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"Up the Sandbox" |
DVD Review/July 2003 |
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Barbra Streisand
offers a well constructed personalized commentary for this first
time DVD release of "Up the Sandbox."
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Insightful and
Inspirational Commentary
July 1, 2003
Up The
Sandbox
is
given
a new
and
vibrant
life
by
Barbra
Streisand
in
this
exciting
new
DVD
release. This
version
of
Sandbox
takes
full
advantage
of all
the
features
of
digital
video. The
unedited
film,
in a
crisp
and
colorful
new
print,
is
presented
along
with a
rarely
seen
documentary
about
the
film's
location
shoot
in
Kenya. Complete
and
separate
feature
commentaries
by
director
Irvin
Kershner
and
Barbra
enhance
the
DVD.
But
it's
Barbra's
own
running
commentary
that
makes
watching
Up
The
Sandbox
an
extraordinary
event.
Acknowledged
as one
of her
favorite
films,
Barbra
tells
all
during
her
98-minute
full-length
discussion. She
explains
the
role
the
film
played
in
exploring
women's
issues
in
1972
and
how
topics
of
marriage,
family,
career
and
abortion
were
dealt
with
back
then. Barbra
makes
frequent
references
to her
own
pregnancy
- "the
most
creative
time
in my
life"
- in
discussing
the
positive
aspects
of
motherhood
which
the
film
ultimately
resolves. Barbra
lives
in the
present
(by
her
own
admission
at the
end of
the
narration),
and as
a
result,
we are
given
a
thoughtful
dissertation
on
those
1970's
social
themes
-
bringing
them
into
focus
within
the
context
of our
21st
century
society. Her
comments
are
insightful,
well
deliberated
and
even
inspirational. One
is
amazed,
some
thirty-one
years
later,
that
Barbra
is
able
to
discuss
this
film
with
such
deep
sentiment
and in
such
thought
provoking
social
detail. It's
as if
she
completed
the
film
just
yesterday.
Sandbox
clearly
means
a lot
to
Barbra.
There
was
one
sensitive
scene
in
Up The
Sandbox
that
required
careful
discussion
and
Barbra
handled
the
task
with
proper
decorum. It's
the
sequence
where
Margaret
and
her
radical
compatriots
are
speeding
through
New
York
harbor
intent
on
blowing
up the
Statue
of
Liberty.
With
ominous
vistas
of the
World
Trade
Center
prevalent
throughout
the
entire
scene,
Barbra
tells
us
that
this
sequence
would
surely
not be
included
if the
film
were
to be
made
today. The
subtexts
of gun
control
and
the
reality
of
modern
day
terrorism
have
given
Barbra
a
completely
different
perspective
on
this
particular
portion
of the
film.
The new DVD gives us a fresh and thoroughly enjoyable look at Up The
Sandbox,
especially
with
Barbra
personally
narrating
each
scene
in the
comfort
of our
own
living
rooms. The
bonus
film
short,
The
Moviemakers
is
also
delightful. In
chronicling
the
film's
location
shoot
in
Africa,
we're
treated
to
lots
of
rare
footage
of
Barbra
behind
the
scenes. Look
closely
toward
the
end of
the
documentary,
and
you'll
see an
exciting
outtake
from
the
film.
With
Barbra's
commentary
as a
personal
guide,
this
version
of
Up The
Sandbox
is
thrilling
movie-going
in
your
very
own
home.
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