FUNNY GIRL

US, 1968, 153 minutes, Colour.
Barbra Streisand, Omar Sharif, Walter Pidgeon, Kay Melford, Anne Francis.
Directed by William Wyler.

Funny Girl introduced Barbra Streisand to cinema audiences and ensured her popularity as well as appreciation of her talents as a comedienne and as a singer. Since this she has excelled in both. Her first performance won her an Oscar. Funny Girl is a strange mixture of hilarity and sadness, both of which Barbra Streisand handles well. Her pre-Ziegfeld dancing as well as her more professional performances are entertaining. Her marriage with Omar Sharif as Nicky Arnstein is a sad reflection on the difficulties of artists in personal relationships. Veteran director William Wyler (Mrs. Miniver, The Best Days of Our Lives, Ben Hur) handles the large-scale musical well.

1. Was this just another musical biography? What was different about it? Why was it such an outstanding box-office success?

2. What impact did the personality of Barbra Streisand make? How important was she for the success of the film?

3. Was the structure of the film effective? Flashback techniques? People commented that the first part was hilarious, the second part too sombre. Is this a fair comment?

4. The theatre was the world of the film? How was this communicated? What sense of being in the theatre did the film give?

5. Did you like Fanny Brice - her personality, her comments on her ugliness, her background, her Jewishness, her mother, her mother's friends?

6. Did you enjoy the early stage appearances? e.g. the roller-skating?

7. Why was being in Ziegfeld's Follies so important? Did you like Ziegfeld? Why? Did Fanny do the right thing in treating Ziegfeld as she did? her comments, her performance as the beautiful bride?

8. Did you like Nicky Arnstein? Why? What kind of character was he? Why was he attracted to Fanny? Was he a lucky person, a winner?

9. How important was her career to Fanny? Did she neglect other things for her career? How important were people? The significance of "People Who Need People" in the film?

10. Why did Fanny marry Arnstein? "You are Woman; I am Man". How important was the happiness of the Parade number? Why?

11. Who set the pace for the marriage, Fanny or Nicky? Did each try to make it a success? What did you think of Nick's idea on freedom?

12. How much did career and ambition harm the marriage? Did the baby help to bring them together? Why did Nick begin to go downhill? why did he feel inferior? What impelled him to go into the crooked deal? Was he basically honest or not?

13. What was the effect of prison on both their lives? Did Ziegfeld help here? How did prison affect the marriage? Should Fanny have tried to make it work despite what Nick said?

14. How sad was the ending? What was your final impression of Fanny?

15. What overall impact did the film have?