{"id":14090,"date":"2021-05-20T16:58:21","date_gmt":"2021-05-20T20:58:21","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=14090"},"modified":"2026-05-05T11:09:49","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T15:09:49","slug":"yentl-1983","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/?p=14090","title":{"rendered":"Yentl-1983"},"content":{"rendered":"

Yentl-1983<\/strong><\/p>\n

Director Barbra Streisand<\/strong><\/p>\n

Starring Barbra Streisand<\/strong><\/p>\n

Scott’s Review #1,144<\/strong><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/a><\/p>\n

Reviewed May 20, 2021<\/p>\n

Grade: B+<\/strong><\/p>\n

Feeling slightly dated nowadays, perhaps for the year it was made, Yentl (1983) is nonetheless a very good watch, if only for Barbra’s performance alone.<\/p>\n

Who else could I be talking about other than superstar Barbra Streisand?<\/p>\n

It is astounding that she also directed the film, which was rare for a female to do in those days. Even in 2021, only two women had won the coveted Best Director Oscar.<\/p>\n

Mind-blowing. Streisand was snubbed in this category and was understandably miffed.<\/p>\n

But I’ll get down from my soapbox.<\/p>\n

Streisand plays the title role.<\/p>\n

Yentl is a bookish girl and the daughter of a respected Talmud teacher who instructs her, even though he is female, not male. This is forbidden in their culture.<\/p>\n

Her father dies, leaving Yentl to her own devices and determinations.<\/p>\n

She disguises herself as a boy to gain entry to a yeshiva and meets Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), whom she becomes fascinated by. But he only has eyes for Hadass (Amy Irving), whom he is supposed to marry.<\/p>\n

This results in a triangle of sorts, but not in the traditional sense. Hadass develops feelings for Anshel (really Streisand as Yentl in drag). After they marry (unconsummated), Anshel falls in love with Avigdor.<\/p>\n

This may sound like a comedy rather than a drama, and it does contain a bit of each, but the romantic interludes, misunderstandings, and misinterpretations are not the film’s best parts.<\/p>\n

The main themes of faith and romance are center stage. Streisand may have had feminism on her mind with the film, but I didn’t find this a major point, except for Yentl refusing to marry a man.<\/p>\n

She pretends to be a boy because females are repressed in the religion. A real win would have been Yentl embracing faith as she is, but for 1983, the message isn’t a bad one.<\/p>\n

Still, we are supposed to want Yentl and Avigdor to live happily ever after, but I never felt very much of a connection to the couple.<\/p>\n

The best parts of Yentl are the musical score and the songs the audience is treated to. The highlight is the emotionally charged “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” which is a gorgeous moment for Yentl.<\/p>\n

Yentl leaves Europe aboard a boat bound for the United States, where she hopes to lead a freer life. With a smile on her face, she rises above and into a new day.<\/p>\n

It’s a dynamic singing performance that elevates the film beyond what it would have been without the number. It’s like the perfect culminating Streisand moment.<\/p>\n

The romantic moments are unfulfilling and predictable, but the film is about Streisand and Streisand alone. As good as Patinkin and Irving are, they take a backseat to the illustrious star. We never even get to see Patinkin sing.<\/p>\n

I’m okay with this. I watched Yentl (1983) for the enormous talents of its star. Her singing, acting, and directing all make the film a worthwhile and engaging experience.<\/p>\n

It’s not a great film, and other Streisand films are better- I’m thinking of Funny Girl (1968) and Hello, Dolly (1969), but it’s way above average.<\/p>\n

Oscar Nominations: 1 win-<\/strong>Best Supporting Actress-Amy Irving, Best Art Direction, Best Original Score (won)<\/strong>, Best Original Song-“Papa, Can You Hear Me?”, “The Way He Makes Me Feel”<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Yentl-1983 Director Barbra Streisand Starring Barbra Streisand Scott’s Review #1,144 Reviewed May 20, 2021 Grade: B+ Feeling slightly dated nowadays, perhaps for the year it was made, Yentl (1983) is nonetheless a very good watch, if only for Barbra’s performance alone. Who else could I be talking about other than superstar Barbra Streisand? It is … Continue reading Yentl-1983<\/span> →<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[181,192,47,188,222],"tags":[1099,820,1261,10715,10716],"class_list":["post-14090","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-1983films","category-dramas","category-musicals","category-musicdramas","category-romantic-dramas","tag-amy-irving","tag-barbra-streisand","tag-mandy-patinkin","tag-nehemiah-persoff","tag-steven-hill"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14090","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=14090"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14090\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":23064,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/14090\/revisions\/23064"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=14090"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=14090"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/scottsfilmreviews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=14090"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}