|
Barbra Streisand - The Television Specials | 
 enlarge
| Directors: Dwight Hemion, Joe Layton, Robert Scheerer, Roland Vance, Walter C. Miller
Actors: Barbra Streisand, Ray Charles, Martin Erlichman, Lee Allen, Susan Alpern
Studio: Rhino Records
Category: DVD
List Price: $59.98
Buy New: $41.23
You Save: $18.75 (31%)
New (25) Used (8) from $23.39
Rating:  56 reviews
Sales Rank: 22704
Format: Box Set, Black & White, Color, Dolby, Dvd-video, Original Recording Remastered, Ntsc
Languages: English (Original Language), German (Subtitled), English (Subtitled), Spanish (Subtitled), Portuguese (Subtitled), French (Subtitled)
Rating: NR (Not Rated)
Region: 1
Discs: 5
Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Number Of Discs: 5
Running Time: 278 Minutes
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1.3
Dimensions (in): 7.7 x 5.9 x 1.8
MPN: RHID970429D
UPC: 603497042920
EAN: 0603497042920
ASIN: B000B9PW7G
Theatrical Release Date: April 28, 1965
Release Date: November 22, 2005
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
Shipping: Expedited shipping available
Shipping: International shipping available
Condition: Brand new Item. CD, DVD, Book, VHS more than 400 000 titles to choose from. ALL days Low Price !
| |
| Similar Items:
|
| Editorial Reviews:
Product Description
Contains: my name is barbra color me barbra the belle of 14th street barbra streisand: a happening in central park and barbra streisand and other musical instrucments. The five spectacular dvds contained in this boxed set speak volumes about vision and integrity fearless instinct and passion. Studio: Wea-des Moines Video Release Date: 11/22/2005 Run time: 278 minutes Rating: Nr
Amazon.com
A feast for Barbra Streisand fans, The Television Specials collects five one-hour programs she recorded between 1965 and 1973 when she was known simply as a recording artist and Broadway star rather than a film director, reclusive performer, and political activist. The first is My Name Is Barbra (April 14, 1965), shot shortly after she played in Funny Girl. Shot in black and white, it's a little different from the other variety shows of the day (e.g., The Judy Garland Show) in that there's no parade of guest stars or dancing girls. That's a good thing, as those are the numbers that get dated very quickly . Instead, we have all Barbra, even if she's more comfortable singing than doing comedy monologues. The show winds its way through an Alice in Wonderland sequence which ends in a plain but magnificent rendition of "People," then has Streisand in a store's fur department. Last is a simple concert setting that includes a Funny Girl medley with "Don't Rain on My Parade" and "The Music that Makes Me Dance." The closing concert segment would become a staple, and the peak, of all her shows. Color Me Barbra followed on March 30, 1966 and is, naturally, filmed in color. The first sequence was shot at the Philadelphia Museum of Art, with Streisand wandering among the masterworks and antiquities, even singing "Where or When" dressed as Nefertiti. Next she's among a circus of animals, singing "Try to remember" to the elephant or poking fun at herself by telling the anteater "We have so much in common." Again, the final act is her just singing at a mike, with "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home" and "It Had to Be You." Making its home-video debut, The Belle of 14th Street (October 11, 1967) is something of an oddity. It's styled like a vaudeville show, with period costumes (including the audience) and old-time numbers. Jason Robards (singing and dancing!), John Bubbles, and others guest-star. Streisand plays a modest stripper for "Alice Blue Gown," plays an operatic diva for "Liebestraum," then does double duty as a boy (pre-Yentl) in the audience invited to sing a duet of "Mother Macree" with the on-stage Streisand. The last segment is Streisand singing (accompanied on stage by David Shire before he wrote shows on Broadway with Richard Maltby) such songs as "My Melancholy Baby," "I'm Always Chasing Rainbows," and a medley that includes "My Buddy" and "How About Me?" The highlight of the collection, A Happening in Central Park (September 15, 1968) is refreshingly free of gimmicks and concepts. It's just Streisand with an orchestra in front of a live New York audience. "The Nearness of You," "Cry Me a River," "I Can See It," "Second Hand Rose" (the audience enjoys singing along)," "People," and "Happy Days Are Here Again." Barbra Streisand... and Other Musical Instruments (November 2, 1973) returns to the concept-show format. Streisand takes her place among the symphony orchestra members sporting her own instrument: her voice. One medley groups a number of favorite songs but in "international" settings, such as "People" accompanied by sitar and "Don't Rain on My Parade" by bagpipe band, and Streisand changes costumes to match. Ray Charles is on hand for four songs in the second set, then Streisand returns to the orchestra to sing such songs as "On a Clear Day" and "The Sweetest Sounds." Picture quality is good, and sound is presented in original mono, 2.0 stereo, and 5.1 surround. The only bonus features are three introductions Streisand filmed for the 1987 home-video releases, but the set is beautifully packaged with a detailed booklet of liner notes, photos, and song lists. The five 50+-minute programs are ungenerously spread over five discs, however. --David Horiuchi
|
| Customer Reviews:
 The Streisand Specials! September 3, 2008
Lynn Ellingwood (Webster, NY United States)
These are great specials and lovely to watch. I saw them all in an evening marathon but won't forget them anytime soon. I'd seen My Name is Barbra and had the videotape as well as Color Me Barbra. I hadn't seen the rest and had never even heard of The Belle of 14th Street before. They are all good. My preference is for My Name is Barbra and Barbra and Other Musical Instruments but then seeing her in concert in Central Park? Not bad! She's wonderful! Even Belle which many don't like, I found very interesting. I am intrigued by vaudeville. Wonderful set. Buy it and keep it. Comes with a very nice box and booklet too.
Quite A Talent-- Even Then. July 14, 2008
Juliette Faraone (Indiana.)
Barbra Streisand: The Television Specials is one of my favorite things to watch, for many reasons. Other than the obvious, this set offers such diversity. Want blues? Check. Show tunes? Mm-hm. Patriotic? She's covered that too. Overall, this is a great product, but for those of you sometimes fans, I'll try my best to detail the highlights and...well, the rest...of this set.
The first disc contains Barbra first TV special, My Name is Barbra. It's done in black and white, which actually enhances the quality. The first segment includes the song "I'm Late," which segways into some other songs, including a terrific version of "How Does the Wine Taste." Though the pacing is slower in this first bit, it quickly gets faster with the songs "I'm Five" and "Sweet Zoo," which show Barbra as a (you guessed it) five-year-old, telling of her child's eye view of things. These two songs are great to watch, and Streisand nails the mannerisms of a kid. This segment of the show has a monologue that really showcases Barbra's type of humor, and it has her talking about her love for thrift shops, which then turns into a medley of depression-era songs, including (of course) "Secondhand Rose", "Nobody Knows You When You're Down and Out", and "Brother, Can You Spare a Dime." This part was filmed within Bergdorf-Goodman, to show a contrast between the songs and the surroundings. The third and final segment is a straight concert. Barbra sings "Lover, Come Back to Me," a song she made famous in her many nightclub performances. She then sings what the audience has obviously been waiting for: a medley of songs from Funny Girl. The show ends with "Happy Days Are Here Again" as the credits roll.
The next show in the set is Barbra's 1966 special, Color Me Barbra. This one is, as you can venture to guess, filmed in color, using The Philadelphia museum of art as the setting for segment one. Barbra starts out with "Yesterdays," a song that helps build the premise for this part. Over the next half hour, Barbra is transported into and out of the paintings she views, allowing us to hear a lovely rendition of the song "Non C'est Rien." Although those of us who do not speak French cannot understand the language, we can comprehend the emotion and range Barbra displays. Another great song from this section is "The Minute Waltz," a playful tongue twister sung to the tune of (what else?) Chopin`s minute waltz. The next segment has Barbra in a circus setting, singing a medley of animal-themed songs, including her now-famous "Have I Stayed Too Long At the Fair?" The last part is, like the first special, a sort of concert. Barbra performs several songs, one of favorites being "Anyplace I Hang My Hat is Home."
The third disc, The Belle of 14th Street, is, I'll admit, not as good as the first two. This is probably because it's more like the traditional variety show, with guest stars including Jason Robards and John Bubbles, who do little more than take up time as we wait for Barbra to return on stage. For those of you who've longed to hear Jason Robards sing...great. For everyone else, perhaps skip his solos. The highlight of this show is The third act, which contains Barbra's cover of "My Melancholy Baby", "A Good Man is Hard to Find", and "A Good Man is Hard to Find." The best song, though, is "Everybody Loves My Baby." Barbra's performance is terrific, and very, very funny.
A Happening in Central Park is, in my opinion, the highlight of this set. Filmed in 1967, it's Barbra at her best. She jokes with the audience in songs such as "A Schloon For the Gumpert," and especially in her folk monologue, which made me laugh out loud. Barbra's take on "Cry Me a River" gave me chills, as did "Natural Sounds." For those who prefer upbeat music, try "Down With Love", "Marty the Martian", or "Love is a Bore." The song "Value" (from her Bon Soir days) is played with highest humor, as is Barbra's non sequitur about Santa Claus. This concert, performed to over 135, 000 people, comes to its peak in a sing-along version of "Secondhand Rose," and concludes with "Happy Days Are Hear Again."
Barbra Streisand...and Other Instruments is also worthy of a viewing or two, especially because of the "Cryin' Time" duet with Ray Charles. Also noteworthy is the song "Piano Practicing," written by O`Kun, the same mind behind "The Minute Waltz" lyrics. The third segment of this special features a song ("Concerto for Voice and Appliances") that is....for voice and appliances. It's a bit weird seeing Barbra sing along with a blender, but it's nonetheless interesting. Finishing off this disc is "On a Clear Day (You Can See Forever)."
Altogether, The Belle of 14th Street has some questionable moments (eleven minutes of The Tempest...performed straight??), this set is definitely worth buying. There's something for everyone, and it's great to see such a talented performer in her early years.
Classic Specials April 7, 2008
Joseph Albanese (New York, New York United States)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
They just don't make them like they use to.
Well, this set proves them right. The disks from Barbra's earliest television specials show what a truly unique, limitless, talent she is.
MY NAME IS BARBRA was the first opportunity that America got to see the legend. She appeared on local shows as a guest and was wowing them on Broadway in Funny Girl (she talks about that during the show). This was the first time when all and sundry could study the phenomenon up close.
CBS was nervous when Streisand insisted on no guest stars (a staple up to that time) or chorus lines. It was a big risk and the odds were against the 24 year old from Brooklyn. And she scored and won over everyone!
With only fantastic songs to guide her, Barbra re-invented the special. Breaking it up into a three act play she sang about the wonders of being a child. Then it was off to Bergdorf's fur vault for the fabulous fashion medley and then she capped it all off with a concert.
Next year, she came out with the bookend companion piece, COLOR ME BARBRA. Act One took place in a Philadelphia art museum where Barbra Streisand's selections were inspired by the art itself. The next part was the circus act where she did everything from singing to an ant eater to waltzing with an elephant. Again, she capped it off with a no-holds-barred concert.
THE BELLE OF FOURTEENTH STREET was regarded as her first flop by the critics but do give it a try. She recreated the vaudeville routines and sang some very nice numbers (a duet with herself; talking about Irving Berlin who was the new kid on the block during that time period). This time she had back-up performers (including Jason Robards) and her voice was lovely but broadcast at the height of the love revolution and the age of Aquarius, it was considered "dated". It is hardly a flop by anyone's standards when viewed today.
A HAPPENING IN CENTRAL PARK is the edited version of a young Barbra performing in New York City during a warm, summer night. Again, it was just Barbra and wonderful music - no back up singers, no gimmicks. And she pulled it off working the crowd into a frenzy.
BARBRA STREISAND AND OTHER MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS is a curio. She will try anything and her experimenting is always unique if not totally on point. Singing classics altered to the native rhythms of various countries produced a strange effect. Singing along with electrical appliance is also odd (to put it politely) but no one can say Barbra isn't game. However, her duet with Ray Charles is a classic.
All in all this collection is a must for all Barbra and/or music lovers.
da bomb! January 14, 2008
J. Kallen (Greenville, SC USA)
1 out of 2 found this review helpful
Years ago, I spent $125 on ebay to buy a pirated copy of an old scratchy VHS version of "The Belle of 14th Street." Now on DVD, wow!!! These are a must-have for any Barbra fan.
 A pretty good collection December 9, 2007
R. Graff (South Windsor, CT United States)
In the beginning of her career, Barbra Streisand used television as a way to get her talent out to the masses, and gave us some of the greatest television specials made. When she did this, t.v. was still a fairly new phenomenon (similarly to online), and people were just starting to accept it as a part of life. And with many of these specials, she gave everyone a breath of fresh air.
The first special, My Name Is Barbra, is probably her best. It starts off with her running around, singing "I'm Late," and while trying to get to where she wants to go, opening doors and/or going into other directions to sing songs and perform. It is especially amusing to watch her in pig-tails and a kid costume pretending to be five years old. The second part is Barbra Streisand at Bergdorf's in New York, wearing fur coats and fancy clothes to an ironic medley of poverty songs, such as "Second Hand Rose" and "I've Got Plenty of Nothing." It is a very funny, and entertaining number, with Barbra actually showing that she can dance too. The final act is just Barbra coming out, and singing a few songs, and she does it wonderfully. This was a very bold move in its day, since Barbra Streisand had no stars as special guests, and only occasionally did she acknowledge the audience. Even so, this special is flawless from beginning to end; from its stunning black and white photography, to Barbra's graceful movements. It gets an A.
Color Me Barbra, released a year later, is very similar to the first special in format, but this time, the big thing is that it is in color. We start with Barbra Streisand running through an art museum in Philadelphia, and as Barbra sings some great songs (some on here which I think are better than on the last), we see here as different pieces of art. It works very well. The second act is her singing a medley of face songs to a bunch of animals at a circus. Her reacting to seemingly unpredictable behaviour from the elephant is the best part. It's the most entertaining act in the show. Finally, the show acts with Barbra performing a few songs. This is a fantastic special as well, but does feel like a bit of a rehash at times. Since color t.v. is not much of a novelty to people anymore, maybe that's why sometimes this special doesn't wow as much. But still, this is far from a bad special, and I give it an A-
The Belle of 14th Street, I'm afraid, will not receive the same praise. The idea was to recreate a vaudeville performance from the 1920s, all the way down to the audience. I don't think any performer could have done much with it, since the songs here are mediocre, and most of the attempts at humour fall flat. And some scenes, most notably Barbra Streisand duetting with a boy in the audience (played by Barbra Streisand!) come across as just too weird.In fact, it doesn't seem like there are any jokes here most of the time. While the beginning image of Barbra dancing to her rendition of "I Don't Care" makes this seem like it will be a worthwhile show, our expectations are killed. In short, I think vaudeville just doesn't translate well for today's audiences, so most performers (Barbra Streisand especially) would have trouble pulling it off. The special, in the end, is too silly to take seriously, and too dull to be funny, so this ends up not catering to any audience. It gets a D
The fourth special, A Happening in Central Park, is just like it sounds. It is Barbra Streisand coming out, performing a concert to a large crowd in Central Park. This may take a couple of looks to really enjoy, since it is a very simple show. She comes out and sings, and that's all you can really say. It is interesting, though, to watch Barbra being a little more animated and free-spirited here, compared to how she would be in later years. She even lets the audience sing her part in "Second Hand Rose" at the end. To be honest, though, if you have the CD, and listen to it, you'll get the same experience. B-
Finally, we have Barbra Streisand and Other Instruments. This was Barbra's last special before her music and movies began to take her career into a different direction. The CD, needless to say, is arguably her worst, but this special is very good and brave. It is about different kinds of music, and the entire stage is set up like an orchestra. The first act shows Barbra Streisand singing most of her songs to music from different cultures, such as Native American, Mexican, and Middle Eastern. This is very fascinating to watch, especially since Barbra rarely experiments with her standards anymore. The second act is most notable for her collaboration with Ray Charles, which works out very well. Their voices sound good together, and they both look like they are having a lot of fun. The last act is okay, but here the idea starts to wear out its welcome. She sings some good renditions of "I Never Has Seen Snow" and "The Sweetest Sounds," but she also tries to stretch the music thing too far, with her accompaniment being household appliances, such as orange juicers, blenders, sewing machines, etc. It just doesn't work. Overall, though, this is a decent special. Not the best way to end her television special career (which it was for many years after that), but an entertaining one nonetheless. B+
Belle of 14th Street aside, these are all must see specials created by Barbra Streisand herself, and really entertain. You will have fun watching them. All fans will want this immediately.
|
|
|
Used CDs | |
