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, Amy Irving, Mandy Patinkin

Won 1 Oscar. Another 5 wins & 15 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

Eastern Europe, 1904. A Jewish woman, Yentl, has a thirst for knowledge but is prohibited from learning due to the restrictions of her religion. When her father dies, she sets off to increase her knowledge, posing as a man in order to gain admission to a Jewish religious school.

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Plot Keywords:

gender bender | gender disguise | triple f rated | forename as title | year 1904 | 

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Taglines:

In a time when the world of study belonged only to men, there lived a girl who dared to ask why?

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Genres:

Drama | Musical | Romance

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Certificate:

PG

Did You Know?

Trivia

Barbra Streisand did not cut her hair for this movie, she wore a carefully made short wig.

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Goofs

When Yentl sings "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" her glasses are laid down in front of her. They have modern temple and ear pieces. In other scenes Yentl's glasses are the old-fashioned, wrap-around-the-ear-style glasses.

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Quotes

Bookseller: You're in the wrong place, storybooks for women are over here.
Yentl: [holding a book] I'd like this one, please.
Bookseller: [takes the book away] Sacred books are for men.
Yentl: Why?
Bookseller: It's the law.
Yentl: Where's it written?
Bookseller: It doesn't matter where it's written, it's the law.
Yentl: Well if it's the law it must be written somewhere, perhaps in here
[the book]
Yentl: . I'll take 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

Referenced in Family Ties: Best Man (1984)

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Soundtracks

This Is One of Those Moments
(uncredited)
Music by Michel Legrand
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Performed by Barbra Streisand

User Reviews

Interesting Exercise

I discovered this film recently when it came out on DVD in France at a knock-down price. Picture quality is no more than average and seems to have a little over-dominance of sepia. I assume the film was originally destined for a Jewish audience as many of the references contained therein concern the Jewish religion of which I know nothing ! All that said, I was very very satisfied with this film, Barbra Steisand gave a magnificent performance, you could see that she put her heart into this, apart from being really cute, her voice and songs were magnificent. There's also quite a lot of humour and potentially embarrassing situations which is normal, given the fairly original plot line. I think that the end is a satisfying one indeed the only satisfying one possible. I know little about Jewish culture but do, as an "outsider" find it attractive. Indeed this may indeed be a prerequisite to fully appreciate this film.

Details

Country:

UK USA

Language:

English Hebrew

Release Date:

6 January 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Yentl

Filming Locations:

Blewbury, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Gross USA:

$40,218,899

Cumulative Worldwide Gross:

$40,218,899

Company Credits

Production Co:

Ladbroke, Barwood Films, United Artists

Technical Specs

Runtime:

133 min

Sound Mix:

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

Color:

Color (Technicolor)

Aspect Ratio:

1.85 : 1