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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1Audience Rating: NR (Not Rated) Binding: DVD EAN: 0603497042920 Format: Box set, Black & White, Color, Dolby, DVD-Video, Original recording remastered, NTSC Label: Rhino Records Languages: Manufacturer: Rhino Records MPN: RHID970429D Number Of Discs: 5 Number Of Items: 5 Publisher: Rhino Records Region Code: 1 Release Date: November 22, 2005 Running Time: 278 minutes Studio: Rhino Records Theatrical Release Date: April 28, 1965 Editorial Review: 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 Average Rating:
 Rating:  - The Streisand Specials! 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 ... Read More Rating: - Quite A Talent-- Even Then.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 ... Read More Rating: - Classic Specials 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 ... Read More Rating: - da bomb!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. Rating:  - A pretty good collectionIn 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 ... Read More |
