Search - Color Me Barbra on DVD

Brazillian Bootleg ... Wait for the Real Thing

Matt Howe | Washington, DC | 08/09/2005

(1 out of 5 stars)

"Although this Brazillian bootleg DVD was the only way one could watch "My Name Is Barbra", it is worth waiting for the official DVD of Streisand's first television special, which is due from Rhino Home Video in November 2005. An entire box set of Streisand's first five television specials (1965-1973) is due from Rhino. This Brazillian DVD looks like they simply transfered the Laser Disc of the 1986 home video release. Quality is not fantastic."

Triumphant Follow-Up Shows If It Ain't Broke...

Ed Uyeshima | San Francisco, CA USA | 07/17/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"A year after her triumphant first special, "My Name Is Barbra", Barbra Streisand regrouped with her production team to produce this follow-up CBS-TV special in then-revolutionary color. First broadcast in March 1966, "Color Me Barbra" follows a similar format to its predecessor - three segments, the first two with unique concepts. The first takes place in the after-hours halls of the Philadelphia Museum of Art where dressed as a period maid, she roams the galleries and becomes part of the artwork through song. In various guises, Streisand expresses a variety of moods from the comedy schtick of the "Minute Waltz" to the melodrama of "Non C'est Rien" in a Modigliani painting to the beatnik-style frenzy of "Gotta Move" set to abstract art. My favorite moment in the special is when she transforms into a dead ringer of Queen Nefertiti while singing a haunting rendition of Rogers and Hart's "Where or When".

Opening with another comic monologue full of silly non-sequiturs, this time in French, the second segment is back in the studio for a brightly-colored circus medley where she interacts with animals, including her beloved poodle Sadie. She finds an appropriate context for "Sam, You Made the Pants Too Long" with a bevy of penguins and comically compares her profile to an anteater's with "We Have So Much in Common". As with the first special, the program ends with a riveting solo concert in which she sings some chestnuts, "Any Place I Hang My Hat Is Home", "Where Am I Going?" and "Starting Here, Starting Now" among them. Also included is the brief introduction she filmed in 1986, ironically dressed in all-white, when the special was first released on VHS. The juxtaposition of locale and song is even more effective than in her first special, and a 23-year old Streisand is in peak form."

A passionate sequel that equaled it's predecessor

Carl A. Johnson | Michigan | 06/30/2006

(5 out of 5 stars)

"On March 30th, 1966...... Barbara Streisand's second television special for CBS had millions of Americans searching for a friend that owned a color television set. By the mid 60's, Streisand was being heralded as the greatest diva America had seen in ages. She had created a stir among both young and old that matched Beatlemania. Her first television special, "My Name Is Barbara" had won five Emmy awards. Now, we were going to see her on televison in full color for the first time. "Color Me Barbara" was a national event that matched the passionate artistic flair of her first special in every respect. When we viewed and heard Streisand singing to the strange, haunting opening animation of "Draw Me A Circle" at the very opening of the show...... we all knew that we were in for a great hour of television. This was 1960's television production at it's finest. You had to have been there....."

Exciting Follow Up to My Name is Barbra!

Lynn Ellingwood | Webster, NY United States | 09/03/2008

(5 out of 5 stars)

"This is Barbra Streisand's second television special. She filmed it in the Metropolitan Museum of Art and it is a very nice musical special. Not as many jokes but more music and the singing is great. The confidence is striking and she really knows how to make art."