The Barbra Streisand Collection (The Mirror Has Two Faces / The Prince of Tides / The Way We Were)

Average customer rating:

the best of the best

Definitive Trilogy of Streisand's Three Romantic Wallows

The Barbra Streisand Collection

A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT OF A TRIPLE DVD SET!!!

Good value for money

The Barbra Streisand Collection (The Mirror Has Two Faces / The Prince of Tides / The Way We Were)
Starring: Barbra Streisand
Manufacturer: Sony Pictures
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

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Barbra Streisand Collection (What's Up, Doc?/The Main Event/Up the Sandbox/Nuts)

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ASIN: B0006SGYM4
Release Date: 2005-02-08

Customer Reviews:

the best of the best.......2007-05-13

I loved this movie package...I am a big fan of Barbra Streisand and love getting this 3 movie package. "Prince of Tides" is my favorite movie of all time....I also loved the price.....I have been collecting all of her music and movies.....

Definitive Trilogy of Streisand's Three Romantic Wallows.......2006-10-17

This collection of three epochal films from Barbra Streisand's film career all share the swooning romanticism that has become her cinematic trademark as both actress and filmmaker. All succeed in satisfying her fans even if there are undeniable lapses that may try the patience of other viewers.

The earliest is 1973's "The Way We Were", which has becomes an emotional touchstone for a generation who saw it as the ultimate opposites-attract romance. Director Sydney Pollack does an exceptional job in delineating the somewhat preposterous love story, and he guides Streisand to one of her most subtle and touching performances. Veteran screenwriter Arthur Laurents wrote a strong, multi-dimensional character for her in Katie Morosky. It's quite a journey from young Communist college radical in the late thirties to glamorous Hollywood wife in the early fifties, but Streisand seems fully committed in conveying her character's idealism and blind idolatry. Matching her every step of the way is Robert Redford, who was then at the peak of his matinee idol popularity as well. He smartly underplays the lionized Hubbell Gardiner, fleshing out a character that could have remained a cipher but instead seems to understand his own limitations. It's interesting how all the other characters fade completely in the background as a result of the mega-wattage generated by the star coupling.

In essence, the movie consists of three distinct parts: the college years when they first make impressions on each other, the WWII years when they meet again and start an unlikely romance, and the Hollywood years when they are married and get mired in the studio system. The first two parts are excellent and filled with memorable moments. When the story moves to Hollywood, the movie gets a bit more problematic. The star-crossed couple is challenged by the revelation to Hubbell's studio that Katie was a former Communist, which in turn makes Hubbell, now a rising screenwriter, a target for blacklisting. What should have been the most interesting part of the film becomes muddled as to what exactly is happening to cause their inevitable break-up. Ironically though, the film's most powerful scene is in this section, the train station confrontation between Katie and Hubbell over people and their principles.

But bottom line, there is no narrative connection between the Hollywood blacklist and their separation, which just seems odd given the build-up of the story to that point. I am not certain whether reinstating several crucial scenes (cut at the last minute by Pollack) would have helped after seeing some of them in the extensive and insightful documentary included as part of the DVD package, "The Way We Were: A Look Back". I have to agree with Pollack (and disagree with Streisand) that the deleted scenes don't really fit in with the pacing and emotionalism during this part of the movie even though they do provide added context. Of course the coda outside the Plaza Hotel is still classic, mainly due to the brevity of dialogue, the swooning Marvin Hamlisch music and the tear-jerking stares and gestures.

The second film is 1991's "The Prince of Tides". In only her second directorial effort (after "Yentl"), Streisand proves to be a masterful storyteller with an almost exaggerated romantic sensibility and an unfettered preoccupation with psychoanalysis. She obviously found the perfect vehicle in Pat Conroy's epic novel about Tom Wingo, a Southerner whose failing marriage and career reflect a deep suppression of an abusive childhood, the memories of which are triggered by his twin sister's suicide attempt. That the story revolves around a man's personal crisis versus a woman's may strike some as odd given Streisand's particularly female perspective, but she actually makes Tom's complex personal journey resonate with greater sensitivity as a result. In fact, the emotionalism Streisand invests in her musical performances is very much in evidence here, and her lush, almost Baroque style fits the contours of this soap opera very well.

The movie is helped immeasurably by a galvanizing performance from Nick Nolte, who captures all the layers of pride, regret, anger, sadness and humiliation in his character. He propels the storyline with the unbridled passion of an actor sinking his teeth into a juicy part as only a female director could define it. In fact, Streisand steps back to play the subordinate role of Dr. Susan Lowenstein, the pricey New York psychiatrist treating Tom's sister, Savannah. It is probably her most subtle work onscreen even with the touches of excess that often detract from her performances. She also hands out plum parts to both the wonderful Kate Nelligan, who gets to age convincingly as Tom's upwardly driven mother with a dark secret, and Blythe Danner, dependably effective as Tom's conflicted wife. Both especially excel in their revelatory conversations with Tom, the dialogue insightful without delving too much into psychobabble. Credit should be given to Conroy and Betsy Johnston, who wrote the superb screenplay.

The movie is not without flaws. First, after a powerfully cathartic scene that feels like the movie's climax, the story shifts to an inevitable affair between Tom and Lowenstein and a flagrant detour into Lowenstein's own catharsis, which brings up valid questions about her character's professionalism in even having an intimate relationship with a patient. This part of the story is Streisand at her most self-indulgent as both director and actor, as we follow these two smitten people on gauzy romantic walks and sweaty lovemaking by candlelight. Regardless, it's an impressive accomplishment to translate Conroy's lengthy, often florid narrative into a cohesive movie that retains the major themes of its source material, and Streisand has done a splendid job in pulling it all together.

The last movie is the weakest of the trio, 1996's "The Mirror Has Two Faces", still her last starring vehicle. While she shows a sure hand in maneuvering the inevitable shenanigans of a romantic comedy, the multi-hyphenated legend lets her intractable need to convey serious-minded, self-esteem-oriented messages weigh this 1996 movie down considerably. At an epic length of 130 minutes, the story, adapted by Richard LaGravenese from a forgotten 1958 French film, is quite slight as it focuses on Rose Morgan, a wildly popular Columbia literature professor but also a fortyish, baseball-obsessed frump long in the shadow of her beautiful sister Claire and glamorous mother Hannah. Her lot in life seems crystallized at Claire's wedding when she weds Rose's longtime crush Alex. Meantime, Columbia mathematics professor Gregory Larkin tires of bedding beautiful women who rile him toward irrational acts and wants to find a homely woman with whom he can have a platonic, intellectually-focused friendship and eventually a chaste marriage. Greg places a personals ad to which Claire responds unbeknownst to Rose. The budding relationship between Rose and Greg turns on the inevitable moment when Rose seeks intimacy from a disinterested Greg. This leads to a physical transformation and a message-driven finale.

As Rose, Streisand is quite good and sympathetic most of the way, even if she never looks terribly frumpy and overdoes her character's magnetic speaking skills in the lecture hall. Like the yearning Barbra of long ago, she achieves a palpable sadness when she feels humiliated on her wedding night. However, once Rose transforms herself, Streisand's ego takes over as her blonde highlights and aerobicized body bring back the execrable, soft-focus treatment from the lovemaking scenes in "The Prince of Tides". Looking more like his uni-browed brother and father as he grows older, Jeff Bridges plays Greg as a befuddling stereotype who grows more unrealistic as the story evolves. At the time of release, Lauren Bacall received all sorts of kudos as Hannah, though it is a relatively superficial performance in a showy role except for a wonderfully brave, make-up-free scene where Hannah admits to Rose how she valued her beauty while it lasted. Mimi Rogers provides sharp bite as Claire, while Pierce Brosnan lends the necessary smarminess to the shallow Alex and George Segal (Streisand's one-time co-star in "The Owl and the Pussycat") is relegated to a dispensable best-pal role.

This is a worthy collection for any Streisand fan.

The Barbra Streisand Collection.......2006-02-25

The dvd's were great-highly recommend this if you are a Barbra Streisand fan.

A DOUBLE KNOCKOUT OF A TRIPLE DVD SET!!!.......2005-10-31

I OWN THE BOX SET OF THESE MOVIES BECAUSE I AM A HUGE FAN OF MS. STREISAND'S.

EVEN THOUGH I'M GIVING THE SET 5-STARS, I REALLY DIDN'T ENJOY "THE MIRROR HAS TWO FACES". I FELT THAT STREISAND MISCAST BRIDGES IN THE ROLE OPPOSITE HER. I ALSO FELT THAT THE PLOT DIDN'T HOLD UP.

"THE PRINCE OF TIDES" IS ONE OF MY ALL-TIME FAVORITE MOVIES. IT PACKS AN EMOTIONAL WALLOP. THE ACTING WAS TOP-NOTCH AND I WAS RIVETED TO MY SEAT. STREISAND'S DIRECTION WAS RIGHT ON TARGET; AND REALLY GRASPED THE AUTHOR'S CONVEYANCE OF THE SUBJECT. I WAS VERY MOVED BY THE PERFORMANCES AND THE MOVIE. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND IT.

"THE WAY WE WERE" IS A REAL CLASSIC TEAR-JERKER. I'VE SEEN THIS FILM AT LEASE 20 TIMES AND I GET EMOTIONAL EVERYTIME THE 'PLAZA SCENE' PLAYS. THE COUPLING OF STREISAND AND REDFORD IS A "MATCH MADE IN HEAVEN" EVEN THOUGH THEY ARE DIAMETRICALLY OPPOSED IN SO MANY OF THEIR BELIEFS. THE BACKDROP OF THE POLITICALLY-CHARGED MCCARTHY ERA KEEPS IT INTERESTING. BUT TO WATCH THEIR INTERACTION IS VERY SEDUCTIVE--EMOTIONALLY AND PHYSICALLY. PLEASE CHECK THIS ONE OUT TOO.

Good value for money .......2005-09-08

Three different Streisand movies about love in one package: sounds like great value and it is, to some extent. If what you're looking for is the movies, then this is great value. This package lacks the extras that we associate with dvds - and this is the major flaw in this collection.

The Way We Were - long and at times plodding but characteristic of the romance movies of the 70s; the killer is the final 15 minutes of the film - makes the whole journey almost worthwhile.

The Prince of Tides - scrumptuous cinematography; the most 'arty' of Streisand's directorial efforts. Nick Nolte should've won an oscar for his layered and sensitive playing of Tom Wingo.

The Mirror Has Two Faces - competent romantic comedy. The gem in the film is Lauren Bacall.

Perhaps the package would've made more sense if it included all three of Streisand's directorial efforts so we can witness her range and growth as a director?

The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, Vol. 2: The Greatest Entertainers

Average customer rating:

Great gift for Parents!
Made for the MTV crowd
The really really big sheww
Just a question on comedian Zoots Reed
An excellent collection of wonderful performances

The Very Best of the Ed Sullivan Show, Vol. 2: The Greatest Entertainers
Starring: Jackie Mason , Duke Ellington , Elvis Presley , Judy Garland , and Flip Wilson
Manufacturer: Sofa
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

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DVDs Under $7.49 | Today's Deals in DVD | Special Features | DVD | Video

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ASIN: B0000CC83H
Release Date: 2004-01-06

Customer Reviews:

Great gift for Parents!.......2007-02-19

My parents who grew up watching Ed Sullivan loved this as a Christmas gift!

Made for the MTV crowd.......2007-02-13

I suspect the five-star reviews of this DVD were written by spammers working for the company that sells it.

These compendium DVDs are routinely made by stupid jackasses who figure our attention span is only 10 seconds (the MTVers) so there's no point in showing an entire performance. What we get here is Carol Burnett talking about Ed Sullivan and occasionally throwing out little snippets of the acts. We get only a few seconds of the comedians and novelty acts, though they sometimes provide a whole song, other times a fraction of the song. This format is so annoying I didn't much like the DVD.

The really really big sheww.......2006-06-12

Watching Ed Sullivan on Sunday night was an American tradition. He came out with his squinchy little body and his upraised hands and told us all that it was going to be a 'really big really big sheww' . 'Let's hear it for Curtis Le May from SAC. He 's going to bomb the Commies into Smithereens' Down there in the front row say a big hello to one of the great champeens of all time. Let's hear it for Jack Dempsey'
Ed would begin that way introducing the celebrities and warming us for Toppo Gigio the Little Italian Mouse or for , a young man from Memphis , Tennessee ( Ed could hardly hide the distaste as he pronounced the words ) Elvis Presley. "
The video contains records of some of the highlight performances, and also an interview with Ed and his wife Sylvia.
Highlights are wonderful, but my sense is that putting together a package in which the complete shows as they came on at the time would give a dimension no excerpts can.

Just a question on comedian Zoots Reed.......2005-12-26

I was looking for the show which had Zoots Reed on it?Thanks,Teddy

An excellent collection of wonderful performances.......2005-02-11

The best thing about this DVD is that the performances shown appear in their entirety - not as excerpts! So many documentary collections just give you a portion of a performance. Also, the quality of the old films, especially the ones in color, is remarkable.

Barbra Streisand Collection (What's Up, Doc?/The Main Event/Up the Sandbox/Nuts)

Average customer rating:

Barbra Streisand's best comedy, "What's Up Doc."
Terrific Set
One great movie
Wonderful Set
Streisand DVD Set

Barbra Streisand Collection (What's Up, Doc?/The Main Event/Up the Sandbox/Nuts)
Starring: Barbra Streisand , Ryan O'Neal , Paul Sand , Whitman Mayo , and Patti D'Arbanville
Director: Howard Zieff , Irvin Kershner , and Peter Bogdanovich
Manufacturer: Warner Home Video
ProductGroup: DVD
Binding: DVD

General | Comedy | Genres | DVD | Video

Comedy | Boxed Sets | Stores | DVD | Video

( B ) | Titles | Features | DVD | Video
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ASIN: B00006FDCI
Release Date: 2003-07-01

Amazon.com

What's Up, Doc? (1972)
Director Peter Bogdanovich (The Last Picture Show) tipped his hat to the classic screwball comedies of the 1930s, and especially the most glorious of them all, Howard Hawks' Bringing Up Baby. Barbra Streisand plays a charming flake who distracts a self-absorbed musicologist (Ryan O'Neal). He's engaged to be married, but soon Streisand's character has him chasing after stolen jewelry and getting into one madcap fix after another. Bogdanovich, who is also a film critic, understands the engine of the screwball genre, and his loving revival of the form brings a smile, though it is not quite consistently inspired or funny. There are plenty of great moments, however, including a slap at O'Neal's own star-making vehicle, Love Story. --Tom Keogh

Up the Sandbox (1972)
Although not as successful as What's Up, Doc? or The Way We Were, Up the Sandbox springs from the early 1970s, when Barbra Streisand's career was in full stride. Streisand stars as Margaret, a stay-at-home mom in the middle of New York who's feeling the strain of her narrow life. Frustrated by her self-involved husband and the emotionally rewarding but mentally unstimulating tasks of motherhood, she escapes into fantasies--such as being hit on by a cross-gendered Fidel Castro, bombing the Statue of Liberty with black militants, and having a furious catfight with her overbearing mother. The movie's strength lies in these fantasies' slippery nature; some are over the top, but others are so subtle you're not always sure where they start and stop, making the portrait of Margaret's psyche intriguingly complex. Streisand fans should check out this sleeper. --Bret Fetzer

The Main Event (1979)
Comedic misfire from the mid-1970s in a futile attempt to bottle the same lightning that struck when Barbra Streisand teamed with Ryan O'Neal in What's Up, Doc? Here, Streisand plays a spoiled rich girl, the head of a bankrupt cosmetics company, who discovers she's lost everything--except her ownership of the contract of a washed-up boxer (O'Neal, known for his combative nature offscreen). So she tries to rally this dispirited pug into a comeback that will earn the kinds of purses that will put her back on her feet. Naturally, in the process romantic sparks are kindled. But despite a loud and energetic performance by Streisand, this Howard Zieff comedy doesn't add up to much. --Marshall Fine

Nuts (1987)
Barbra Streisand is a mad high-priced "escort" accused of murder, but whether she's mad as hell or mad as a hatter is the question in this courtroom drama, adapted from the play by Tom Topor. While her doting, willfully uncomprehending mother (Maureen Stapleton) and stepdad with a secret (Karl Malden) try to have her judged incompetent and sent to an asylum, she fights for her day in court with the help of a hapless legal aid attorney (a refreshingly understated Richard Dreyfuss). James Whitmore presides over the hearing with a compassion and sense of justice that gives one faith in a system and la Streisand (who developed and produced the project) sinks her teeth into the tempestuous role like a starving actress. The plot holds few surprised, but the drama lies in the characters and veteran director Martin Ritt (Hud) brings out the best in a top-flight cast. --Sean Axmaker

Customer Reviews:

Barbra Streisand's best comedy, "What's Up Doc.".......2006-03-18

Outstanding! This is one of the best comedies that I have seen. (I saw it in the theatre when it first came out.)

Terrific Set .......2005-05-13

In this whole boxset when i first got it i had only seen "Nuts" the most underrated Streisand film it has the quality OF A GREAT PERFORMANCE , The performance was superb this movie should have at least been nominated for an Acadamy Award for best actress The Supporting cast was also Great."Up The Sandbox" is another great movie it shows great things that Margret ( Streisand) went through its one of my favorite streisand films.The Main Event was good at some parts but not the greatest streisand film.Whats Up Doc is defenitly a great screwball comody. This movie really had some great and memorable moments. So if you like Barbra or any of these films its a good boxset to buy.

One great movie.......2004-11-24

'What's Up Doc?' is a five-star movie, no doubt about that. Streisand's best role probably, and a film that's so well made it will be watched for years to come. It's so good, people tend to learn half the script to quote in everyday life. But we knew that was good.
I wanted to have that on DVD, and thought I may as well, considering the price, have three other movies as a bonus.
The best of the rest is 'Nuts', and Barbra gives a truly compelling performance alongside an excellent Dreyfuss. It's a good pairing. The script is good, and the movie, whilst not exactly ground breaking, is pretty good.
'Up the Sandbox' is a curiosity, but not entirely a success. What I do like is Barbra's rather ordinary character Margaret, which she plays with understatement and compassion. What I don't like is when her fantasies are extended into fifteen minute epics, one like a very poor James Bond episode, and one tedious African jungle adventure. The director used poor judgement here. Still, it's an interesting period piece, and I love the bit when Barbra shoves her mother's head into her birthday cake...
'The Main Event' is dreadful. It's the clunker of the four. Our Barbra, sporting a hideous hairdo of tight red curls, plays a woman who coaches a boxer who dropped out after an earlier incident, and there are scenes of boxing, training, and guess what happens at the end? It's impossible to make it sound interesting. The plot is tedious, the script awful and the actors desperate-seeming. The only good thing about this DVD is that it props up the other ones in the box set.
But hey, you're still getting 'What's Up Doc?' so who's complaining?
The bonus is that there are good extra features on the DVDs: commentary by Barbra herself, then the director, and one or two ther bits and pieces, like a mini-documentary from US TV about the making of 'Up the Sandbox'. The commentary is from 2003, so it's nicely up to date and offers an interesting view of the past by actors and directors.

Wonderful Set.......2003-08-21

Every movie here is great, and very differnt from one another! Barbras Warner Years were very eclectic, Sandbox seems to get better with age, The Main Event has always been funny and entertaining, Nuts is drama at its best and then theres the gem of them all Whats Up Doc, Barbra is hysterical, Madeline Cahn is Hysterical, The whole Movie is one great laugh, a ride you want to go on time and time again!!!

Streisand DVD Set.......2003-07-21

It's really unfortunate that the first review posted on this site regarding this DVD set is by someone who is rude and disgusting. I don't ever want to read about someone deficating. Ok you didn't like it, but do you have to be so sick and cruel on top of it? Streisand is far from washed up. LOL

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