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Yentl (film)
Encyclopedia
Yentl is a 1983 romantic
musical
drama film
from United Artists
, and directed, co-written, co-produced, and starring Barbra Streisand
based on the play of the same name
by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer
, itself based on Singer's short story
, "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy".
The dramatic story incorporates humor and music to relate the odyssey of a Jewish
girl in Poland
who decides to dress and live like a man so that she can receive an education in Talmudic Law after her father dies. The film's musical score
and songs, composed by Michel Legrand
, include the songs "Papa, Can You Hear Me?
" and "The Way He Makes Me Feel
", both sung by Streisand. The film received the Academy Award for Best Original Score and The Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture-comedy and Best Director for Streisand making her the first woman to have won Best Director at the Golden Globes.
portrays Yentl Mendel, a girl living in an Ashkenazi shtetl
in Poland
in the early 20th century. Yentl's father, Rebbe Mendel (Nehemiah Persoff
), secretly instructs her in the Talmud
despite the proscription of such study by women according to the custom of her community.
After the death of her father, Yentl decides to dress like a man, take her late brother's name, Anshel, and enter a Jewish religious school
. Upon entering the yeshiva, Yentl befriends a fellow student, Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin
), and meets his fiancée, Hadass (Amy Irving
). The story is complicated as Hadass's family cancels her wedding to Avigdor over fears that his family is tainted with insanity, and decides that she should marry Anshel instead. Meanwhile, Hadass develops romantic feelings for Yentl (as Anshel), while Yentl herself is falling in love with Avigdor. After much turmoil, Avigdor and Hadass are reunited, while Yentl leaves Europe
to go to America, where she hopes to lead a freer life.
and Alan
and Marilyn Bergman
, and arranged and conducted by Michel Legrand
. The music is by Legrand and the lyrics by the Bergmans.
weekend and stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks, peaking at number 3, in its 3rd week. The film went on to gross more than $40 million at the box office on a budget of $12 million. In rentals it also grossed $19,680,130, giving a total US Box Office gross of $60 million. In Australia
, the film grossed $1.7 million and $2.3 million in Sweden.
by MGM (under 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
) on February 3, 2009 as a two-disc "Director's Extended Cut
" in the widescreen format. A Blu-ray
edition has yet to be announced. The DVD includes the theatrical cut, a director's extended cut with added scenes from Streisand's archives, an introduction by Streisand, an audio commentary
with Streisand and Rusty Lemorande
, deleted scene
s including a storyboard sequence for a cut song, pre-rehearsal concepts and feature comparisons, stills galleries, and cast and crew info.
, the award going to Michel Legrand
(music), Alan Bergman
(lyrics), and Marilyn Bergman
(lyrics). Amy Irving
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress
in a Supporting Role, and the film was also nominated for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Roy Walker
, Leslie Tomkins
, Tessa Davies
).
Barbra Streisand
became the first woman to receive a Golden Globe
for Best Director for the film, and Yentl was nominated for four other Golden Globes also winning the Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) Golden Globe.
Irving was also nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress
, making her one of two actors to be nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie for the same performance (the other is James Coco
for Only When I Laugh
). The film also earned Razzie nominations for Barbra Streisand as Worst Actor
(because Yentl appeared as a man throughout the film) and for Worst Musical Score.
Romance film
Romance films are love stories that focus on passion, emotion, and the affectionate involvement of the main characters and the journey that their love takes through courtship or marriage. Romance films make the love story or the search for love the main plot focus...
musical
Musical film
The musical film is a film genre in which songs sung by the characters are interwoven into the narrative, sometimes accompanied by dancing. The songs usually advance the plot or develop the film's characters, though in some cases they serve merely as breaks in the storyline, often as elaborate...
drama film
Drama film
A drama film is a film genre that depends mostly on in-depth development of realistic characters dealing with emotional themes. Dramatic themes such as alcoholism, drug addiction, infidelity, moral dilemmas, racial prejudice, religious intolerance, poverty, class divisions, violence against women...
from United Artists
United Artists
United Artists Corporation is an American film studio. The original studio of that name was founded in 1919 by D. W. Griffith, Charles Chaplin, Mary Pickford and Douglas Fairbanks....
, and directed, co-written, co-produced, and starring Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
based on the play of the same name
Yentl
Yentl is a play by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer.Based on Singer's short story "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy," it centers on a young girl who defies tradition by discussing and debating Jewish law and theology with her rabbi father...
by Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer
Isaac Bashevis Singer – July 24, 1991) was a Polish Jewish American author noted for his short stories. He was one of the leading figures in the Yiddish literary movement, and received the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1978...
, itself based on Singer's short story
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
, "Yentl the Yeshiva Boy".
The dramatic story incorporates humor and music to relate the odyssey of a Jewish
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
girl in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
who decides to dress and live like a man so that she can receive an education in Talmudic Law after her father dies. The film's musical score
Film score
A film score is original music written specifically to accompany a film, forming part of the film's soundtrack, which also usually includes dialogue and sound effects...
and songs, composed by Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
, include the songs "Papa, Can You Hear Me?
Papa, Can You Hear Me?
"Papa, Can You Hear Me?" is a 1983 song, performed by Barbra Streisand for the film Yentl. The song was composed by Michel Legrand, with lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman....
" and "The Way He Makes Me Feel
The Way He Makes Me Feel
"The Way He Makes Me Feel" is the title of a popular song from 1983 performed by Barbra Streisand. The song is featured in the film adaptation of the play Yentl, in which Streisand starred and sang most of the music...
", both sung by Streisand. The film received the Academy Award for Best Original Score and The Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture-comedy and Best Director for Streisand making her the first woman to have won Best Director at the Golden Globes.
Plot
Barbra StreisandBarbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
portrays Yentl Mendel, a girl living in an Ashkenazi shtetl
Shtetl
A shtetl was typically a small town with a large Jewish population in Central and Eastern Europe until The Holocaust. Shtetls were mainly found in the areas which constituted the 19th century Pale of Settlement in the Russian Empire, the Congress Kingdom of Poland, Galicia and Romania...
in Poland
Poland
Poland , officially the Republic of Poland , is a country in Central Europe bordered by Germany to the west; the Czech Republic and Slovakia to the south; Ukraine, Belarus and Lithuania to the east; and the Baltic Sea and Kaliningrad Oblast, a Russian exclave, to the north...
in the early 20th century. Yentl's father, Rebbe Mendel (Nehemiah Persoff
Nehemiah Persoff
Nehemiah Persoff is an American film and television character actor. He was born in Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate.Born in what is now part of Israel, Persoff emigrated with his family to the United States in 1929...
), secretly instructs her in the Talmud
Talmud
The Talmud is a central text of mainstream Judaism. It takes the form of a record of rabbinic discussions pertaining to Jewish law, ethics, philosophy, customs and history....
despite the proscription of such study by women according to the custom of her community.
After the death of her father, Yentl decides to dress like a man, take her late brother's name, Anshel, and enter a Jewish religious school
Yeshiva
Yeshiva is a Jewish educational institution that focuses on the study of traditional religious texts, primarily the Talmud and Torah study. Study is usually done through daily shiurim and in study pairs called chavrutas...
. Upon entering the yeshiva, Yentl befriends a fellow student, Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin
Mandy Patinkin
Mandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
), and meets his fiancée, Hadass (Amy Irving
Amy Irving
Amy Davis Irving is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Crossing Delancey, The Fury, Carrie, and Yentl as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway. She has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and has won an Obie award...
). The story is complicated as Hadass's family cancels her wedding to Avigdor over fears that his family is tainted with insanity, and decides that she should marry Anshel instead. Meanwhile, Hadass develops romantic feelings for Yentl (as Anshel), while Yentl herself is falling in love with Avigdor. After much turmoil, Avigdor and Hadass are reunited, while Yentl leaves Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
to go to America, where she hopes to lead a freer life.
Cast
- Barbra StreisandBarbra StreisandBarbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
as Yentl Mendel - Mandy PatinkinMandy PatinkinMandel Bruce "Mandy" Patinkin is an award-winning American actor of stage and screen and a tenor vocalist. He is a noted interpreter of the musical works of Stephen Sondheim, and is best-known for his work in musical theatre, originating iconic roles such as Georges Seurat in Sunday in the Park...
as Avigdor - Amy IrvingAmy IrvingAmy Davis Irving is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Crossing Delancey, The Fury, Carrie, and Yentl as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway. She has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and has won an Obie award...
as Hadass Vishkower - Nehemiah PersoffNehemiah PersoffNehemiah Persoff is an American film and television character actor. He was born in Jerusalem, Palestine Mandate.Born in what is now part of Israel, Persoff emigrated with his family to the United States in 1929...
as Rebbe Mendel - Steven HillSteven HillSteven Hill is an American film and television actor. His two better-known roles are District Attorney Adam Schiff on the NBC TV drama series Law & Order, whom he portrayed for ten seasons , and Dan Briggs, the original team leader of the Impossible Missions Force on CBS's television series...
as Reb Alter Vishkower - Allan CordunerAllan CordunerAllan Corduner is an English actor.-Early life:Corduner grew up in a secular Jewish home in North London with his mother, father and a younger brother. His mother had escaped to England from Nazi Germany with her family in 1938...
as Shimmele - Miriam MargolyesMiriam MargolyesMiriam Margolyes, OBE is an English actress and voice artist. Her earliest roles were in theatre and after several supporting roles in film and television she won a BAFTA Award for her role in The Age of Innocence .-Early life:...
as Sarah
Soundtrack
The soundtrack was released on LP in November 1983 and CD on October 25, 1990. It was produced by Barbra StreisandBarbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
and Alan
Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman is an American lyricist and songwriter.-Life & career:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows...
and Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman is a composer, songwriter and author.She was born Marilyn Keith in Brooklyn, New York and studied psychology and English at New York University...
, and arranged and conducted by Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
. The music is by Legrand and the lyrics by the Bergmans.
- "Where Is It Written?" [4:52]
- "Papa, Can You Hear Me?Papa, Can You Hear Me?"Papa, Can You Hear Me?" is a 1983 song, performed by Barbra Streisand for the film Yentl. The song was composed by Michel Legrand, with lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman....
" [3.29] - "This Is One Of Those Moments" [4:07]
- "No Wonder" [2:30]
- "The Way He Makes Me FeelThe Way He Makes Me Feel"The Way He Makes Me Feel" is the title of a popular song from 1983 performed by Barbra Streisand. The song is featured in the film adaptation of the play Yentl, in which Streisand starred and sang most of the music...
" [3:44] - "No Wonder" (Part Two) [3:19]
- "Tomorrow Night" [4:43]
- "Will Someone Ever Look at Me That Way?" [3:03]
- "No Matter What Happens" [4:03]
- "No Wonder" (Reprise) [1:05]
- "A Piece of Sky" [4:19]
- "The Way He Makes Me Feel" (Studio version) [4:09]
- "No Matter What Happens" (Studio version) [3:18]
Box office
Yentl was successful at the box office, opening at #5 at the US box office upon its limited releaseLimited release
Limited release is a term in the American motion picture industry for a motion picture that is playing in a select few theaters across the country ....
weekend and stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks, peaking at number 3, in its 3rd week. The film went on to gross more than $40 million at the box office on a budget of $12 million. In rentals it also grossed $19,680,130, giving a total US Box Office gross of $60 million. In Australia
Australia
Australia , officially the Commonwealth of Australia, is a country in the Southern Hemisphere comprising the mainland of the Australian continent, the island of Tasmania, and numerous smaller islands in the Indian and Pacific Oceans. It is the world's sixth-largest country by total area...
, the film grossed $1.7 million and $2.3 million in Sweden.
Home media
Yentl was released on home video in August 1984 on CBS/FOX Home Video (under license from MGM/UA). It was released on DVDDVD
A DVD is an optical disc storage media format, invented and developed by Philips, Sony, Toshiba, and Panasonic in 1995. DVDs offer higher storage capacity than Compact Discs while having the same dimensions....
by MGM (under 20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment
20th Century Fox Home Entertainment is the home video distribution arm of the 20th Century Fox film studio. It was established in 1976 as Magnetic Video Corporation, and later as 20th Century Fox Video, CBS/Fox Video and FoxVideo, Inc....
) on February 3, 2009 as a two-disc "Director's Extended Cut
Director's cut
A director's cut is a specially edited version of a film, and less often TV series, music video, commercials, comic book or video games, that is supposed to represent the director's own approved edit...
" in the widescreen format. A Blu-ray
Blu-ray Disc
Blu-ray Disc is an optical disc storage medium designed to supersede the DVD format. The plastic disc is 120 mm in diameter and 1.2 mm thick, the same size as DVDs and CDs. Blu-ray Discs contain 25 GB per layer, with dual layer discs being the norm for feature-length video discs...
edition has yet to be announced. The DVD includes the theatrical cut, a director's extended cut with added scenes from Streisand's archives, an introduction by Streisand, an audio commentary
Audio commentary
On disc-based video formats, an audio commentary is an additional audio track consisting of a lecture or comments by one or more speakers, that plays in real time with video...
with Streisand and Rusty Lemorande
Rusty Lemorande
Rusty Lemorande is an American screenwriter, director, actor and film producer, who created the 1989 version of Journey to the Center of the Earth.One of Lemorande's first major jobs was production executive for the comedy Caddyshack...
, deleted scene
Deleted scene
In Entertainment, especially the film and television industry, Deleted scenes are parts of a film removed or censored from or replaced by another scene in the final "cut", or version, of a film...
s including a storyboard sequence for a cut song, pre-rehearsal concepts and feature comparisons, stills galleries, and cast and crew info.
Awards
Yentl won an Academy Award in 1984 for Best Adaptation ScoreAcademy Award for Best Original Score
The Academy Award for Original Score is presented to the best substantial body of music in the form of dramatic underscoring written specifically for the film by the submitting composer.-Superlatives:...
, the award going to Michel Legrand
Michel Legrand
Michel Jean Legrand is a French musical composer, arranger, conductor, and pianist...
(music), Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman
Alan Bergman is an American lyricist and songwriter.-Life & career:Born in Brooklyn, New York, he studied at University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill and UCLA. His involvement in the entertainment industry began in the early 1950s as a director of children's television shows...
(lyrics), and Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman
Marilyn Bergman is a composer, songwriter and author.She was born Marilyn Keith in Brooklyn, New York and studied psychology and English at New York University...
(lyrics). Amy Irving
Amy Irving
Amy Davis Irving is an American actress, known for her roles in the films Crossing Delancey, The Fury, Carrie, and Yentl as well as acclaimed roles on Broadway and Off-Broadway. She has been nominated for an Academy Award, two Golden Globes, and has won an Obie award...
was nominated for an Academy Award for Best Actress
Academy Award for Best Actress
Performance by an Actress in a Leading Role is one of the Academy Awards of merit presented annually by the Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences to recognize an actress who has delivered an outstanding performance while working within the film industry...
in a Supporting Role, and the film was also nominated for Best Art Direction/Set Decoration (Roy Walker
Roy Walker (production designer)
Roy Walker is a production designer. He won an Academy Award and was nominated for two more in the category Best Art Direction.-Selected filmography:Walker won an Academy Award for Best Art Direction and was nominated for two more:Won...
, Leslie Tomkins
Leslie Tomkins
Leslie Tomkins is an English art director. He was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film Yentl.-External links:...
, Tessa Davies
Tessa Davies
Tessa Davies was an English set decorator. She carried the suffix MCSD as she was a member of the Chartered Society of Designers. She was nominated for an Academy Award in the category Best Art Direction for the film Yentl. She was bludgeoned to death.-External links:...
).
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Streisand
Barbra Joan Streisand is an American singer, actress, film producer and director. She has won two Academy Awards, eight Grammy Awards, four Emmy Awards, a Special Tony Award, an American Film Institute award, a Peabody Award, and is one of the few entertainers who have won an Oscar, Emmy, Grammy,...
became the first woman to receive a Golden Globe
Golden Globe Award
The Golden Globe Award is an accolade bestowed by the 93 members of the Hollywood Foreign Press Association recognizing excellence in film and television, both domestic and foreign...
for Best Director for the film, and Yentl was nominated for four other Golden Globes also winning the Best Picture (Musical or Comedy) Golden Globe.
Irving was also nominated for the Golden Raspberry Award for Worst Supporting Actress
Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress
The Razzie Award for Worst Supporting Actress is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst supporting actress of the previous year...
, making her one of two actors to be nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie for the same performance (the other is James Coco
James Coco
James Coco was an American character actor.- Early life and career :Born James Emil Coco in New York City, son of Feliche Coco, a shoemaker and Ida Detestes Coco, James began acting straight out of high school. As an overweight and prematurely balding adult, he found himself relegated to character...
for Only When I Laugh
Only When I Laugh (film)
Only When I Laugh is a 1981 film based on Neil Simon's play The Gingerbread Lady.The story is about an alcoholic Broadway actress who tries to stay sober while dealing with the problems of her teenaged daughter and her friends: an overly vain woman who fears the loss of her looks and a gay actor...
). The film also earned Razzie nominations for Barbra Streisand as Worst Actor
Razzie Award for Worst Actor
The Razzie Award for Worst Actor is an award presented at the annual Golden Raspberry Awards to the worst actor of the previous year. The following is a list of nominees and recipients of that award, along with the film for which they were nominated....
(because Yentl appeared as a man throughout the film) and for Worst Musical Score.