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 & 14 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Barbra Streisand	...	Yentl Mendel
Mandy Patinkin	...	Avigdor
Amy Irving	...	Hadass Vishkower
Nehemiah Persoff	...	Reb Mendel 'Papa'
Steven Hill	...	Reb Alter Vishkower
Allan Corduner	...	Shimmele
Ruth Goring	...	Esther Rachel Vishkower
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 | girl pretending to be a boy | girl disguised as boy | gender disguise | study | 

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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 Hebrew

Release Date:

6 January 1984 (USA)

Also Known As:

Йентл

Filming Locations:

Blewbury, Oxfordshire, England, UK

Box Office

Budget:

$12,000,000 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$341,768, 20 November 1983, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$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

Did You Know?

Trivia

Steven Spielberg called the film "the best directorial debut since Citizen Kane (1941)".

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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

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 The Infidel (2010)

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Soundtracks

Will Someone Ever Look at Me That Way?
(uncredited)
Music by Michel Legrand
Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman
Performed by Barbra Streisand

User Reviews

A great story!

An excellent film, it has a wonderful complexity in the characters' personalities and relationships that maintain a level of enjoyable tension and curiosity throughout the film for the viewer. Excellent performances given by Mandy Patinkin, Amy Irving and Barbra Streisand. Great songs throughout. Not a brainless ha-ha movie. It is a thinking person's film, in the same vein (in my opinion) as Fiddler On The Roof. Well directed by Streisand. And I'm a Republican! I have been waiting it seems for ages to buy the DVD (pirated copies sold on eBay a few years ago for $45+), but it seems legitimate copies are now available with special features to enjoy.