review for Barbra Streisand: The Belle of 14th Street on AllMovie

Barbra Streisand's The Belle of 14th Street has long had a reputation as a disaster, this view fueled by the facts that it was critically dismissed upon its initial airing, never rebroadcast and never released on video/DVD until 2005. Actually, while Belle has moments that simply don't work, all in all it's a fairly entertaining effort, with a number of moments that are quite special. Certainly, Belle has a beautiful look, with gorgeous period costumes and settings to which great attention has certainly been paid. It also has Jason Robards, who captures the period well himself, but who is not at home in this kind of musical vaudeville special; his performance of "You're the Apple of My Eye" is especially unfortunate, and even his Tempest is missing something. Much better is the wonderful tap dancing of John Bubbles, even if it's performed in a ridiculous chicken costume. For her part, Streisand is in glorious vocal form, even if she's a bit off in some of her performing; she seems a bit constricted by the concept and some of the characters she's asked to perform. Nevertheless, she sounds great in "Alice Blue Gown," "Liebestraum," and "Mother Machree." And the final concert sequence is in all ways a winner, with an exceptional medley of "My Buddy" and "How About Me," and a dynamite "Some of These Days." The Belle of 14th Street is uneven, but its highlights are well worth catching.