Funny Girl (VHS, 1999)

My mother dragged me to see Funny Girl as a child - so to me Streisand's performance, especially when she sings there on stage by herself - will always remain larger than life and spectacular.

The music includes Fanny Brice songs such as My Man. But the film takes liberties with the history of Brice's life. The real Nick Arnstein was not a gambler but a criminal and throughout the twenties Brice fought to keep him out of jail. The real Arnstein did not nobly plea guilty - he might have been good looking as a young man, but not a true romantic hero. He didn't mind at all when Brice picked up the tab on his legal fees.

What makes Funny Girl outstanding is not the history, but the chemistry between Streisand and Sharif - a Jewish woman and an Arab man - who had an affair in real life while filming Funny Girl.

The film was wonderfully made with beautiful wardrobes, especially for Streisand and great sets and scenery. It is breath-taking, but no less breath-taking than Streisand's singing in the film.