YENTL [1983 / 2019] [Limited Edition Theatrical and Director's Extended Versions] [Blu-ray + DVD] [UK Release] Nothing’s Impossible! Barbra Streisand is the Star, Director, Producer and Co-writer of this brilliant movie!
Based on Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer's stage play of the same name “Yentl” and was directed, co-produced, co-written and stars the legendary Barbra Streisand as Yentl Mendal, a girl living in an Ashkenazi Shtetl in Poland in 1904. Her father, Rebbe Mendel [Nehemiah Persoff], secretly instructs her in the Talmud despite the forbidden of such study by women according to the customs of her community.
After the death of her father, Yentl Mendal decides to cut her hair short, dress like a man, and take her late brother's name, Anshel Mendel, and enter a Jewish religious school where she befriends fellow student, Avigdor [Mandy Patinkin], and meets his fiancée, Hadass Vishkower [Amy Irving]. Romantic complications soon arise though.
Features a music score and songs composed by the late great Michel Legrand, who won an Oscar® for his work on the film, whilst Barbra Streisand became the first female winner for Best Director at the Golden Globes.
FILM FACT No.1: Awards and Nominations: 1983 National Board of Review, USA: Win: NBR Award for Top Ten Films. 1984 Academy Awards®: Win: Best Music, Original Song Score and Its Adaptation or Best Adaptation Score for Michel Legrand (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics). Nominated: Best Actress in a Supporting Role for Amy Irving. Nominated: Best Art Direction-Set Decoration for Leslie Tomkins, Roy Walker and Tessa Davies. Nominated: Best Music, Original Song for Michel Legrand (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics) for the song "Papa, Can You Hear Me?" Nominated: Best Music, Original Song for Michel Legrand (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics) for the song "The Way He Makes Me Feel." 1984 Golden Globes: Win: Best Director in a Motion Picture for Barbra Streisand. Win: Best Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical. Nominated: Best Performance by an Actress in a Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical for Barbra Streisand. Nominated: Best Performance by an Actor in a Motion Picture in a Comedy or Musical for Mandy Patinkin. Nominated: Best Original Score in a Motion Picture for Michel Legrand (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics). Nominated: Best Original Song in a Motion Picture for Michel Legrand (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics) for the song "The Way He Makes Me Feel." 1984 Italian National Syndicate of Film Journalists: Win: Special Silver Ribbon for Barbra Streisand to the best new director of a foreign film. Nominated: Silver Ribbon for Best Foreign Actress (Migliore Attrice Straniera) for Barbra Streisand. 1984 Razzie Awards: Nominated: Worst Actor for Barbra Streisand. Nominated: Worst Supporting Actress for Amy Irving. Nominated: Worst Musical Score for Michel Legrand (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics). 1985 Grammy Awards: Nominated: Best Album of Original Score Written for a Motion Picture or a Television Special Picture for Michel Legrand (music), Alan Bergman (lyrics) and Marilyn Bergman (lyrics).
FILM FACT No.2: The film ‘YENTL’ is based on Jewish-American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story “Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy.” The production of Barbra Streisand's film ‘YENTL’ was a long and arduous process that delayed the project for over a decade. After reading Jewish-American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer's story "Yentl: The Yeshiva Boy" in 1968, Barbra Streisand sought to make it her next film after her completion of the film ‘Funny Girl.’ The screen rights were gained in 1969, with Barbra Streisand to be the star. In 1971, the Czechoslovakian director Ivan Passer, was originally hired by First Artists to direct the film. Isaac Bashevis Singer wrote the screenplay and retitled it “Masquerade,” but because of his belief that Barbra Streisand's age and celebrity would detract from the film, so eventually Jewish-American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer backed out. ‘YENTL’ was successful at the box office, opening at number 5 at the USA box office upon its limited-release weekend and stayed in the top 10 for 9 weeks, peaking at number three, in its third week. The film went on to gross more than $40,218,899 at the USA and Canadian box office on a budget of $12 million, and was amongst the top 20 highest-grossing films of the year at the box office. Internationally it grossed $28.5 million for a worldwide total of $68.7 million.
Cast: Barbra Streisand, Mandy Patinkin, Amy Irving, Nehemiah Persoff, Steven Hill, Allan Corduner, Ruth Goring, David de Keyser, Bernard Spear, Doreen Mantle, Lynda Baron, Jack Lynn, Anna Tzelniker, Miriam Margolyes, Mary Henry, Robbie Barnett, Ian Sears, Frank Baker, Anthony Dean Rubes, Renata Buser, Kerry Shale, Danny Brainin, Gary Brown, Jonathan Tafler, Peter Whitman, Teddy Kempner, Norma Atallah (uncredited), Mark English (uncredited), Milena Glogarová (uncredited), Derek Lyons (uncredited), Chris Parsons (uncredited) and Peter Ross-Murray (uncredited)
Director: Barbra Streisand
Producers: Barbra Streisand, Larry DeWaay and Rusty Lemorande
Screenplay: Barbra Streisand (screenplay), Jack Rosenthal (screenplay) and Jewish-American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer (story "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy")
Composer: Michel Legrand
Make-up Department: Wally Schneiderman (Chief Make-up Artist), Beryl Lerman (Make-up Artist), Colin Jamison (Chief Hairdresser) and Jan Jamison (Hairdresser)
Costume Design: Judy Moorcroft
Cinematography: David Watkin, B.S.C. (Director of Photography)
Image Resolution: 1080p (Technicolor)
Aspect Ratio: 1.66:1
Audio: English: 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio
English: 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio
English: 2.0 Dolby Digital Stereo Audio
Subtitles: English
Running Time: 133 minutes [Theatrical Version] and 136 minutes [Director's Extended Versions]
Region: Blu-ray: Region B/2 and DVD: PAL
Number of discs: 2
Studio: Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer / United Artists / British Film Institute
Andrew’s Blu-ray Review: ‘YENTL’ [1983] is Barbra Streisand’s directorial debut, who of course is the multi-talented star, who wrote, directed, and produced the film and plays the bright, headstrong title character, a Jewish woman living in early 1900’s Poland whose ambitions are only stunted by one thing: the fact that she is a woman.
‘YENTL’ was released during a brief flurry of cross-dressing films that included ‘Tootsie’ and ‘Victor/Victoria’ and both of which had been enormous critical and commercial successes the prior year. Like those other films, it is a feminist parable cloaked as a raucous adventure. By briefly masquerading as a man, Yentl Mendal is granted the opportunity to understand the limitations imposed on women in a way no other woman could. “While your books argue about chickens,” Hadass Vishkower snaps at Yentl Mendal/Anshel, “I’ve had to pluck them.” Yentl Mendal, too, has only narrowly avoided the same fate of having her intellectual life subsumed beneath the labour of housekeeping.
It is Poland in 1904, and in this small village, teenage Yentl Mendal [Barbra Streisand] stays with her widowed father Rebbe Mendel [Nehemiah Persoff], cooking and cleaning for him, and fetching his groceries. On one such trip to the market, she exhibits a rebellious streak that has been simmering in her consciousness for years now, and tries to buy a book from the bookseller's cart, but he insists women must read picture books, while men are only allowed to study the Talmud and other holy texts. Yentl Mendal is questioned when she tries to buy a book that doesn’t pertain to women’s interests and ends up lying, saying that she’s buying it for her father and one of her father’s pupils even says Yentl Mendal might be a demon because of her knowledge of the Talmud and something Yentl Mendal has picked up from her quietly progressive father. So Yentl Mendal believes this is utterly unfair, and as she has been sneaking reading sessions on her father's tomes for some time, wonders if it is not time for a change?
After her father’s death, Yentl Mendal has an unusual solution so that she must in order to continue her education and enrols in the Yeshiva (Jewish school) under a male guise and Yentl Mendal chops off her hair and goes by the name Anshel and befriends a fellow student named Avigdor [Mandy Patinkin] and Anshel now the Man-style develops a major crush on him. Of course, Avigdor assumes Anshel is just a guy friend and treats him as such, but later admits to having had unexplained feelings for him/her, a surprisingly refreshing admission of sexual identity. Also refreshing is that the film doesn’t force the two together in some sort of “we always belonged together” moment, like most Hollywood films might in the 1980’s.
While Anshel’s feelings for Avigdor develop, another woman enters the picture who is Hadass Vishkower [Amy Irving] and Avigdor fall for each other and intend to marry but when her family opposes the match, Hadass Vishkower ends up marrying Anshel/Yentl, who does her best to postpone private marital activities in order to keep up her appearance. Though Anshel could have easily sabotaged what had developed between Hadass Vishkower and Avigdor, Anshel actually helps the two rekindle their love and always acts compassionately towards Hadass Vishkower, even offering to relay her knowledge of the Talmud and encouraging Hadass Vishkower that she is as deserving of an education as a man.
The film’s continued significance, some 100 years after its events are supposed to have taken place, speaks volumes about traditional Judaism’s foot-dragging attitude toward women’s full partnership in religious life. “My father says a woman who studied Talmud is a demon,” a student of Anshel’s father blurts out to her. Even the sympathetic Avigdor expresses polite disinterest in the interior life of his soon-to-be-bride. Contemporary viewers wonder: How much has changed for Jewish women? When Anshel finally, firmly, breaks free of her constraints, it is by escaping. And finally Yentl ship sets sail for America, and Yentl is able break loose and here we get to see an emotional Barbra Streisand starts singing her amazing triumphant uplifting emotional swan song “Papa, watch me fly!”
‘YENTL’ was a great success and not only did it earn Barbra Streisand her Golden Globe, it also made over $40 million at the box office and on a $12 million budget but it ended up costing about $16 million. Still, Barbra Streisand recalls all the obstacles she met in the process of making the film. “I constantly had to give up everything, and I didn't get paid for writing, bur got paid the Directors Guild scale for directing, which I think is something like $80,000 and then I had to give back half my salary if we went over budget. But it didn't matter to me. Nothing mattered to me except getting this movie made.” “I thought that this kind of work would either kill me or make me stronger,” and Barbra Streisand said, “And it has made me stronger because I survived.” Even for that alone, ‘YENTL’ is an incredible cinematic feat.
YENTL MUSIC TRACK LIST
WHERE IS IT WRITTEN? (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
PAPA, CAN YOU HEAR ME? (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
THIS IS ONE OF THOSE MOMENTS (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
NO WONDER (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
THE WAY HE MAKES ME FEEL (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
TOMORROW NIGHT (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
WILL SOMEONE EVER LOOK AT ME THAT WAY? (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
NO MATTER WHAT HAPPENS (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
A PIECE OF SKY (Uncredited) (Music by Michel Legrand) (Lyrics by Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman) [Performed by Barbra Streisand]
* * * * *
Blu-ray Image Quality – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists and British Film Institute presents us with a spectacular upgraded high definition 1080p image and equally enhanced 1.66:1 aspect ratio, which makes the film look stunning. The sharpness of the image is often excellent, but occasionally a little soft in certain scenes in the film. The colour palette is slightly muted and offers mostly browns and greens, but skin tones seem quite natural. Contrast varies according to certain the light levels and natural light was used whenever feasible, and black levels vary accordingly. The four minutes of scenes which have been added back for the Director’s Cut show obvious slight signs of wear with specks, scratches, and some slight debris. Still, this is the best that the BFI could achieve and has made a good effort to make the film look even better on this Blu-ray disc, and it’s completely free of age-related artefacts except those you get to view included in the deletions special feature. Please Note: Playback Region B/2: This will not play on most Blu-ray players sold in North America, Central America, South America, Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong and Southeast Asia. Learn more about Blu-ray region specifications.
Blu-ray Audio Quality – Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists and British Film Institute brings you a choice of two audio presentations and they are 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio and 5.1 DTS-HD Master Audio experience that really enhances the film and was mastered from the original 4-track stereo mix and is very effective in delivering the dialogue and the lovely composed music by Michel Legrand. But with the 2.0 LPCM Stereo Audio experience probably comes closer to the original theatrical release experience. Dialogue and song lyrics are completely discernible and wonderfully presented, and the music also gets a nice full on audio experience and offers quite impressive fidelity and the British Film Institute has done Ms Barbra Streisand proud and very well deservedly so.
* * * * *
Blu-ray Special Features and Extras:
Includes both Theatrical Version and Ms. Barbra Streisand's Director's Extended Version of the film ‘YENTL’
Special Feature: Audio Commentary with Barbra Streisand and Rusty Lemorande [Audio only] [2019] [1080p] [1.66:1] [133:29] With this featurette, we get to hear this very extra special audio commentary with Barbra Streisand and Co-producer Rusty Lemorande and as the film starts and first up to introduce themselves is Ms Barbra Streisand who tends dominates the conversation, but her remarks are candid and cogent, shedding light on her directorial choices, her perspective regarding the musical numbers, and how she views film as music, with its various tempos and rhythms and at the core of the conversation. Barbra Streisand but first of all basically says that the film ‘YENTL’ is celebrating a silver anniversary 25 years late and talks about the book seller on the horse drawn cart see at the start of the film and he is like a travelling library and is the ultimate person for people to be able to be reading books, education and learning is the core principal of the Jewish faith in the year when the film is set around 1904 and the book seller and Barbra Streisand says it is so nice with a teacher, he doesn’t saying he is teaching you, but his is learning with you, as there is always something more to learn. Barbra Streisand says that this a great thing in making movies, is that you have an image in your head and you say it to the production designer who was the brilliant Roy Walker who she loves, and when Barbra Streisand goes into overdrive in what scenes she wants at the start of the film, loves the fact that Roy Walker and his team provide what Barbra Streisand wants to appear in her film, because you don’t have to worry about the intricate details, it all just happens, and that is why Barbra Streisand was so happy to get the images she wanted to appear at the start of her film. Barbra Streisand wanted asked the people in Czechoslovakia to allow her to film in the Jewish Synagogue in Prague, because Barbra Streisand did not want to use extra actors on how to pray properly and was allowed to film in a real Jewish Synagogue, especially using long lenses to capture the atmosphere in the Synagogue, because Barbra Streisand did not want the men to be interrupted with the movement of the camera among the men and to interrupt them in their prayers and wanted everything to look natural and real. We are also informed that all the costumes everyone is wearing is on pictures Barbra Streisand viewed when researching for the film for the film set in the 1904 period. Now Barbra Streisand says she is sitting here with Rusty Lemorande who was originally Barbra Streisand’s assistant and then became her Co-producer and Rusty Lemorande then says a few words and that is all for the time being. Now Barbra Streisand talks about the town we are viewing in Czechoslovakia and was built by Roy Walker and his team and feels he had done a really magnificent job in making it look like the year 1904. Barbra Streisand says it is a dream to make a movie and it was in 1968 when Barbra received the short story and started filming in 1982 and it took 14 years to bring the film to the screen and reality. Barbra Streisand also says that Valentine Sherry [Director/Producer] sent Barbra the Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story “Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy” and the first four words of the story were and are “After her father’s death” which intrigued Barbra right from the beginning, because it relates when Barbra Streisand’s father passed away when she was on 15 months old, and left an indelible impression on who I am and was so bowled over by the short story and it had captured to Barbra’s feminine leanings, because it was about the unfairness and injustice of a woman not being able to study the Jewish religion like the men were able to do, and again it related to Barbra’s life and her career and touched her in such a special and personal way, so Barbra Streisand called her agent at the time and said to him that she had found her next film project and mentions it is going to be the Isaac Bashevis Singer's short story “Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy” and the agent said to Barbra that he also was sent the book and turned it down flat as he felt it was not right for her, because you had just made the movie ‘Funny Girl’ and again it is about a Jewish girl and with a title like “Yentl, The Yeshiva Boy” that cannot be your next film, and Barbra Streisand felt it was such a wonderful story and that it is such a good story, and first it was not going to be a musical in order to get it made. So Barbra Streisand thought she would take a shot at writing the screenplay on how she wanted the movie to be imagined in her head and the first time Barbra remembered doing on how to expand the short story and how to make it into a film, so Barbra wrote a 42 page outline where the musical numbers would be heard in the film and found it a great deal of fun to do, so Barbra started to put down the storyline she had in her head, but did not put her name to the screenplay, because Barbra did not want people to pre-judge the script, because of Barbra writing the script, but because it was based on the book by Jewish-American writer Isaac Bashevis Singer and so forth, and of course Barbra says I would be acting in the film and directing the film at the same time, felt very strongly there would be a lot of prejudice against Barbra, before they ever read the script, and it described in the book that Yentl was an 18 year old and says let us make a movie where we do not mention her age, because the book is not very well known famous novel, so we decided to make Yentl a 28 year old young lady and a spinster and had never been married and that is the story that Barbra Streisand wanted to be told. Barbra Streisand also says that the actor Nehemiah Persoff who plays her father Rebbe Mendel was so perfect, but on top of all that Nehemiah Persoff was a very kind, warm loving man and was also a very good actor and Barbra seeing the actor for the very first time in the movie playing a taxi driver for the film ‘On The Waterfront’ and found his performance totally memorable. When Barbra Streisand talks about playing Yentl, she always detaches herself from the character Yentl and as a director I always view myself as Yentl, but it is not me, but the character in the movie, Now Rusty Lemorande now comes in and talks about the scene where Yentl has the Jewish shawl over her and talks about the wonderful lighting effect on Barbra Streisand and especially on her face, Barbra Streisand remembers the first day on the set and shaking the hand of the “Key Grip” Frank Batt and his hand was very sweaty and Barbra Streisand said to him, “Your nervous eh” and he replied “Yes,” but reassured him, as Barbra was also very nervous first day on the set of shooting the film, and it was her first ever film of directing the film. Barbra Streisand says that the Roy Walker and his team made her job so much easier and also felt Yentl was in a cage in life, and now we see Yentl looking after the chickens that are also in a cage, so how ironic. Now Barbra Streisand talks about her father Rebbe Mendel is telling Yentl that it is an honour to get married, to have children to teach, and encouraging the female aspect of sex, and what it means to be a woman. Now Barbra Streisand talks about the Cinematography David Watkin and asking him that she wishes that there is a tiny light shining through the trees with the afternoon glow and her father’s face has some light with some natural lighting, and Barbra Streisand got the shot she so wanted, and was greatly achieved by the professional David Watkin and thinks the natural lighting is so beautiful and especially not having extra studio lighting. Now Barbra Streisand starts talking about the Jewish Orthodox Funeral where all are gathered as Yentl’s father Rebbe Mendel has been buried and wanted to show the sadness of the funeral, of how Jewish people mourn at a Jewish Orthodox Funeral, and also talks about the black cloth covering the mirror and the Jewish faith says that it is not a time to look outside yourself of the reflection in the mirror, but time to look inward of yourself, and to reflect on the person who has just died and on your introflexions about the person who has just died, on top of all that, Barbra Streisand wanted the crack in the mirror so it divided the face of Yentl. Now Barbra Streisand says that she had worked all of her acting career with composer Michel Legrand and songwriters Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman and met the three of them when Barbra was 18 years old and the Bergman’s met Barbra in her dressing room in the interval that she shared with American female comedian Phyllis Diller and the Bergman’s said how wonderful she was on stage and that is when it was the start of the long term friendship with the Bergman’s and also had a long term friendship with Michel Legrand and Barbra also said she felt very comfortable with Michel Legrand and also Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman and again it was a great feeling working with all three of them again on the film ‘YENTL.’ Barbra Streisand believes the film ‘YENTL’ is “a celebration of women and their capacities,” and talks at length about the project's genesis and a 14-year gestation, the prejudice she had to fight to get the movie made, and the intimate collaborations with her crew that allowed her vision to be realised. Barbra Streisand also gives great praise of everyone in the crew, and whenever Barbra asked the crew to do something, they would say “nothing is impossible” and again says she loved her crew working in harmony with her to achieve what Barbra wanted her film ‘YENTL’ to look like up there on the big silver screen. At around chapter 3 we see Anshel is crossing the river on a raft that Roy Walker and his crew had built and we see an Inn across the river and as Anshel walks into the Inn, Barbra Streisand again praise Roy Walker and his crew for what they built and making the Inn look it was actually 1904 and again praises Roy Walker and his team making it look so realistic and again praises the whole set. Barbra also praises David Watkins beautiful lighting inside the Inn and the only lighting was from studio lighting being projected through the windows and Barbra wished she could have the Inn built in her back garden, as she fell in love with the Inn and the whole building. Because Barbra Streisand is a stage actress primarily, that is why Barbra likes long takes of scenes in the film ‘YENTL,’ because she wants scenes to be like natural life, and Barbra Streisand also says that in England the crew were extremely accommodating towards her as the director and they were not threatened by the fact that Barbra was a woman director, because in England at the time of filming had Queen Elizabeth II on the thrown and that also at the same time had a woman Prime Minister who of course was Margaret Thatcher and felt the crew was there to serve the woman director’s vision, and again comments that the crew again were very accommodating in giving Barbra Streisand’s vison on how she wanted the film to look. Another thing Barbra Streisand points out is that she felt the film was basically in black-and-white with colour added, because all the men were in black clothing, which she really loved. After we see the naked swimming scene and Avigdor tries to drag Anshel into the river to swim and desperately rebels against being dragged into the river, and we see Anshel hurry away from Avigdor and Barbra Streisand says that this scene was a lot of fun and was actually filmed in England because Barbra and a wonderful female understudy actress and Barbra likes everybody to feel a part of the movie so they can contribute something important and so I let my actress understudy so I can study how the actor runs through the trees and asked Peter MacDonald the camera operator for a good effect with the trees moving so I can see what it looks like on the screen. Barbra Streisand now says that to me film is like music, it has a rhythm; it has “Staccato” passages with each note sharply detached or separated from the others, it has “Legato” passages indicates that musical notes are played or sung smoothly and connected, as well as movement, and Barbra just interpreted film like music. Barbra Streisand now comments on the Steadicam operator Garrett Brown and says he invented the item in 1975 and praises what he achieved with his filming technique and also praised Roy Walker our production designer who she thought was divine, and made Barbra’s job do great, and when Barbra wants to look feminine, I only want to get filmed on my good side of my face. Once again Barbra Streisand goes into 100% frenetic overdrive again about the lighting, and I say for god sake Barbra please give it a rest and stop being pedantic, verbose and obtuse about the subject, because to be honest ordinary cinema goers couldn’t care less about the lighting techniques in your film ‘YENTL,’ they just want to watch the film and not have to worry about whether the lighting is perfect or not, so please give it a rest. Another annoying thing Barbra keeps going on about is that she always wants things to flow, not to stop, so the camera accommodates the actor, and again Barbra says that being from the theatre, I like to play a whole scene and not have them cut it, but with film I like the camera to dance with the actors and how they move together, and how do they complement one another, how do they fit, and how do you tell the story without having to cut a scene, so the actors have a way to experience the complete theme with all the emotions in that scene, it is so much fun. At chapter 7, Barbra Streisand is in a scene as Anshel at a dinner table with the actress Amy Irving as Hadass in the scene serving food, and Barbra says that Amy Irving really related to Barbra as the man Anshel and you see Hadass takes Anshel hand, and Barbra says, so I let Amy Irving hold my hand and I didn’t want to squash her fantasy thinking she was holding a man’s hand, which Barbra gives a little giggle of laughter. Once again Barbra Streisand praises the camera operator Peter MacDonald and at times would describe to him the size of the lens to shoot in what I imagined and I did not have to know the names of the lenses of what I was thinking in my mind. Barbra Streisand says she believes that it you believe inside what you are doing, somehow the audience will believe and the public will believe, and sometimes I don’t want the public to recognise me when I go out shopping like say at a flea market buying antiques, and if I just think of myself as little Barbra Joan Streisand before I was famous, just like the girl I am, then nobody seems to recognise me, but as soon as I say, wow they don’t recognise me, but all of a sudden they start to recognising me, because of my Self-consciousness. Now how ironic, because Barbra Streisand praises the film editor Terry Rawlings with the rapid and frantic scenes between the two Jewish tailors working on the wedding outfit for Anshel and the actual wedding scene and Barbra says Terry Rawlings was a doll and so professional to work with and was also very talented and was very visually working with him, and Barbra cannot believe it is 22 years since directing the film ‘YENTL,’ and I have special place in my heart with everyone who worked with me on the movie. Sometimes Rusty Lemorande would now and again says a few words about certain scenes with Barbra in and then goes very quiet for most of the time and of course Barbra Streisand makes up for him not contributing to this audio commentary. Now Barbra Streisand comes back in again and talking about the scene with Anshel, Avigdor and Hadass in the dining room and Anshel has just brought in the tea on a silver tray and now we have the reversal of gender of Anshel acting like a nervous Hadass and now acting like a female, and of course Hadass still does not know Anshel is a woman and her feminine aspect is starting to creep into her behaviour. When we see Anshel and Hadass in the bedroom together as a married couple, Barbra says that Anshel and Hadass’s relationship is very kind to one another and Barbra thinks that is very important to work for in any marriage no matter what sex they are, and Barbra feels that is love. At chapter 10, Barbra Streisand says that when we were shooting the horse drawn wagon trip with Avigdor and Anshel going to the big city and Barbra negotiated with the Government of Czechoslovakia to close the 1357 medieval stone arch Saint Charles Bridge that crosses the Vltava River in Prague, in the Czech Republic that had never been closed since it was built, and we had 500 extras in 1904 costumes walking on the bridge and just before shooting the scene, they had a massive heavy rain storm and Barbra felt it was our worst nightmare and so Barbra prayed as hard as she could for the rain to stop, and sure enough the sky opened up and suddenly Barbra was able to get the scene she wanted shot with the 500 extras crossing the bridge in their 1904 costumes, and we got the scene in the can, and it was all about taking risk, and that is what so fun about making movies, and Barbra likes that danger, and that line between the financial headache and the total creative expression, and again Barbra says that our motto was “Nothing is impossible.” Barbra also says that she thought that every time Yentl made a step forward, a big step, a big leap in the journey of her life, that she would cross over water and the body of water would bet bigger and bigger and bigger, and at the end of the movie, Yentl crosses over the vast ocean into another place where she will be able to be her whole self, and Barbra says again, that years later I was thinking about that water represents the element that creates emotion and passion in our bodies. It brings strong, watery emotions and feelings: depth, mystery, and longing. It's different from the emotions of the fire element, which are fierier and so have to do with hot passion, rage, and excitement, and also water's emotion is more subdued and deep. When we see Yentl writing the letter to Avigdor and Hadass, Barbra says that Hadass has now defied her Jewish Orthodox parents to be with Avigdor, because Hadass wanted what she wanted out of life, which I suppose it had all been down to Anshel’s teachings in secret for Hadass as well as the kindness Anshel gave to Hadass with their brief marriage together to make her independent and to make her own mind in life in general, and will also not be a docile woman being with Avigdor and also to have Hadass be an equal to Avigdor and now everyone has grown in strength. At chapter 12, we see Yentl on the R.E.A.S.C. MOSKVA boat going to America and Barbra says they had to get a special crane fitted to the end of the boat to get the amazing specific shot that Barbra specifically wanted, and the scene was shot with the setting sun, and camera operator Peter McDonald said shoot the scene anyway even though there is not enough light and see what happens, and Barbra says it worked beautifully. Barbra Streisand then says to Rusty Lemorande, “Guess how much it cost to rent the boat, and how much do you think it is,” and of course Rusty Lemorande replies he did not know, and of course Barbra says, “It cost $15,000.” Barbra also comments that she wanted the credits to be at the end of the movie, and mentions that director William Wyler had his credit at the end of the film ‘Funny Girl,’ so of course Barbra wanted to do the same. So at that point the audio commentary with Barbra Streisand and Rusty Lemorande comes to an end and I cannot understand why Barbra Streisand had Rusty Lemorande to be allowed to with her, because Rusty Lemorande hardly said more than 10 minutes contribution and it would have been far more superior to have Ms Barbra Streisand all on her own and especially doing her very own unique and very special audio commentary.
Special Feature: Deleted Scenes [2009 / 1983] [1080p / 1080i] [1.78:1 / 1.66:1] [16:46] With this featurette, we get a personal introduction from Ms Barbra Streisand and presents a selection of eleven deleted scenes that were sadly cut to keep the films running time of just over 133 minutes for the Theatrical Release of ‘YENTL,’ and director Barbra Streisand explains that she loves to do long takes of scenes in the film, and again mentions she wants to tell a story, and again praises her wonderful camera operator Peter McDonald who Barbra says he was so very helpful towards Barbra. Sadly some of the deleted scenes were not of very good quality.
Special Feature: Theatrical Trailer [1983] [1080p] [1.66:1] [3:17] With this featurette, we get view the Original Theatrical Trailer for the film ‘YENTL’ and pretty much informs us of the story, so be sure not watch this Original Theatrical Trailer prior to viewing the film ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: ‘YENTL’ Image Gallery: With this featurette, we get to view some wonderful stunning colourful 1080p images related to all aspect the film ‘YENTL.’ But unfortunately, I felt this featurette went on far too long. Running time: 8:44
* * * * *
DVD Special Features and Extras:
Special Feature: Introduction [Part One] [2009] [1080i] [1.78:1] [1:50] With this featurette, Barbra Streisand talks about some of the approaches she took while making the film ‘YENTL’ and in this first introduction it was made for the 25th Anniversary DVD release of ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: Introduction [Part Two] [2009] [1080i] [1.78:1] [3:00] With this featurette, we have this second introduction with Barbra Streisand who discusses the production of the film ‘YENTL’ and of the films key motif. Once again, this second introduction it was made for the 25th Anniversary DVD release of ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: The Director's Reel [2009 / 1983] [1080i / 480i] [1.78:1] [6:53] With this featurette, Barbra Streisand demonstrates her approach as an actor and director, and the benefits of being able to guide her cast from within a particular scene in the film ‘YENTL,’ which of course at the same time we get to view quite a few scenes from the 1983 film ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: The Rehearsal Process [2009 / 1983] [480i / 1080i] [1.78:1] [28:52] With this featurette, we are informed that during pre-production Barbra Streisand enlisted the help of the family, friends and colleagues to act out key scenes. These clips were then used as valuable points of reference when it came to filming in Europe. Keep an eye out from Michel Legrand and Alan Bergman and Marilyn Bergman. We also get to view black-and-white and colour scenes. Now and again we get to view some slips from the film ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: “Where Is It Written?” [1983] With this featurette, we get to view two special features and they are as follows:
Original Rehearsal concept [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [5:36] What we get to view is Part Two of an extension to The Rehearsal Process featurette and of course you get to view video rehearsal footage with Barbra Streisand.
Rehearsal/Feature compared [1983] [480i / 1080i] [1.78:1] [5:07] Now we get to view Part Three of an extension to The Rehearsal Process featurette, but this time you get to view some clips from the film ‘YENTL.’ What is sort of annoying is that what we view scenes of the rehearsal and they keep get repeated in these two featurettes far too often.
Special Feature: “No Wonder” [Reprise] [1983] With this featurette, we get to view the following:
Pre-rehearsal/Feature compared [1983] [480i / 1080i] [1.78:1] [3:24] Now we get to view Part Four of an extension to The Rehearsal Process featurette, but this time you get to view certain scenes in rehearsal, but this time you also get to see the same actual scenes in the film ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: “Tomorrow Night” [1983] With this featurette, you get to view the following:
Pre-rehearsal concept [1983] [480i] [1.78:1] [5:00] Now we get to view Part Five of an extension to The Rehearsal Process featurette, but this time you get to view Anshel getting fitted out for his wedding outfit by the two Jewish tailors the we get to view the wedding ceremony.
Pre-rehearsal/Feature compared [1983] [480i / 1080i] [1.78:1] [5:33] Now we get to view Part Five of an extension to The Rehearsal Process featurette, but this time you get to see again Anshel getting fitted out for his wedding outfit by the two Jewish tailors the we get to view the wedding ceremony, but then you get to see the same two scenes in the film ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: “Will Someone Ever Look At Me That Way” [1983] With this featurette, we get to view the following:
Pre-rehearsal/Feature compared [1983] [480i / 1080i] [1.78:1] [2:28] Now we get to view Part Six of an extension to The Rehearsal Process featurette, but this time you get to view a certain scene in rehearsal, but then you get to see the same actual scene in the film ‘YENTL.’ This is the final part of the whole of The Rehearsal Process extras.
Special Feature: Deleted Songs [Storyboard Montage] [1983] With this featurette, we get to view two songs that were cut from the final ‘YENTL’ film and here are presented the two songs with their montage storyboard and they are as follows:
“The Moon and I” [Storyboard Montage] [1983] [1080i] [1.60:1] [3:48]
“Several Sins a Day” [Original VHS Storyboard Montage] [1983] [480i] [1.37:1] [3:42]
Please Note: In getting Barbra Streisand’s personal Storyboard Montage presented with their illustrated storyboard montage, it gives you an idea how they might have appeared in the film ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: Barbra's 8mm Concept Film [1983] With this featurette, we get to view personal footage assemble by Barbra Streisand to help crystalize her vision for the film ‘YENTL’ and help to find finance for its production, and it's really little more than a travelogue, featuring shots of Barbra Streisand wandering through various picturesque Czechoslovakian locations, many of which would end up in the finished film and this is what we get to view:
Barbra's 8mm Concept Film [2009 / 1983] [1080i / 480i] [1.37:1] [8:35] Here we get to view Barbra Streisand’s 8mm Home Video Concept Film for the film ‘YENTL’ with the added bonus of the narration by Ms Barbra Streisand.
Barbra's 8mm Concept Film [2009 / 1983] [1080i / 480i] [1.37:1] [8:35] Here we get to view Barbra Streisand’s 8mm Home Video Concept Film for the film ‘YENTL,’ but this time it is without the narration by Ms Barbra Streisand, but as an extra added bonus, we get to hear in the background the beautiful atmospheric composed film score by Michel Legrand.
Special Feature: Teaser Trailer [1983] [1080i] [1.66:1] [1:26] With this featurette, we get view the Teaser Trailer for the film ‘YENTL’ and pretty much informs us of the story, so be sure not to watch this Teaser Trailer prior to viewing the film ‘YENTL.’
Special Feature: My Wonderful Cast and Crew [1983] [1080i] [1.78:1] [7:19] With this featurette, we get to view a montage of behind-the-scenes footage of the production team. This wonderful delightful montage identifies almost everyone who worked on the film, and just might have been the end credit sequence Barbra Streisand wished she could have included. Comprises of a multitude of behind-the-scenes clips of Barbra Streisand directing, the piece ends with a humorous take on Mandy Patinkin's nude scene, featuring outtakes of the actor frolicking in the buff. As an added bonus, once again we get to hear in the background the beautiful atmospheric composed film score by Michel Legrand.
BONUS: Beautiful luxury fully illustrated 34 page booklet with writing on the film and full film credits and includes: FLOWING THROUGH MY BODY IS A RIVER OF SURPRISE: REWATCHING YENTL IN 2019 by So Mayer and what get in this special article is different headings that explains different aspects of the Jewish faith and those headings are BIKHER, TALLIT, KADDISH, MISHNAH/MIKVEH and ALIYAH. BARBRA STEISAND: A CAREER by Heather Osborn. MICHEL LEGRAND: THE MUISC NEVER DIES by Nicholas Pillai. SPECIAL FEATURES. ABOUT THE TRANSFERS. ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. What we also get to see is lots of wonderful colourful promotional photos from the film ‘YENTL.’
Finally, ‘YENTL’ was of course Barbra Streisand’s first film as a named director, and has magnificent singing and a simple, touching emotional story that is still an admirable technical and artistic achievement. Barbra Streisand's first film as a director, which is based on a story by Isaac Bashevis Singer, and is definitely an earnest, and totally passionate effort. Imprisoned behind the bars of the synagogue’s balcony, forbidden to enter the men’s study hall, Yentl is a bird whose wings have been clipped before she has even had the chance to take flight. It has charming moments, some outstanding performances, pays beautiful attention to the detail of an Eastern European culture destroyed decades later by the Holocaust, and focuses on the always pertinent human desire to reach one's full potential. The release of ‘YENTL’ by the Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer, United Artists and the British Film Institute Blu-ray disc comes with a wealth of extras, and is totally perfect for any Barbra Streisand fans out there, which of course I am one of them. Very Highly Recommended!
Andrew C. Miller – Your Ultimate No.1 Film Aficionado
Le Cinema Paradiso
United Kingdom
