Funny Girl
Dir: William Wyler
1968
****
William Wyler was asked by a friend whether Barbra Streisand had been hard to work with. He replied, "No, not too hard, considering it was the first movie she ever directed." One can only imagine, although it's fairly obvious when watching the film. All power to her. The story couldn't be further from the truth but it is a fantastic musical thanks to Streisand's performance. It is a shame though that Fanny Brice's real story wasn't told, it's a tad disrespectful in that sense although a lot of the nasty stuff is missed out, so maybe she wouldn't have minded. More of her comedy wouldn't have gone a miss but it's hard to complain about such things when it includes some of the greatest musical songs of all time from the classic songwriters Bob Merrill & Jule Styne. All together now 'People....people who need people.....'