Yentl
by Claire J Rottenberg
Barbra Streisand's last movie musical was
"Yentl"
in 1983. Based on a short story by Isaac Bashevis
Singer and a non-musical Broadway play, the movie
version of "Yentl" was a complete Barbra Streisand
project. Not only did she star in the film, she
also directed it and co-wrote the screenplay with
Jack Rosenthal. The musical score of "Yentl" was
composed by Michel Legrand with lyrics by Alan and
Marilyn Bergman. Streisand's co-stars in "Yentl"
were primarily established Broadway and movie
actors, including Mandy Patinkin, Nehemiah Persoff
and Steven Hill.
"Yentl" is the story of a young Jewish woman in 19th
century Poland whose father secretly teaches her
Talmud, even though the study of sacred books was
forbidden to women at that time. After her father
dies, Yentl disguises herself as a boy so that she
can continue to study Talmud. She enrolls in a
yeshiva, a religious seminary for young men, and she
is befriended by one of the older students, Avigdor.
As Yentl becomes more involved with Avigdor and his
fiancee, Hadassah, her deceptive life becomes
complicated and she eventually has to confess the
truth about herself to Avigdor. She also comes to
love Avigdor and, when she discovers that the feeling
of love is mutual, Yentl must choose between her love
for Avigdor and her passion for learning sacred
texts.
"Yentl" received an Academy Award for its musical
score and it received nominations for two of the
songs in the film, "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" and "The
Way He Makes Me Feel." The film was not a huge
financial success, but it did earn 27 million dollars
in its US distribution.
The plot of "Yentl" is well-developed, as are the
characters, making them real and ones to whom
audiences can relate. The acting in the film is
excellent, with Streisand giving one of her best
performances as Yentl. The music, too, is excellent,
and the song "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" is especially
beautiful with meaningful and moving lyrics. If you
haven't seen "Yentl," you might find that it is a
good, engrossing movie musical and one of Barbra
Streisand's better films.