On a Clear Day You Can See Forever [Blu-ray]

I used to run into all of her record albums when I'd go record hunting years ago and never really gave her a second look or listen as I thought she was dated asuming that I would not enjoy or like her. But after watching this epic journey of a movie I think that I've fallen in love. I can't imagine what i'd do if I'd been alive when she was in the movies.. all my people tought I was nuts recomending this filmm but it's great ! 5 stars in my books.

The prime Barbra Streisand tune-fest extravaganza ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER finally comes to DVD with a fine anamorphic transfer. Based on the Broadway musical by Burton Lane and Alan Jay Lerner, the story concerns kooky Daisy Gamble (Streisand) who appeals to psychiatrist Dr Marc Chabot (Yves Montand) to help her kick her chain-smoking habit. Instead Marc stumbles on Daisy's past life as an 18th century noblewoman called Melinda Tentrees. The plot thickens as Daisy falls for her dishy Doctor...but he only has eyes for the elusive Melinda!Filled with lavish costumes and opulent scenes, this is the ultimate musical for Streisand fans. It also spectacularly showcases Miss Barbra in probably her greatest musical performance, utilising her flair for comedy, her serious acting ability and musicality, not to mention the fact she successfully plays two entirely different characters and negotiates her way between them with ease. Cecil Beaton (of MY FAIR LADY fame) designed the lush wardrobe of Regency-style gowns for Melinda and the regression scenes were filmed at the Royal Pavilion in Brighton.Fine supporting performances come from Irene Handl, Mabel Albertson, Roy Kinnear and Larry Blyden. A young Jack Nicholson also appears as Daisy's sometime stepbrother. John Richardson plays Robert Tentrees, the philandering rogue husband of Melinda; and Byron Webster (who also appeared in the Broadway production) plays the attorney in the courtroom flashback scene. The film is expertly-directed by Vincente Minnelli and his unique and unmistakable style is very evident here.The Broadway production of ON A CLEAR DAY YOU CAN SEE FOREVER was a middling failure lauded for the tour-de-force performance of Barbara Harris as Daisy Gamble/Melinda Welles. It shuttered fairly quickly and a touring production with Linda Lavin met a similarly-swift demise. The film rights were sold to Paramount (to help make up the losses from the Broadway run) and from the outset it was arranged the project would be a vehicle for Streisand.The score for the film version is vastly-different from the Broadway production. A few songs from Broadway were cut (including "Tosy and Cosh", "On the SS Bernard Cohen", "Wait Till We're Sixty-Five", "When I'm Being Born Again" and "Don't Tamper With My Sister"). A few of the songs were altered ("She Isn't You" became "He Isn't You" and a showstopper for Streisand in the process). The score also features toe-tapping delights like "Come Back to Me" and "Hurry! It's Lovely Up Here", as well as great dramatic ballads like "Melinda" and Daisy's eleven o'clock number "What Did I Have?". Specially-added for the film was "Go to Sleep" a comical duet between Daisy and one of her alter-egos.Paramount's DVD release contains a fine anamorphic print, correctly-framed in 2 35:1. The image is in great condition, some debris and speckle is evident and there are minor instances of telecine-wobble in some shots but nothing very intrusive. Colours are bright and vibrant for the most part, with solid black levels and no colour-bleeding. The image is better quality than the previously-available VHS edition (clearly the film has undergone a restoration). The audio 5.1 track is lively with the orchestra sounding full and lush, some marked deterioration of the audio is evident in some parts of the film with voices often sounding `canned' or muffled (and of course there is a shift in sound quality between the pre-recorded musical numbers and the regular scenes) There is also an `English Restored' audio track which is a 2-channel stereo mix. (Dual-layer, single-sided disc)

This was one of the very last of the lavish screen musicals to be made in the classic mode, and, by the time of it's early 1970 theatrical release, it already seemed tired and dated. This is why it is somewhat shocking that, when viewed today, ON A CLEAR DAY is not only tremendously entertaining, but that it's also possibly the most underrated film of both director Vincent Minnelli and star Barbra Streisand. The film's reincarnation theme was pretty cutting-edge back in the early-seventies, and it still feels unique even today. The film received fair-to-negative reviews from critics at the time, and even though it proved to be a modest hit at the box office, it has been long forgotten by the general public, and it even goes unlisted on many of Streisand's selected filmographies. This is a shame, for Streisand's highly impressive dual performance may prove to be a revelation for some of her admirers and critics alike.Streisand does some of her very best screen work in the film's frequent flashbacks. Not only does she look absolutely beautiful as Melinda in Cecil DeVille's many elaborate costumes, but her Regency- era poise and accent are completely flawless. Streisand also gives one of her most likable performances as kooky Daisy (her character's present-day incarnation), and her outstanding performance(s) make the contrast between the two characters completely convincing and believable. Yves Montad is acceptable in his role - I don't believe he really deserved all of the criticism that he's received over the years, yet I do find his performance to be somewhat stiff. Having said that, though, Montad is perfectly serviceable as the skeptical hypnotist. Jack Nicholson, Bob Newhart, and John Richardson appear in small supporting roles, and, though they all feel rather underused, their appearances here are all great fun.However, there's something about the Streisand-Minnelli pairing that seems to have brought out the best in the two legendary talents. The flashback segments in particular provide the perfect showcase for Minnelli's imaginative visuals, and these are also the very scenes that allow Streisand to stretch the most as an actress. In particular, the "Love And All The Trimmings" sequence is easily one of the best moments that Minnelli ever captured on film, and Streisand has rarely been more intensely seductive than in this one sequence. Score-wise, the soaring title song is the only real classic of the eight Lenner-Lowe compositions, but a few of the others (the comic "Go To Sleep," the gorgeous "He Isn't You") are nearly as great. Bottom line: ON A CLEAR DAY is a film that's usually funny, sometimes touching, and always inventive and enjoyable. It's undervalued gem if there ever was one.About the DVD: The film's print has obviously not undergone an extensive restoration (there are quite a few nicks and visible dirt), however, Paramount has given the an well-balanced transfer that is above average for a vintage catalog title. Contrast, sharpness, and especially those vibrant colors are all well-rendered. The new Dolby 5.1 sound is top-notch, however, there are no supplemental features.

This is a must have film for Barbra fans, or if you are into reincarnation. For it shows Barbra being very sexy as she sings "Love With All The Trimmings". It also shows very early attitudes to possiablity of people having a past lives.But the best reason to have this film is the 5.1 Dolby soundtrack, which really brings out the music and songs. And also the full 2:35 widescreen. When shown on TV it's always cropped to fit widescreen TV's, so here you can see it as it was ment to be shown. The sound when shown on TV tends to be a mono mix too.Sadly it does not have any special features, not even a commentary from Streisand herself.There's also a lot of English actors in it with Dad's Army 'Mr Wilson' playing a court offical.GREAT SOUND & WIDESCREEN sums it up well.

Loved this - the words of the song say it all. Its great fun but there is a definite underlying message about there being more to 'being' than meets the human eye. On a clear dayRise and look around youAnd you'll see who you areOn a clear dayHow it will astound youThat the glow of your beingOutshines every starYou'll feel part ofEvery mountain, sea and shore,You can hear from far and nearA world you've never never heard beforeAnd on a clear dayOn a clear dayYou can see forever and ever and ever and ever more.

This is a film that's lots of fun. There are some fantastic songs sung by Barbra Streisand. I wasn't too taken with Yves Montand's singing voice, and after watching the film a few times am happy to fast forward through his bits! But I think that Barbra Streisand shows here that she's a very good actress. The historical romance part of the film (going back to her previous life) is quite intoxicating.

Vincente Minnelli's On a Clear Day You Can See Forever is an enjoyable minor musical with major production values, but no lost classic. With the exception of the title number and He's Not You, none of the songs, used almost entirely for emotional moments rather than to progress the plot, are likely to trouble the memory. Yves Montand is amiably professional, but there are no sparks between him and Barbra Streisand and too few jokes for that not to leave the film feeling somewhat underpowered. Bob Newhart is wasted, Jack Nicholson's part has almost entirely been cut along with several songs and several reels in a vain attempt to prevent it from being another of the big-budget flops that nearly brought Paramount to its knees until Love Story and The Godfather came to its aid. Many of the credited cast can only be glimpsed by the eagle-eyed using the zoom facility on their DVD players. It may also be the only film where John Richardson uses his own voice. The Clive Owen of his day and the bookies' favorite to replace Sean Connery as James Bond, he was usually either dubbed by David De Keyser or given parts without dialogue, and it's easy to see why from his terrible delivery and awkward working class accent (he's playing an aristocrat). Still, there is a great use of vivid color and some impressive design.No extras of any kind on the DVD, but the widescreen 2.35:1 transfer is good.

Played right out of the crystal case. No scratches on DVD. Thanks so much