The Movie Album

Barbra Streisand | Format: Audio CD

Product Details

• Audio CD (October 14, 2003)
• Original Release Date: October 14, 2003
• Number of Discs: 1
• Label: Sony
• ASIN: B0000C1YZI
• In-Print Editions: MP3 Download
• Average Customer Review: 3.9 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (198 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,588 in Music (See Top 100 in Music)
  • #20 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Classic Vocalists
  • #27 in Music > Pop > Vocal Pop > Classic
  • #48 in Music > Broadway & Vocalists > Traditional Vocal Pop

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com

It's a given that Barbra Streisand loves being a movie star. But this collection of pop songs culled from 60+ years of Hollywood history displays a love and understanding of movie songcraft whose depth is surprising, even coming from the legendary diva. Few are likely even familiar with Andre Previn's evocative main theme for The Four Horseman of the Apocalypse; fewer still would cajole veteran songwriters Alan and Marilyn Bergman to give it lyrics, then make it their wedding song, but that's the unlikely genesis of "More in Love With You" here. If its overwrought classicism represents Streisand at her most cryptically opaque, her playful recasting of the chestnut "I'm in the Mood For Love" as jazzy bossa-nova showcases the low-key sense of adventure she brings to many of the performances here. Her veteran dramatic sense effortlessly drives Chaplin's "Smile" beyond schmaltz and elevates Inside Daisy Clover's "You're Gonna Hear From Me" to nothing less than theatrical showstopper. But it's in the album's smaller, more unexpected surprises (an exotica-tinged "Wild is the Wind," the slinky, electro production of Bagdad Café's "Calling You," "Moon River"'s faithful evocation of Hepburn strumming her guitar in the film) that it reveals its true heart and soul--and that of Barbra Streisand, unabashed Hollywood movie lover. --Jerry McCulley

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

19 of 21 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars May be the best pieces of music I have ever heard, April 4, 2006

By 

Amir "Amiro" (Beirut, Lebanon) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Movie Album (Audio CD)

Now I know that this album in particular has had really mixed reviews, and I know I may not be completely trusted in giving it five stars amidst many hideous reviews. However, I do believe music is subjectively reviewed, and my opinion may differ from others, so here it is.
This album, is undoubtedly one of my top five Barbra albums ever, if not my favorite, and it may possibly be the best pieces of music ever to reach my ears, heart and soul. I love almost every single song on the album, I love the song choice, the delivery, the orchestration and arrangement, mainly everything.
First things first. Let's settle this issue. Has Barbra lost her voice? Is it deteriorating, and will her next album be croaking? Well, Guilty Pleasures is out, and we all got the answer. But frankly, we didn't need Guilty Pleasures for the answer. Barbra's voice is a little different from previous albums, it's a bit deeper, and the album is in a low kew. However, Barbra's voice is the farthest it can get from deterioration. Its deeper and broader (and sometimes a bit huskier) quality give it a velvety feel which is just sublime. Her voice is still unbelievably beautiful, and in no way worse than any other albums. It is at some of the most emotional it's ever been, and obviously so since the song choice is greatly personal.
There, since we've settled that issue, we go on to the songs.

1. Smile: Before I begin, I am biased when I review this song, it being my favorite song of all time. So, if you want something completely objective, move on to track 2. This song is flawless! Wow! What orchestration, what delivery, what emotion! The violin solo is breathtaking, and the final note with the slight huskiness at its beginning makes me want to weep. I adore this piece, a great opener.
2. Moon River: I never enjoyed the Sinatra cover, but I loved this. Something in Barbra's voice makes this song amazingly romantic. Truly a beautiful number, what an orchestration!(Note: I do prefer this version over that in Just For the Record.)
3. I'm in the Mood For Love: Barbra at 61 can sound a million times sexier (in a beautiful way) than all these young girls singing today put together. This song is so beautifully done, so melodically perfected (even better than that of The Concert) that you feel so romantic you want to fall in love while listening to it.
4. Wild is the Wind: WOW! What a performance, what a song! I have never heard Barbra so emotionally captivated in a melody and lyric(what a lyric), and she becomes an instrument of her own. On a more technical note, watch for the beautiful 22 second final note.
5. Emily: Barbra may be the only singer alive who can make you visualize exactly what she's saying. The way she says Emily in this beautifully caressing way makes you wonder how it was ever meant for a man to sing. This song is one of my favorites, and the way it musically flows is just right. Also, can you think of anyone else who can pronounce the word "visualise" better than Barbra? What a performance.
6. More in Love With You: O.K. This song does take a few listens to understand and comprehend because of its complex arrangement. It takes time to fully get it, but I think it's very beautiful. The violin solo is heavenly. And what an interpretation! I do have one complaint, though. When Barbra's singing the high notes at the end, the music's a bit too loud. It really shouldn't cover up for Barbra's voice, we all know she can hit the notes well (which she does). Other than that, beautiful.
7. How Do You Keep the Music Playing?: This is perhaps, though very far from it, the most "pop" song on the album. I love its classical twist, and Barbra seems very at ease and loving the melody. And is there a more beautiful melodic line than "How do you not run out of new things"...and, hold your breath...."to say?". This line kills me, she sings it perfectly. I adore this song.
8. But Beautiful: I'm gonna burst a few bubbles here and say, I don't really like this song. Its lyrics are kind of.. blah! It just doesn't do it for me. On a more positive note, Barbra's vocals are especially beautiful here.
9. Calling You: Wow!Wow!Wow! I love this song. The melody is one almost none but Barbra can pull off (it is insanely difficult to sing), and it has some of the best lyrics ever! The bookend between the beginning and end is beautiful, and Barbra is obviously in love with this song. Her voice changes to give exactly the right mood for this style. Really, really awesome.
10. The Second Time Around: I'm also going to hated for this one: I don't like this song too much either. It's nice, but not as beautiful as the others. However, I am quite young and inexperienced in the love area, so I may not get this song as much as those who have been through what it talks about.
11. Goodbye for Now: A hint of The Broadway Album and Back to Broadway, but with a beautiful simplicity that wasn't there in the albums. The song is simple, straightforward, but unforgettable. The lyrics are clear but complex, and Barbra sings it as if she is really in the middle of a conversation. It really does come to show you that it also takes a great actress to sing these songs the way Barbra does.
12. You're Gonna Hear From Me: Showstopper! I love this sensational song, done beautifully. Classic Barbra! My one complaint is if it were more uptempo, it probably would have been more effective. It seems to be lagging a bit. However, Barbra is in her comfort zone, she knows exactly what she's doing, and the end growl is incapable of being a greater sign of Barbra's timeless vocal abilities.
I adore this album. It's quite slow, and may need to be listened to in small pieces because of its complexity, but it is undoubtedly one of my all time favorite Streisand albums and definitely some of the best music I have ever heard.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Popcorn-Eating Pleasure, October 15, 2003

By 

Matt Howe "outloud98" (Washington, DC) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Movie Album (Audio CD)

Barbra's back!

THE MOVIE ALBUM is excellent. Barbra opens the album with a ballad and closes with a showstopper. In between, Barbra does some of her best singing. THE MOVIE ALBUM is uniformly a success - every track is outstanding.

First things first: Barbra sounds fantastic. I'm amazed at the agelessness of Barbra's voice. Clear. Still flexible. She still has a way of coloring and exploring the sounds of words and phrases that no other artist does. Fresh. Beautiful.

On "I'm in the Mood For Love," fans will recognize the arrangement from her 1994 concert - a bossa nova beat, with a playful performance.

Anyone named 'Emily' will love how Barbra sings this Johnny Mercer song. The way she wraps her voice warmly around the three vowels of 'Em-i-ly' is creamy - dare I say like butter, er, 'buttah'? Seriously, "Emily" is gorgeous.

"More In Love With You," will get under your skin. It will take a few listenings to appreciate how complex the melody is. The Bergman's lyrics are outstanding as usual. The line, "and though the child in me was dazzled by your charms ; a woman was awakened in your arms" is so wonderful. Like "Smile", there is an excellent solo violin incorporated into the musical arrangement.

Finally, fans get to hear an official release of "How Do You Keep the Music Playing" with an new arrangement and vocal.

Just when you get used to the classy orchestrations and smooth Streisand vocals on this album, she throws in a curve-ball: "Calling You." Barbra steps outside her comfortable box and does some soulful singing on this tune. Dare I say she "gets down" ? "Calling You" is my favorite track on the album ... it has a spooky, moody, electronic arrangement.

Barbra's showstopping final track, "You're Gonna Hear From Me" finds her in comfortable territory. With all the rigmarole that the press creates whenever Barbra takes a stand on her politics or issues, this tune is her new theme song! It is a showstopper in the vein of "Greatest Star" from FUNNY GIRL, both in tone and in orchestration (it includes a musical "quote" from that show).

To my ears, a majority of the songs have a smoky, film noir feel to them. There is a very sexy, late-night, black-and-white, old-time-movie feel to the album. Director Streisand's presence is definitely evident on THE MOVIE ALBUM.

THE MOVIE ALBUM rates up there with THE BROADWAY ALBUM, SIMPLY STREISAND and YENTL in the Streisand album hall of fame. She started talking about making this album in 1986. Seventeen years later, THE MOVIE ALBUM has arrived ... Barbra's best "role" yet.

15 of 17 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Fabled Voice, November 1, 2003

By 

pastre (edinburgh,UK) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Movie Album (Audio CD)

I have spent the whole day reading all the reviews sent on this site. I divide them into three; 1)The severely loyal Streisand fans who would buy anything Barbra would record, even if it's as simple as sneezing 2)Just the normal people who have purchased this album and was simply moved by the experience of listening to The Singer's voice 3)Sadly, the sorry losers whose lives are spent putting down other people, and they are doing this to Barbra. Why?Because they simply don't get it. Barbra's unique voice and my God this is THE BEST voice God has ever bestowed to a woman is special, thus it is not for everyone to understand it. And I would like it to remain it this way, for in complete honesty, I dont want everyone to buy her album, play it and desecrate her.

I have been listening to Barbra for 16 years now and her voice is the benchmark of good singing. Everybody else's voice becomes inferior if you play it before or after playing Streisand and that is the truth. Singers come and go, there are pretenders such as Celine Dion and Linda Eder but Barbra's fabled voice will be music in our ears forever even after she's gone.

For these sorry losers who complain that the album is not upbeat enough, well Britney and Madonna are waiting for their albums to be bought then go for it!Why are you wasting your time on this site then?Barbra's voice has been cultivated in the arena of Broadway, it's beauty and beautiful layered texture is meant to flow inside our ears then touch our souls. Her voice is The Voice that has been heard for 40 years now and has been enduring as the Statue of Liberty or the Grand Canyon.

It makes me furious when some reviewers have to mention Bette Middler as better! Pahleaze! Its like comparing champagne with Coca-cola.The taste of humanity has really gone down the toilet, the fact that Kylie, Britney, Madonna top the charts is a proof of the sad state of the music industry. Even Barbra's upbeat Emotion album is much much better than the three combined.

Warm, humid, desert.A dilapidated, desolate cafe. Sunset. Barbra's hair disheveled, she's exhausted, slightly aimless and confused, but determined to find him. This is the way my mind saw Barbra while listening to "Calling You." Suddenly, my heart skipped a beat, reminded me of long ago, whilst driving in a lonely motorway at dusk.I have forgotten this moment of my life but when she started to sing, it all came back to me.This song alone is worth the price of the cd for isn't just an album of movie songs but the songs are stories on their own. This is where Barbra is different from the rest of every female singer.She has the rare quality to give meaning by just inflecting or putting emphasis even to a single word. A breath, a sigh, her voice has colour and multi-layered texture which is so beautiful it can't be described by words. Just like looking at the Sistine chapel, her voice quenches our soul and gives us satisfaction in a most remote and moving way. When she utters words such as "once", "time", "home", "way", in a song, she utters it efforlessly but the effect on listeners is strange and so magical.

Her voice on this cd is a miracle. At 61, her amazing breath control, her trill so beautifully used, and her amazing pianissimo, is proof she is the BEST. I haven't warmed up to the other songs but I'm sure I will. I won't mention the title of the tracks, they all have been described by the other reviewers anyway.

In this album, she also explored the deep register of her voice. The result is so beautiful, whether she sings high notes, or let a word faint into a whisper, it's bel canto
i wouldn't agree that she couldn't reach high notes anymore. In "A Love Like Ours", her high notes in "If I Didnt Love You" was there,and it was only 4 years ago. And voice her voice has remained ever so youthful, creamy and tremulous it's like listening to a debut album.

Barbra is one of God's greatest gift to the world of music. So there you are Britney and Madonna. Next time you sing, be sure you lock yourselves in a dark room with neither food nor drink and listen to the entire Yentl Soundtrack!