Funny Girl (film) wrote, "The story of the actress whose dramatic rise from rags to riches is accompanied by the discovery that suffering lies on the flip-side of success has provided the basis of many an American musical. But William Wyler manages to transcend the clichés of the genre and create—largely through Barbra Streisand's characterisation of Fanny Brice—a dramatic comedy in which the musical numbers illustrate the public aspect of the star's life without once interrupting the narrative." David Parkinson of "Empire" rated the film four out of five stars in a retrospective review and called it "one of those films where it
Funny Girl (film) ... 100 Songs", and the line "Hello, gorgeous" at #81 in its 2005 list of "100 Years ... 100 Movie Quotes". "Funny Girl" is considered one of the greatest musical films ever. In 2016, "Funny Girl" was deemed "culturally, historically, or aesthetically significant" by the United States Library of Congress, and selected for preservation in the National Film Registry. Set in and around New York City just prior to and following World War I, the story opens with "Ziegfeld Follies" star Fanny Brice awaiting the return of husband Nicky Arnstein from prison, and then moves into an extended flashback focusing