Johnny Simmons

I know, I KNOW! More from Titanic and it’s not even a real moment – yes, but I’m right there cheering on. Well in my mind.

There really are so many moments when I’ve felt that vicarious thrill when cinematic characters finally get their acts together. As much as I love Anne Baxter in All About Eve I can’t resist cheering George Sanders on as his Addison DeWitt has way with her (hitting a woman is wrong, but not when she’s Eve Harrington).

Or how about Kate’s Christina Drayton telling off her racist worker? "Don’t speak just…go!"I find myself ecstatic when Ethan's degenerate of sorts manages to make his getaway at the end of Gattaca or I’ll pretend I’m part of the audience when Will & Viola complete their performance of Romeo & Juliet in Shakespeare in Love. The thing is nothing gets more cheers than brilliant ends and performances…so naturally an ending that IS a performance gets double the cheers. And when it’s Baaaaaaaaaaaaarba? Who can resist?

Yes, that gets a big whoopee from me….and so the MEME ends. Sigh. 

Congrats to Ryan and Jess who MEMED with me, Ruth for weighing in now and then and Ripley, Mike and Anna for doing it all at once. Thank you and goodnight.

 suppose that really this is one desperate song...in a way, but who wouldn't like to be serenaded like that?. But then, Funny Girl is so very lovely and it is Baaaaaaaaaabra. So, enjoy.

I remarked a few months ago that I’m a fan of the 1968 musical Funny Girl. Sure the plot gets a little plodding at times, but Barbra Streisand is a delight in it. The thing is, Omar Sharif’s performance is often forgotten – understandably, I suppose, but still. A scene I often think of in Funny Girl is not one that people turn to immediately when they remember it, but in its way it’s a beautiful piece. Fanny is now getting close to Nick and she’s invited to his home. Fanny is still an impressionable young girl, and Nick is a man of the world. She doesn’t even realise that he plans on seducing her until he actually starts singing.

He begins -

Streisand is a comedian at heart, even though her dramatic turns are good it’s the comedy she always plays with such alacrity. I just love the expression on her face her, it’s exaggerated (as much is throughout this scene) and it works because that’s who Fanny is.

We don’t usually see Sharif like this, but the role is tailor made for him, he just has to look good and make us believe that Streisand’s Fanny would be enticed by him. It’s no tough job for him, but that doesn’t make it any shoddier.

You can almost see Fanny breathing, as she gets tense under his touch. Fanny is such a inexperienced girl and Streisand’s plays it impeccably. For example, I love how she’s so on edge she downs the glass of champagne in one go.

It’s only adding to the comedy, and what’s more Sharif is still cool as cucumber, his Nick isn’t fazed a bit.

It does make us wonder how dangerous he could be, but Fanny’s obviously caught in his web.

As we watch her face (Streisand is so emotive) we can see her defences wearing down more and more. It leads to the first attempt at the kiss.

In her own way, Fanny’s trying to fend him off for the sake of chastity, we can presume. Lucky for her, the seduction is interrupted by the butler.

This leads to Fanny’s own monologue (which is played over while she thinks). It’s a nice moment, but not only for Streisand’s singing (truthfully, the song is lovely but it doesn’t show her range), but it’s still nice seeing her face as she has that emotional tug-of-war. And William Wyler, never one to shirk on cinematic idiosyncrasies gives us moments like this –

And this…

It’s more than the just the slight humour in Fanny mimicking the statues though, the art direction and costume design are just lush her and what better way to show them off?

      

Of course the butler can only stay for so long, and eventually the lights are dimmed – we know what’s coming next…

It’s a moment that’s both romantic and funny, and it works both ways. Sharif is still being exceptionally seductive, but Fanny spends the time giggling as if he’s tickling her funny bone.

But she’s liking it…

And then of course, the kiss – lovely.

But of course, it doesn’t end there…

But she won’t stop him…the lights go down and the camera pans out…

…as they kiss.

         

Funny Girl is a delight...and so is this scene.