Barbra Streisand: The Concerts
by Barbra Streisand, Gary Smith
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DVD Cover Information
Actor: Alan Bergman, Barbra Streisand, Carole Bayer Sager, Il Divo, Tony BennettDirector: Barbra Streisand, Gary Smith
Brand: Universal Studios
Producer: Barbra Streisand
Writer: Barbra Streisand
Producer: Gary Smith
Producer: Lara Karchmer
Producer: Martin Erlichman
Writer: Jeffrey Richman
DVD: Region Code 1
Audio: English (Unknown); English (Original Language)
Format: Box set, Color, DTS Surround Sound, DVD, NTSC
Picture Format: 1.33:1
Running Time: 295 minutes
DVD Release Date: 2009-04-28
Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Studio: Hip-O Records
Product features:
- BARBRA STREISAND-THE CONCERTS (DVD AUDIO)
Movie Reviews of Barbra Streisand: The Concerts
Movie Review: Streisand Caps Her Legacy with an Enthralling Concert and a Retrospective Look Back
Summary: 5 Stars
Back in 1991, Barbra Streisand released a four-disc CD set, Just for the Record..., chronicling her first thirty years in show business through rare audio clips, album tracks, recording outtakes, and periodically her bona fide hits. There was talk of a video version that never came to pass, which makes this a particularly fitting consolation prize - especially since now nearly two additional decades have elapsed.
This three-disc DVD set captures Streisand at three points in her storied career. Disc One contains the Ft. Lauderdale stop in her mega-successful Fall 2006 tour, which was as much a commemoration of her nearly half-century career as it was a cause célèbre for her renowned liberal causes via her foundation. Disc Two has her last stop in Anaheim during her much-heralded 1994 concert tour - her first in 27 years, while Disc Three documents the recording sessions behind her acclaimed 1985 back-to-her-roots CD, The Broadway Album. This last one starts with a fast-cut montage of her early-to-mid-career TV and film performances, which lends a nice bookend to her astounding five decades of performing.
The centerpiece is the beautifully photographed 2006 concert (*****). I was fortunate to be present at the San Jose stop two weeks later in her tour, and at an impossibly youthful 64, Streisand looked resplendent as proven on this disc. Granted her lower register has developed a burnished throatiness and some of her more precocious high notes escape her now, but the lustrous glow of her voice is still very much in evidence. The melisma and dramatic conviction remain unparalleled, as she remains a willful force of nature based on a most singular persona, and easily the most accomplished song stylist of her generation. This disc represents a wonderful remembrance of that evening, as well as a pristine document of a beautifully turned performance for those who missed it.
The event is not the therapeutic exercise in self-introspection like Streisand's previous comebacks. Given how many more audience reaction shots are included here, she is far more relaxed with her stage patter and with her political conscience on relatively limited display. Played by a 58-piece orchestra, the opening is a rousing rendition of the Broadway overture from Funny Girl, which leads to Streisand's enthusiastically greeted entrance as she sonorously sings her long-ago stand-by, "Starting Here, Starting Now". She makes a comically studied attempt at the piano to re-introduce us to her first composition, the very Gallic-flavored "Ma Premiere Chanson" (which in hindsight, sounds very much like "Lost Inside of You" from A Star Is Born).
Many of her fan favorites were expected and are accounted for here by necessity - "People", "Don't Rain on My Parade", "The Way We Were", "What Are You Doing the Rest of Your Life?" - with the arrangements almost the same as the recorded versions but with her immaculate professionalism still making them sound fresh. There is a decidedly sentimental "Funny Girl" medley in which she sings the title song and "My Man" from the film version, as well as the torchy ballad, "The Music That Makes Me Dance", from the Broadway version. The second disc contains welcome additions to her repertoire - Maury Yeston's wistful "Unusual Way" from the musical Nine; Harold Arlen's WWII-era chestnut, "My Shining Hour"; and a galloping take on Rodgers and Hammerstein's "A Cockeyed Optimist" from South Pacific combined fittingly with an excerpt from William Saroyan's "The Time of Your Life".
Songs from her early performing years are sprinkled throughout - a smoky nightclub version of "Down With Love", the poignantly evocative "(Have I Stayed) Too Long at the Fair?" appropriately twirling her chair when she mentioned the merry-go-around, and of course, her signature song, the slow-tempo version of "Happy Days Are Here Again". The unsubtle bombast of the stentorian popera group, Il Divo, has been thankfully toned down from the CD on three ensemble tracks, but their scripted patter still comes across as contrived. A nice surprise, however, is the Q&A session where she takes questions on cards submitted by the audience, answers them with her trademark wit and chutzpah, and even sings a truncated version of "Stoney End". The concert ends appropriately with her touching rendition of Charlie Chaplin's "Smile" with a guest appearance by her much-beloved dog Sammie.
There are five bonus performance tracks - a wonderful throwback to Streisand's Bon Soir days with a touching rendition of "Nobody's Heart (Belongs to Me)" leading to a rousing "When the Sun Comes Out"; then a condensed version of "The Woman in the Moon" from "A Star Is Born" in tribute to House Speaker-elect Nancy Pelosi and Senator Barbara Boxer both in attendance at the final stop in Los Angeles; and two entirely skippable tracks from Il Divo (ah, the beauty of track selection on DVD). A behind-the-scenes featurette is also included consisting of interviews with long-time collaborators like her rarely seen manager, Marty Erlichman; and finally a description of the Streisand Foundation as provided by executive director Marge Tabankin, who speaks glowingly of Streisand's philanthropy.
The second disc (*****) is an archive of her classically appointed 1994 concert tour which feels as much like a performance piece as it does a concert - especially with the insertion of film clips, a mock-duet with Marlon Brando from "Guys and Dolls", and three therapy sessions. Those who already own the previously released DVD, Barbra Streisand - The Concert Live at the MGM Grand, which documents her first show of the mini-tour, will not find too many surprises here. Most of the changes occur in the second half with both the Linda Richman/Mike Myers comedy routine and the Disney song selection cut in favor of a Yentl medley. Looking elegant on her Jefferson-inspired set, she performs impeccably, although I have to admit in hindsight that I prefer the more relaxed Streisand I see in the later concert.
The third disc (****1/2) is a fascinating making-of featurette which really shows Streisand's mastery in the recording studio as well as some of her perfectionism. It's enthralling to see her with the likes of Stephen Sondheim, whose songs she interprets with emotional acuity on "The Broadway Album". The interview with director William Friedkin is pretty interesting considering the promotional nature of the piece. As a bonus feature, there is an archival performance included from each of her first five TV specials (1965-73) for good measure. The entire package provides an impressive retrospective for a performer who has long ago moved into show business mythology.
Summary of Barbra Streisand: The Concerts
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