Yentl (1983)

A Jewish girl disguises herself as a boy to enter religious training.

Director:

Barbra Streisand

Writers:

Jack Rosenthal (screenplay), Barbra Streisand (screenplay),

Stars:

Barbra Streisand, Mandy Patinkin, Amy Irving

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 13 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbra Streisand	...	Yentl
Mandy Patinkin	...	Avigdor
Amy Irving	...	Hadass
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Reb Mendel 'Papa'
Steven Hill	...	Reb Alter Vishkower
Allan Corduner	...	Shimmele
Ruth Goring	...	Esther Rachel
David de Keyser	...	Rabbi Zalman (as David De Keyser)
Bernard Spear	...	Tailor
Doreen Mantle	...	Mrs. Shaemen
Lynda Baron	...	Peshe (as Lynda Barron)
Jack Lynn	...	Bookseller
Anna Tzelniker	...	Mrs. Kovner
Miriam Margolyes	...	Sarah
Mary Henry	...	Mrs. Jacobs

Storyline

Dramatization of "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy," by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991); originally published in Yiddish c. 1960, then in English c. 1983. The story: In an Ashkenazic shtetl in Poland, Yentl Mendel is the boyishly klutzy daughter and only child of long widowed Rebbe ("Talmud Teacher") Mendel, who teaches Talmud (a codification of Jewish Law) to local boys - and to Yentl, but secretly because girls were not allowed to learn the law in those days. When her father dies, Yentl is all alone in the world. She takes the momentous decision to leave the village and - disguised as a boy and calling herself by the name of her late brother, Anshel - seeks and gets admitted to a Yeshiva, to study the texts, traditions, subtleties and complexities of Torah, Talmud, etc. She befriends Avigdor who is engaged to Haddas, but her family discovers his brother committed suicide so they call off the wedding (in case Avigdor possesses the same madness). Anshel then finds "him"-self in the awkward ...

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Plot Keywords:

study | talmud | yeshiva | jewish | love | 

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Taglines:

A film with music.

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English

Release Date:

9 December 1983 (USA)

Also Known As:

Jentl

Filming Locations:

Liverpool, Merseyside, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross:

$30,400,000 (USA)

Company Credits

Production Co:

United Artists, Barwood Films, Ladbroke

Technical Specs

Runtime:

132 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby 4-Track Stereo (Dolby Magnetic 35mm prints)

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

The stage play "Yentl" was produced for Broadway. It starred Tovah Feldshuh, opened at the Eugene O'Neill Theater on October 23, 1975, and ran for 223 performances.

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Goofs

Anshel's suit coat is buttoned as if it were a woman's coat. It's not a flipped shot; Avigdor is wearing a man's coat in the same frame.

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Quotes

Yentl/Anshel: Why is it people who want the truth never believe it when they hear it?

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Crazy Credits

At the very end of the closing credits: This film is dedicated to my father... and to all our fathers.

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Connections

Spoofed in An Officer and a Yentlman (2002)

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Soundtracks

"Will Someone Ever Look At Me That Way?"
Music by Michel Legrand
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Performed by Barbra Streisand

User Reviews

Phantastic

Yentl is a young Jewish woman who shall be married, but she is too curious, she wants to know more and she wants to learn all about the Talmud, which is forbidden to women by this time. So she dresses herself like a young man and goes to the yeshiva, always frightened to be discovered, and there she meets Avigdor, a brilliant student, who is meant to be her mentor, and she fells in love with him. He is in love with a beautiful Jewish girl (Amy Irving) but he cannot marry her, because his brother died of suicide. So he asks Angel (Barbra Streisand) to marry her, and she does....

It's a real Barbra Streisand masterpiece, I think no one could have done this picture more sensual and beautiful like she did. A story, that never should be forgotten, of a woman that fights against the male world, wants to be more than the role that was meant to be hers. Brilliant songs, perfectly written by Michael Legrand, brilliant directed and also the sets are chosen very well, the picture of a Jewish world like it was in former times is set originally. Also Mandy Patinkin and Amy Irving are brilliant actors who can show their different faces in this movie. Thios movie is a MUST for everybody.