Yentl

You may love her or hate but the truth should be admitted - Streisand is an extremely talented artist. "Yentl' is her baby of directing, producing, co-writing and starring as a girl who wants to study and become a rabbi and who has to disguise herself as a boy to be accepted in a college. Streisand had fought the studio for 15 years to get it made, and she put her heart into this. Barbra is a gifted director, and the film is beautifully shot. I liked her acting - I thought she was convincing and touching when her character started to fall in love with a fellow student (very appealing Mandy Patinkin, "Hello, my name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father: prepare to die" of "The Princess Bride") and had to hide her feelings. I also like her singing and I think that the songs belong to the film and can not be taken out of the context.

7.5/10

To learn that Barbra Streisand not only starred in this movie but also directed it is quite startling. She is clearly a multitalented powerhouse. A voice, acting talent and an ability to direct a film.

I thought her voice really lent itself to the film. It was also a welcome reprieve from the heavy dialogue about Jewish philosophy or whatever it was they were studying.

The main characters all deserve accolades. Mandy Patinkin as Avigdor is able to channel his masculinity with so much strength. The anger he exhibits during his rages feels raw and unrestrained. There is a palpable tension between him and Barbra throughout the movie as one questions where the story is actually going. I thought that perhaps his attraction to Hental might lead into an LGBT storyline of gay love but where it actually went was just as good.

Amy Irving, the irresistable Hadass, is enchanting and showcases an enormous talent of emotional capacity in her relationship with Anshel. Her attraction to Anshel comes off as incredibly authentic, which is a feat considering the fact that Anshel isn't a man at all.

The movie has enormous charm in the set design alone. There is beauty in the way the tables are laid and it is clear that so much attention was paid to the small details that combine to create a believable Eastern European environment.

One gripe that I do have with the film is that Barbra does not make for a believable man. At all. It's one thing for all of the men in the movie to believe she is a man, but it's another thing for all the women to, especially her "wife". In reality, women (and most men, I would expect), would be able to clock her from a mile away. Yet, she does do the role justice with her incredible voice and her acting is admirable as well.

All in all a thoroughly enjoyable film that I think challenges a lot of notions about women but also about the camaraderie between men and expectations in marriage.

I recommend you see this movie if only for the singing at the end! It is wonderful! I am only a new-comer to Streisand movies, but I loved her in 'The Mirror Has Two Faces', and 'The Prince of Tides'. I saw the end of 'Yentl' when it was on TV a few months ago and absolutely loved the singing, and after seeing 'The Prince of Tides', I had to borrow it out just to see another Streisand movie! 'Yentl' is inspirational, and the singing is great! I recommend it!

for basic idea of equal rights out of any feminism. for the flavor of "80 years and for slices of shtetl life, for Jew space in Russian Empire as place of interior freedom, for music and for the delicate story. for last image of a way to happiness. for fabulous role of young Yentl/Anschel and for fragile performance of Amy Irving. it is difficult to define it.because it is a profound humanist pledge for normality. not accusation against a community. not stone against rules.but a open window.that is all. central piece - courage. central message - nothing is impossible. axis - force to be yourself. after 20 years, it is more important today.because in time of globalization, time of positive discrimination, Yentl is a wise advise. and good model to build personal trip in life.

A very different type of musical/drama. If you watch unbiased, I think you will find it has a little something for everyone. The film has beautiful direction, wonderful performances, lovely music, some sly humor, and is truly inspirational.

Barbra Streisand had wanted to make this film since 1968, but everyone in the industry told her she was crazy. In 1979, she was still determined to make the film, even if the studio's weren't. She was turned down by every motion picture company at least twice, until finally in the early eighties, MGM/UA picked up the project. Made on a then-above average budget of about $14 million, YENTL was released to mostly positive reviews and eventually grossed a surprisingly strong $50 million in the US alone and did twice as well around the world. The only disappointment is that Streisand was snubbed by Oscar.