Barbra Streisand Tribute

Streisand received Lifetime Achievement Award at the SAG

This evening VIFF, (the Greater Vancouver International Film Festival Society) had a tribute to Barbra Streisand running over 150 minutes long! It was a bit on the long side, but still enjoyable.

Classic film scholar Michael van den Bos showed off his knowledge and love of Babs by presenting a few clips of Streisand's musical and movie career that has stretched 60 years.

Streisand singing with Judy Garland

She was just honoured with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Screen Actors Guild Awards and definitely well deserved.

Van den Bos described Streisand's childhood as tragic -- her father died when she was 15 months old and so she has no recollection of him at all. Her mother was a trained soprano but never put the talent to use. Because of her husband's death, Streisand's mother struggled financially and they lived in poverty, and Streisand felt she didn't get much attention.

Her mother later remarried, and Streisand's step-father was not nice to her. She was determined from a young age that she would do things her way. While her goal was to become an actress, it was her voice as a singer that made her famous. So she would "act" as she sang.

We saw a clip of her singing with Judy Garland, as if the latter passing on the metaphorical torch to Streisand, and of her singing in roles like Funny Girl, Hello Dolly and On a Clear Day You Can See Forever.

Omar Sharif with Streisand in Funny Girl

The funniest clips were from What's Up Doc? as Streisand flirted with Ryan O'Neal playing an academic musicologist.

Other clips were of her with Robert Redford in The Way We Were, and with Kris Kristofferson in A Star is Born.

Van den Bos noted Streisand's directing talent, particularly with Yentl, showing an amazing clip of her singing Papa Can You Hear Me?, and also Prince of Tides with Nick Nolte.

However, van den Bos skipped over the other more recent films Streisand has made, like Meet the Fockers with Ben Stiller, Dustin Hoffman, Robert DeNiro and Blythe Danner, and Guilt Trip with Seth Rogen.

Singing her heart out in Yentl, which she directed

To end the tribute, van den Bos chose Funny Girl, with Streisand singing Don't Rain On My Parade, an apt finish about doing things her way.

I learned more about Streisand and more importantly how her voice is just, well, like buttah.