he owns the part as much as delightful Kay Medford does as Brice's droll Jewish mama. Everyone else, however, is pretty expendable. It's been said that Anne Francis blamed Streisand for her supposedly top featured role being butchered. If it's true, she has an open-and-shut case. Francis was left with a nothing part.
Highly fictionalized and weak as biography, Streisand champions above the sometimes grandiose material from the moment she utters her first classic words: "Hello, gorgeous!" And so she is.