On a Clear Day You Can See Forever (1970)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

Vincente Minnelli

Writers:

Alan Jay Lerner (play)
Alan Jay Lerner (screenplay)

Release Date:

17 June 1970 (USA)

Genre:

Comedy | Fantasy | Musical | Romance

Tagline:

Look into my eyes.

Plot:

Daisy Gamble, an unusual woman who hears phones before they ring, and does wonders with her flowers...

Plot Keywords:

Doctor | Hypnosis | Flower | Past | Love

Cast

Barbra Streisand	...	Daisy Gamble
Yves Montand	...	Dr. Marc Chabot
Bob Newhart	...	Dr. Mason Hume
Larry Blyden	...	Warren Pratt
Simon Oakland	...	Dr. Conrad Fuller
Jack Nicholson	...	Tad Pringle
John Richardson	...	Robert Tentrees
Pamela Brown	...	Mrs. Fitzherbert
Irene Handl	...	Winnie Wainwhisle
Roy Kinnear	...	Prince Regent
Peter Crowcroft	...	Divorce Attorney
Byron Webster	...	Prosecuting Attorney
Mabel Albertson	...	Mrs. Hatch
Laurie Main	...	Lord Percy
Kermit Murdock	...	Hoyt III

Runtime:

129 min

Country:

USA

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Mono

Certification:

Australia:G | Finland:S | Sweden:11 | UK:U | USA:G

Filming Locations:

Brighton Pavilion, Brighton, East Sussex, England, UK

Company:

Paramount Pictures

Trivia:

According to the 1974 biography, "Barbra Streisand: The First Decade", this was originally envisioned as a 3-hour "road show" extravaganza, and included many sequences of Daisy's other lives (photos of which were printed in some pre-release promotions), but director Vincente Minnelli and the studio felt it would be too long, especially since musicals had already begun to fail at the box office. In addition to all but the briefest of Jack Nicholson's scenes being cut, a musical number sung by him, "Who Is There Among Us Who Knows?", with Barbra humming in harmony, was also cut, as well as a duet between Larry Blyden and Barbra Streisand.

Goofs:

Miscellaneous: The telephone ring in Chabot's office is not a typical Bell company ring, even though the story is supposedly set in New York.

Quotes:

Dr. Marc Chabot: Have you ever been to England, Miss Gamble?
Daisy Gamble: No, I'm afraid of flying. Well, not so much of flying, more so of the "no smoking" sign!

Movie Connections:

Referenced in "Saturday Night Live: Will Ferrell/Queens of the Stone Age (#30.19)" (2005)

A Wonderful, Old Fashion, Musical

On A Clear Day came at the end of the Movie Musical Cycle that started strong from MY FAIR LADY. Once the market became supersaturated with musicals (Half A Sixpence, Dr. Doolittle), the beauty of the movie musical wore off.

On A Clear Day started life as the next go-round for Richard Rodgers. After he retired working with Oscar Hammerstein, he partnered with Alan Lerner and they started to write this musical. Rodgers backed out of the project but the show made it to Broadway with Barbara Harris in the lead. It was respectfully received but never did blockbuster business. In fact, if it weren't for the song "What Did I Have?" it would almost be forgotten.

Enter Vincente Minelli and Ms. Streisand. Together, they took the idea and ran with it until it became a big, bright, lovely movie. The old songs (the title song and "What Did I Have") are rendered priceless by Barbra who sings them as emotional tour-de-forces. The new songs (a cute duet "Go To Sleep" and "Love With All The Trimmings") are wonderful. In fact, the latter was filmed a la Tom Jones. In short, everything about the film worked.

Originally it was three hours long and intended as a road show production (tickets ordered in advance; two shows a day). Paramount went for the fast buck and they trimmed it to under two hours. Yes, what is left is priceless and wonderful but I wish they would release the Director's Cut of this musical. If what we see today is still excellent, I can't help but wonder about what they took out.