Funny Girl (1968)

The life of comedienne Fannie Brice, from her early days in the Jewish slums of the Lower East Side, to the height of her career with the Ziegfeld Follies, including her marriage to and ... See full summary »

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (book), Isobel Lennart (from the original story by: based on the play with),

Stars:

Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Kay Medford

Won 1 Oscar. Another 6 wins & 16 nominations.

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	...	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

Storyline

The life of comedienne Fannie Brice, from her early days in the Jewish slums of the Lower East Side, to the height of her career with the Ziegfeld Follies, including her marriage to and eventual divorce from her first husband, Nick Arnstein.

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Plot Keywords:

divorce | comedienne | jewish | ziegfeld follies | marriage | 

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Taglines:

People who see FUNNY GIRL are the luckiest people in the world!

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Genres:

Biography | Comedy | Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

G

Details

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

19 September 1968 (USA)

Also Known As:

Funny Girl (Una chica divertida)

Filming Locations:

Stage 4, Columbia/Sunset Gower Studios - 1438 N. Gower Street, Hollywood, Los Angeles, California, USA

Box Office

Budget:

$14,100,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend:

$65,560 (USA) (31 August 2001)

Gross:

$223,306 (USA) (5 October 2001)

Company Credits

Production Co:

Columbia Pictures Corporation, Rastar Productions

Technical Specs

Runtime:

151 min 155 min (roadshow)

Sound Mix:

70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints) 4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) Dolby SR (35mm restored version) Dolby Digital (35mm restored version) SDDS (35mm restored version) DTS (35mm restored version)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

"The Swan" was written especially for this movie. The original number, "Rat-a-Tat-Tat", was deemed too dated (though appropriate for the setting of the show). Fanny Brice did a similar act dressed in a similar costume complete with a huntsman carrying a bow and arrow in the movie Be Yourself!.

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Goofs

In the sequence where a telegram is brought to the Brice saloon, the camera closes in on two ladies, one of whom says, "That's life for you: somebody's dead." She wears a skirt with gray and white stripes, a cream blouse, and a straw hat with a pink and green ribbon. As the camera follows the Western Union delivery man, the same outfit can be seen on a different bystander.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Fanny Brice: [looking in the mirror] Hello, gorgeous.

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Connections

Referenced in The Nanny: The Rosie Show (1996)
Maxwell tells Niles he should have gone with Funny Girl instead of Fiddler on the Roof.

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Soundtracks

"Second Hand Rose"
By James F. Hanley and Grant Clarke
Performed by Barbra Streisand (uncredited)

User Reviews

"When a person's a stranger...they should act a little strange."

Tour-de-force for Barbra Streisand, reprising her Broadway triumph and taking over the screen as 1930s Ziegfeld singer/comedienne Fanny Brice. Streisand's incredible self-assurance and clowning poise was enough to win her the Best Actress Oscar AND tick off most of Hollywood (few in the business were prepared for someone like Streisand in 1968, except maybe those familiar with her TV work, but the results here show she didn't care what anyone thought of her). The sets look phony, the script is contrived, and Omar Sharif is somewhat miscast as husband Nick Arnstein (Sharif is wonderful in the early stages, but his wet, red eyes and mincing baby-talk grow incredibly weary); however most of the song numbers are fabulous, and Barbra is at her best when delivering a high-powered number. She's tough and unyielding even while doing a comedic bit, but during an emotional song she lets her guard drop a little (not enough to become truly vulnerable, just enough to let us share her pain). The film doesn't exhaust one the way some musical extravaganzas can; the camera-work is uneven and some sequences are overlit, but it has lots of spirit and dazzle. Most importantly, it's a film that remembers it is about a woman and a man, and never allows the show-biz glitter to suffocate the characters. *** from ****