Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Streisand Sucks - On a Clear Day You Can See Forever

From John Simon's Review:

"What is it about America that takes a repellent, egomanical female impersonator, whose only ostensible gift is belting or shrilling out songs, but whose real one is making love to herself on stage, screen, and TV - so readily to its collective bosom?

I believe it is a collective inferiority complex...Outrageous is confused with courageous, vulgarity becomes the incarnation of people's dreams, and shamelessness the overcoming of our natural national timidity.

After the movie, I went back and listened to Barbara Harris's rendition of the songs in the original Broadway cast album. Suddenly, there was a feeling for the words, and a sensitivity to the character singing them and no attempt to shatter icebergs, break glasses, or pierce eardrums. What is missing in Streisand isn't just "a" but everything from 'b" to 'Z" l

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