Customer Reviews

Inside The Actors Studio: Barbra Streisand

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(2)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

I will state the obvious and say your enjoyment of this DVD will depend entirely on how much admiration you have for Barbra Streisand, an inarguable legend, a multi-hyphenated megatalent and a most polarizing figure among the general public. James Lipton has been conducting these substantive, non-controversial interviews for over a dozen years and consistently infiltrates each show with the sometimes mind-numbing depth of research he gathers in preparation, i.e., his voluminous stack of blue index cards. His approach to interviewing Streisand in 2003 is no different, and in response, after a tentative beginning, she is forthcoming in her particularly idiosyncratic manner - sometimes erudite, sometimes abrupt, and sometimes snappily funny. In other words, a pure, unfettered Streisand is presented here, and at 61, she looks terrific.

He starts the conversation by probing her about her origins in Brooklyn and tracking her professional history chronologically through documented milestones and achievements. The difference between Lipton and other talk show hosts - in particular, Mike Wallace's infamously harsh profile on 60 Minutes in 1991 - is that he does not dwell on tabloid gossip or personal exposés but rather draws out what it took for Streisand to achieve certain noteworthy performances or accomplishments. Given the time he spends explaining the hurdles he had to overcome to get her to come on the show, Lipton seems particularly worshipful and has her discuss her singing career and politics as much as her acting and filmmaking ventures. Of course, she is subjected to the familiar Bernard Pivot questionnaire, which yields some insightful responses despite its veneer of pretense, and this is followed by a more open-ended Q&A with the drama school students. This one is truly for her fans.

This is a great interview. If you are a film student, an artist, theatre person or interested in learning about your career and how to approach it view this DVD. It will give you a great insight into the concept of passion, perseverance and tenacity in the creative field.

If your preception of Barbara Streisand is that she is some " un-reachable " Super Star..........this CD will dispell that sterotype.

Open....frank.......and quick wit occupy the interview.

You'll be suprised to find out, when asked, what Barbara's favorite sound is !

Wow! For major league fans, a must see, for those who are on the fence, you won't be after you see this very unguarded, relaxed, insightful, and at times intimate interview. My only beef is that the actual interview was almost 6 hours long, but only 1.4 hours made it to the DVD...what a huge shame. I am a medium BS fan, but find myself now even more in awe of her accomplishments and looking at and enjoying her work from a new perspective thanks to this interview.

Through this interview you get a good view of Barbra Streisand. She tells about her youth, her experiences with making movies, about what is important to her. How kind she is, and how much she loves food.
It's incredible if you hear how much work and trouble she goes through to make a movie or an album or do anything else to get it right. She for example read the whole bible and the talmud for making Yentl (among things).
Also I like it that Barbra gets the chance to tell things, sometimes in intervieuws she is cut of at every second sentence she tries to say, here she is allowed to speak.
If you're a fan of Barbra get it, if you're interested in movie-making, get it, if you want to know why people love Barbra, get it!

If you are a Streisand fan, this DVD is a must. It is a thoroughly enjoyable interview and Streisand is at ease. James Lipton "gets" who the real Barbra is, unlike so many other misinformed and confused interviewers and critics.

To hear in her own words about her rise to fame.....fantastic...James Lipton asked over 5 hours worth of questions...very enlightening...I would have loved to have all 5 hours but this is the televised version...Streisand was direct and seemed pretty straight forward on her answers....a Must for any fan!!!

This is a wonderful DVD to add to your barbra streisand collection,and it's way cheap..

Even though I cannot see this dvd on my dvd player because the region code is not the right one , I still wanted to see this dvd. So I ordered it and saw it on my computer. It was very fun to watch and many moments I had tears in my eyes...
Barbra was very relaxed and seemed to have a good time.
A must have for all Barbra fans!!

I watched this when it orginally aired and Tivo'd it..I HAD read Barbra had sat there for an 6 hour interview and they cut it down to ONE HOUR,,SO I was hoping that when they released the DVD they would add a lot more footage they had cut out...WRONG...:( I was so disappointed the same hour cut they used for tv...STILL.. all in all a GREAT interview to watch...