Barbra Streisand & Gene Hackman in All Night Long (1981)

Obscurity factor: 7

Yesterdays post about For Pete's Sake got me thinking about another obscure Streisand film. Nothing is going right for George Dupler (Hackman). He's been demoted at work for losing his temper, his marriage has hit an iceberg, his son (Dennis Quaid) is stepping out with an older woman (Streisand) with a jealous husband and when George meets her, she takes a liking to him. This story of mid-life crisis has an off-beat charm to it and reminds you not to take life too seriously.

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The film originally had a low budget and Hackman was the only name attached. When Streisand came on the scene, it acquired a higher profile. Though it wasn't considered a success at the box office, it did have its champions among critics, including Pauline Kael. The casting of Streisand in the role of a ditzy sex pot was rather brilliant. A more classically beautiful woman would have deprived the role of the quirky edge. She gives a clever and unexpected performance as a talentless singer/songwriter. Also look for Diane Lane as Hackman's long suffering wife.

Though available on DVD, it could be described as Striesand's lost film. It's not well remembered and doesn't immediately come to mind when her films are mentioned. There isn't much online video of it available. The TV trailer for it is above, uploaded to YouTube by robatsea2009.

Obscurity factor: 7 (on DVD, known mostly to hard core Streisand fans)

Barbra Streisand & Michael Sarrazin in For Pete's Sake (1974)

Obscurity factor: 3

After the success of What's Up Doc Streisand made this zany comedy about a young married couple struggling to make ends meet. When an opportunity comes along to invest in the commodities market - pork bellies to be specific - Henry (Streisand) does her best to find someone to loan her the money to take advantage of it. She's unsuccessful on all fronts except the neighborhood loan shark. When the deal takes longer to come through than expected she must try and pay off the note by working for a variety of shady characters, with hilarious results.

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This film has some great moments and pokes fun at all sorts of subjects from in-laws to race relations. One particularly funny exchange involves an afro-American cleaning lady (Vivian Bonnell) that works for Henry. It turns racial stereotypes and the militant 70's civil rights movement on their ears.

This film is on TCM as I write this. It's also available on DVD and can be rented on YouTube. It has something of a high profile for an obscure film because of Streisand's involvement. The trailer is above, uploaded to YouTube by lewylewel.

Obscurity factor: 3 (known to Streisand fans, available on DVD, not well known to the general public)

Barbra Streisand in Up The Sandbox (1972)

Obscurity factor: 6

This is the second film in Brini Maxwell's Obscurity Factor Screenings at Chelsea Clearview Cinemas, here in New York. It will screen a week from tonight on February 28th at 7pm. Join us if you can!

This is a strange film. It's a very personal account of the inner landscape of a housewife and mother in New York in the early 1970's. Margaret Reynolds is bored. Bored with her husband, her friends, her life... She's so bored that she can't keep her mind from wandering into outlandish and outrageous fantasies about meeting Fidel Castro, mortal combat with her mother and taking part in black power domestic terrorism. These fantasies are blended into the storyline so seamlessly that you're not sure they're fantasies until they really get going. Among the forays into the netherworld we get a good dose of Margaret's life - her relationship with her family, her insecurities, her fears about having another child and her desire for deeper meaning in her life. All this adds up to an intimate portrait that is all the more interesting for the cultural references from the era. Look for TV veterans Isabel Sanford, Conrad Bain and Paul Benedict in small roles and for Stockard Channing playing a uncredited part in this, her first film.

This film was not well received when it was released, however time has given it a period perspective that adds luster to it. It was released on DVD a few years ago as part of the Streisand Collection and though it's no longer in print, there are quite a few copies still available. You can also find clips of it on YouTube, though the whole film isn't uploaded. Above is the trailer, uploaded by lewylewel.The poster above is available at MoviePosterShop.com.

Obscurity factor: 6 (on DVD, largely forgotten to all but hard core Streisand fans)