Barbra Streisand: The Concerts
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Movie Reviews of Barbra Streisand: The Concerts
Movie Review: New *TREASURES* (sort-of) To Add To The Collection!
Summary: 5 Stars
There's some new stuff to add to your Barbra collection with the BARBRA STREISAND: THE CONCERT DVD set.
First off, the concert from 2006 features songs that have been beloved by Barbra fans for many years but we've never had the treat of seeing them performed live. Some songs have been performed on live albums like "Starting Here, Starting Now" (from Live Concert at the Forum) and "Come Rain Or Come Shine" (from Streisand: Live In Concert (2 CD's) or if you were lucky enough to get the bonus CD from the "Timeless" Concert). Other songs like "(Have I Stayed) Too Long At The Fair?" and "Funny Girl" have never been performed live (at least not to my knowledge) so you get some new stuff to see.
The musical intro and outro is from the Funny Girl (1964 Original Broadway Cast) overture and Barbra performs "The Music That Makes Me Dance," which was replaced with "My Man" in the movie version of Funny Girl.
Another highlight from the 2006 concert DVD is a Q&A with the audience where they get to participate in a short sing-a-long to the song "Stoney End" (Stoney End). I wish this was longer!
---BONUS MATERIAL ON DVD #1---
(performances unless noted/play-all feature/selection)
***Nobody's Heart (Belongs To Me)/When The Sun Comes Out***
I love the song WTSCO from The Second Barbra Streisand Album and Barbra can still work this song. Oh I wish she would do an album of these types of torch-songs!
***The Woman In The Moon***
Truncated version of the song from the end of the tour in Los Angeles, CA. Another song heard live on A Star Is Born (1976 Film) soundtrack and movie, but never performed since.
***Senza Catene/Regressa A Mi***
These are performances by the group Il Divo. They also duet with Barbra during the concert.
***Interview****5:50-Minutes
Behind the scenes with crew on the production of the concert and song selection.
***Interview***10:05-Minute
Executive director of the Streisand Foundation, Marge Tabankin, discusses the many charities that benefit from the foundation.
---DVD #2---1994 CONCERT AT THE ARROWHEAD POND
I believe this is the concert that aired on HBO that was filmed after Barbra's triumphant New Year's Eve Concert in 1993-94.
---DVD #3---MAKING OF THE BROADWAY ALBUM FROM 1985
First time on DVD showing the recording sessions for acclaimed The Broadway Album and Barbra talks with famed movie director William Friedkin. The bonus clips are all from the various Streisand Television specials which aired from 1965-1973. These television specials are available in their entirety from the box set Barbra Streisand - The Television Specials.
The CONCERT... set also comes with a small color booklet with liner notes by writer and musical supervisor Jay Landers and has some pictures in it.
So even though it isn't an earth shattering live cabaret performance filmed at the "Hungry-i" from the 60s that was "found" among the vaults, STREISAND: THE CONCERT offers enough new material to keep us fans happy.
Of course Barbra's voice has changed over the years, as she might not have the range she used to, but she still has that vocal power and unmistakable sound that is pure Streisand.
Movie Review: Barbra's New DVD Box Set Shimmers and Simmers!!
Summary: 5 Stars
Live In Concert 2006 far surpasses all previous Barbra Streisand concerts released on home video in the artistry of its production, from Barbra's marvelous performance to appealing staging, elegant lighting, dazzling sound, and overall warmth. Indeed, the Blu-ray presentation is the ideal way to enjoy the show, as it realizes the true enhanced resolution captured by the many high definition cameras in Sunrise, Florida's BankAtlantic Center on that special night in October 2006. Seeing the amazing concert in its entirety relives the memorable evening my wife and I shared with Barbra in Atlanta only a week later and promises to be a wondrous experience for first-timers. Barbra's complete program is here, including her humor-filled Q&A with the audience via note cards, shout-outs, and a surprise short version of "Stoney End." The George Bush comedy sketch is excluded but not missed, while the bonus features include Barbra's extraordinarily delicate "Nobody's Heart (Belongs To Me)" backed only by piano, "When The Sun Comes Out" (an early `60s concert number), and "The Woman In The Moon" filmed with regular lighting and standard definition at L.A.'s Staples Center at the end of the tour. Barbra delivers an inspiring introduction to the song and to Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi and Senator Barbara Boxer in the audience. Il Divo's "My Way" appears right before "Come Rain Or Come Shine," with their other two songs viewable among the bonus features. "The People Behind The Scenes" is a neat 6-minute segment with comments about Barbra from manager Marty Erlichman ("I still get goosebumps"), Jay Landers ("She discovered new meaning in songs she sang when she was younger"), director Gary Smith ("This is forever and should be"), Richard Jay Alexander, and conductor-arranger Bill Ross. Marge Tabankin, The Streisand Foundation's executive director, speaks for 10 enlightening minutes mainly about Barbra.
While we have enjoyed the Live In Concert 2006 CD for two years, the concert on video, particularly in full 1080p HD only available on Blu-ray, really brings you front and center, and Barbra's musical performances are truly compelling. "Funny Girl," sung for the first time in 40 years, is almost all in close-up and sounds as poignant as ever. Another highlight, although often performed, is "The Way We Were" with a gliding camera move from one side of Barbra to the other. Throughout the concert, the multiple camera work is flawless and flowing, with graceful editing, harkening back to classic television and concert videos with long-lasting shots that allow us to savor each lyric instead of today's quick-cutting style. "Unusual Way" is definitely one of the highlights, as one camera pulls in and pushes out and another captures Barbra's figure from the sides and her contented smile at the song's conclusion. "Don't Rain On My Parade (reprise)" is a perfect first encore, a sheer delight and bare-footed triumph. For the final encore, "Smile," Barbra and the audience focus attention on Samantha, her darling white poodle/bichon, whose great affection for Barbra is also evident elsewhere in the program. Barbra's final performance of the evening is sublime and further conveys a renewed emotional connection with her adoring audience.
The 3-DVD set adds the 102-minute July 1994 concert exactly as shown on HBO in 1994, but this time in surround sound, and the 1987 HBO special on the making of The Broadway Album, both making first-time DVD appearances. Rounding out disc 3 is a sampler of songs from each of Barbra's first five TV specials, which were previously released on DVD.
Movie Review: A tribute to the greatest star
Summary: 5 Stars
This DVD collection is truly wonderful. I have been waiting so long to see the 2006 concert on DVD, and it is finally here! :-) Not a big production tour like her last 2 concerts. Barbra seems to do a concert every 6 years, and this one is just her singing, which is always great. No interactive screens, or sets, or stories with dramatic 'lead ins'. The 2006 concert is wonderful, Babra's voice is getting tired, you can hear that. However, her musicality and timing and energy is getting better with age, she is now a very nice vintage! Ill Divo are great. It is the best blending of voices to have them sing with Barbra. Music of the night is beautiful, and I love their version of 'Evergreen'. I could watch this DVD many many more times.And of course it is lovely to have the 1994 concert DVD as well. I didn't have this one before. it is also quite flawless. The documentary on the 3rd disc is great. Putting It Together: The Making of the Broadway Album is exquisite. Nice to see Sydney Pollack on there. her old friend, speaking lines on the opening track. The clip of her doing the duet with Ray Charles is also a timeless treasure. the other clips of her singing are also important for any fan to have in their collection.
I think Barbra gets tired doing these shows, but her voice is still in top shape. The only thing that was a little 'not right' was her confession about her junk food eating habits, saying that she ate all this crap food before the show, - doesn't give a great picture of her i must say. Also my initial feeling about having the dog come out and sit with her when she sang her final number was that it's a bit much! And then the dog started running away, and she kind of went after it, and almost forgot to keep singing the next line of the song... i thought she was about to dissapear down the stairs with it!!! Anyway, i can forgive her for that. Just seemed a little strange is all.
Buy this collection. It's a wonder!!
PS It's very interesting to see the little doco about he Streisand Foundation. I was very impressed with the things she does with donating money to causes all across America. Go Babs! :-)
Movie Review: THIS WILL BE HER SHINING HOUR INDEED.....
Summary: 5 Stars
Sublime...Stunning....Sexy.....Sonorous....Superb.....SIMPLY STREISAND of course!
At 64 and still able to perform and SING like she does.....well the likes of her just do not exist anymore nor I'm afraid ever will.
She remains an original artist to her fingertips ......and all at her age and still in total control of her magnificent talents. We are blessed that she is alive & well and still in near-prime condition. The fun she appears to be having is apparent in her banter with the adoring audience, her funny expressions and dialogue with Il Divo (they are simply dreadful & thank GOD we can just skip over their musical numbers!!) and her simply stunning Don't Rain on My Parade, where she is skipping & hopping like a little girl all in her bare, stocking feet!
Yes, the VOICE is not what it was 10 years earlier, and the keys are lower, but how it has aged......smoky & deep yet still able to climax a song like no other....I'm finding more emotions in how she expresses the meaning of a lyric.....My Man.....Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair.....People.....The Way We Were......and capping it off with a most exquisite rendition of Smile, probably the most moving version since Garland's.
Yes, this concert is heavily "produced" in terms of photography/sound design, lighting, staging, etc.,.......but Barbra is the last of the classic glamorous Hollywood stars and of course she would want her (most probable) final live performance in pristine condition for posterity and the ages to view.
This woman's phenomenal body of work in every genre she's touched is astonishing and this concert is a significant and much valued addition.
Oh, did I forget to mention my personal fav? The soft & lyrical Nobody's Heart Belongs to Me where her voice is so pure & gentle...then followed directly with a SLAM! BAM! rendition of Arlen's When the Sun Comes Out where Streisand holds nothing back, belting out as only she can this number first recorded by her in 1963!!!
Beautiful Barbra......Beautiful.
Luigi ~ nyc 13th May 2009
Movie Review: Extraordinary
Summary: 5 Stars
Funny girl, funny lady, and now--funny grandma. Barbra's back, looking pleasingly plump and with a golden voice that sounds as sensual as ever. For those who lament that she can't hit or hold the high notes as she once did, all I can say is, "And how are you doing in your mid-60s?" If you want a sampling of the young Barbra, this DVD has extras from her TV shows for you to enjoy.
The amazing thing about Barbra, aside from that God-given voice of hers, is how beautifully she's aged. She's really grown into her "look," and she's far more attractive than many of yesterday's glamour girls who are now in their 60s and 70s.
The highlight for me in this elegant, gorgeously produced concert is Barbra's delivery of "Have I Stayed Too Long at the Fair?" With its special lyrics saluting her mother and father, I truly felt that she was saying goodbye to her amazing career. It was joyous and sad at the same time. There never will be another like her.
On the downside, I'm always a bit uncomfortable when Barbra shmoozes with her audience. This has been billed as the warmer, friendlier, "looser" Barbra. I don't know why but I never really believe it. And there's quite a bit of it in this concert.
But don't let that deter you from this exceptional DVD of her performance. The sound, the lighting, the set are a true pleasure. And Barbra's impeccable diction and heartfelt interpretations draw you into her songs as if each were a little play. Just watch her eyes as she sings. She really feels every word of the lyrics.
A footnote that may be of interest: The name of the actor who played George W. Bush in the much-discussed political skit appears in the credits. Thankfully, the skit is missing. Was it a last-minute decision? We'll never know but it was a wise move. Why date this extraordinary performance? For those who get off on Barbra's politics, you can hear all the gags on the bonus tracks.