Funny Girl (1968)

Director:

William Wyler

Writers:

Isobel Lennart (play)
Isobel Lennart (screenplay)

Release Date:

19 September 1968 (USA)

Genre:

Biography | Drama | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

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...

Plot Keywords:

Horse | Florenz Ziegfeld | Gift | Male Female Relationship | Flashback Sequence

Awards:

Won Oscar. Another 5 wins & 16 nominations

US TV Schedule:

Fri. July 11

12:00 PM

OXYGEN

Cast

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

Runtime:

151 min | USA:155 min (roadshow version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.20 : 1

Sound Mix:

4-Track Stereo (35 mm magnetic prints) | 70 mm 6-Track (70 mm prints)

Certification:

Iceland:L | Argentina:Atp | Australia:G | Chile:TE | Finland:S | France:U | Sweden:Btl | UK:U | USA:G | West Germany:6 | Singapore:PG

Filming Locations:

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

Company:

Columbia Pictures Corporation

Trivia:

Barbra Streisand's feature film debut.

Goofs:

Crew or equipment visible: In the opening sequence, in the walk to the theater, the "sunlight" is made by a visible spotlight.

Quotes:

Rose Brice: When you look at him, you only see what you want to see.
Fannie Brice: I see him as he is. I love him as he is!
Rose Brice: Fannie. Love him a little less. Help him a little more.

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Murphy Brown: Funnies Girl (#1.18)" (1989)

Soundtrack:

Funny Girl

Bad Biography...Great Musical

Every time a film is made about a real-life figure, particularly a show business figure, people love to complain that the movie is not accurate regarding the facts of that person's life. If the truth be told, if movie biographies were strictly about the facts, no one would go to see them, because for the most part, the facts don't make for great entertainment and Fanny Brice is no exception. The 1968 musical FUNNY GIRL has been maligned for years because it is not a very accurate representation of the facts of Fanny Brice's life. If you want to learn about Fanny Brice's life, read a biography or go on the internet, but if you want to see an amazing movie musical spotlighting a legendary performer at the beginning of her amazing career, then you can't beat FUNNY GIRL, the 1968 musical based on the 1964 Broadway musical that made Barbra Streisand a star. Streisand tied with Katharine Hepburn for the Best Actress Oscar for this charismatic star turn as the young girl from Henry Street who becomes a big star of the Ziegfeld Follies and has a heartbreaking romance with a charming gambler named Nick Arnstein, played by Omar Sharif. Streisand is in practically every frame of this film and never makes you wish otherwise...one of the great performances in the history of cinema...whether she is defying Florenz Ziegfeld by refusing to appear in the finale or chasing an ocean liner to be with Nick, Streisand gives the one-woman performance of a lifetime here. Directed by Oscar-winner William Wyler, Streisand is lovingly photographed and effectively showcases the Jule Styne-Bob Merrill score, which includes classics like "People" and "Don't Rain On My Parade". Some changes have been made in the score from the stage musical but Streisand makes it all work and the finale "My Man" is just devastating. It's not an accurate biography of the vaudeville legend, but as a dazzling and entertaining movie musical, it's hard to top this one.