Yentl
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Yentl is a 1983 Academy Award and Golden Globe Award winning American film. It is based upon the short story "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy", by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Barbra Streisand was producer, director, writer and star. Rusty Lemorande was also a producer of the film. Jack Rosenthal was also involved in the writing for this movie. It won an Academy Award for original song score, composed by Michel Legrand, to lyrics by Alan and Marilyn Bergman.
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[edit] Plot
The film is about a young Jewish woman named Yentl (played by Streisand) living in Poland during the early 20th century. Her widowed father has encouraged his curious daughter by teaching her the Talmud in secret, despite social-religious restrictions barring women from such study. Upon his death, she disguises herself as a man (under the name of her deceased brother Anshel) and travels to another town in order to continue these studies at a yeshiva (a religious school). Soon, however, Yentl's disguise entwines her in a gender-bending entanglement with her study-partner Avigdor (played by Mandy Patinkin) and Avigdor's intended, Hadass (played by Amy Irving).
In spite of some wildly mixed reviews (critics called the film everything from a masterpiece to a disaster), the film was a solid hit; grossing over $50 million in the US alone.
[edit] Music
Except for an accompanimental melody hummed by Irving during one number, the solo vocals for all the songs in the film are performed by Streisand in the form of soliloquies. Perhaps best known of these are "The Way He Makes Me Feel" and "Papa, Can You Hear Me?". Some numbers, such as "This Is One of Those Moments" and "Tomorrow Night" are weaved intricately into the dialogue and action of the respective scenes. Two of the songs -- "The Way He Makes Me Feel" and "No Matter What Happens" -- were recorded also in studio versions by Streisand.
[edit] Awards and nominations
- Won: Best Original Score
- Nominated: Best Art Direction
- Nominated: Best Supporting Actress (Amy Irving)
- Nominated: Best Song (The Way He Makes Me Feel)
- Nominated: Best Song (Papa, Can You Hear Me?)
- Nominated: Academy Award for Best Costume
- Won: Best Motion Picture - Musical or Comedy
- Won: Best Director - Motion Picture (Barbra Streisand)
- Nominated: Best Original Score
- Nominated: Best Actor - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Mandy Patinkin)
- Nominated: Best Actress - Motion Picture Musical or Comedy (Barbra Streisand)
- Nominated: Best Original Song (The Way He Makes Me Feel)
- Nominated: Worst Musical Score
- Nominated: Worst Actor (Barbra Streisand)
- Nominated: Worst Supporting Actress (Amy Irving)
- Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists
- Won: Special Silver Ribbon (Best New Director of a Foreign Film)
[edit] Trivia
- As of June 2006, Yentl remains the only movie to have been nominated for both Best Musical Score at the AMPAS and Worst Musical Score at the Golden Raspberry Awards (i.e., the Razzies). In addition, Amy Irving became the first actress to be nominated for an Oscar and a Razzie as Best and Worst Supporting Actress (respectively) for her role in this film.
- Yentl was mentioned in the South Park first season episode "Mecha-Streisand". When Leonard Maltin picks up Chef to help track down Barbra Streisand he asks Chef whether or not he has seen her and Chef replies "No, not since Yentl."
- Yentl was also referenced in the Drawn Together episode "Terms of Endearment" when the housemates are playing Pictionary. Spanky Ham has drawn the movie poster for Jaws, and describes the movie as "About a horrible, violent monster." When the time is up, Spanky exclaims that he was talking about Yentl, and walks out of the room.
[edit] See also
[edit] External links
- Yentl at the Internet Movie Database
