Yentl was released on December 9 by Twilight Time.
So, I’m not a musical theater guy. I love West Side Story (mostly for the cinematography), and any time I’ve had the pleasure of attending a stage production of Into The Woods, I get all weepy and contemplative. That’s about all I have to offer in any kind of passionate discourse on the subject. When I solemnly volunteered to cover Yentl’s (apparently some of my Cinapse cohorts got itchy at the idea of watching Babs’ directorial debut) new release, brought to us our friends at Twilight Time, I somehow managed to have forgotten it was a musical. I recognized one song from a Simpsons episode (oh, how cultured I am not), but other than that, I really knew nothing about it. Having experienced it, I can’t say Barbra Streisand has made me any more enthusiastic about musicals, but I am much more enthusiastic about her and her talents.
Based on a treasured novel by revered writer, Isaac Bashevis Singer, Yentl tells a sort of Judeo-feminist romantic fairytale about a young woman who longs for studying over wifedom. Set in the Eastern Europe of 1904, this wish was more than a pipe dream. It was not only law, but considered sinful by most Jews for women in their society to learn anything beyond cooking and cleaning. After her father’s passing, Yentl lops off her lengthy hair, straps the ol’ boobs down and runs away to the nearest educational institution. Along the way, she molds a deep friendship, and deeper crush on the brilliant and handsome Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin). He is forced to break his engagement with his beloved Hadass (pronounced Hah-doss (Amy Irving), he begs Yentl to marry her to ensure she will at least be near him, and needless to say… shit goes down.
In the midst of this problematic love triangle, we are subject to many familiar elements. After all, anyone who has seen any version of Twelfth Knight will see a handful of scenes coming down the shoot before they arrive. What is not expected, however, is just the right amount of perfectly designed scenes investigating a gender, sexuality, and attraction. As Streisand’s character falls more feverishly in love with Avigdor, we see in Patinkin’s performance the baffling confusion of an undeniable attraction to his effeminate little friend. As Twilight Time’s Julie Kirgo so thoroughly explains in the Blu-ray, we are also subject to a genuine female perspective on the nude male body. Not for an instant is a woman the object of the male gaze in this film, and honestly, the very nude Mandy Patinkin is not objectified, either. The glory of the fit male form is, on the contrary, very much the subject of this scene, and Streisand’s handling of it in front of and behind the camera is admirable. As he pleads with his young friend to join him for a swim, Anshel (Yentl’s chosen name as a man) desperately protests. After all, her true gender would be clearly on display for all the men she was deceiving, just as clear as it is that Avigdor is all man.
Despite so many thought-provoking scenes, I was still not completely charmed by this movie. Although Babs shows no shortage of shooting, blocking and acting talent in her directorial debut, her judgment of pace and screenwriting economics could have been better her first time out. I found myself ready for the story to move on from many seemingly less important moments to the next. I can imagine the included Director’s Cut on this release would only be more tedious. That certainly feels nit-picky considering the film as a whole, however. It is gorgeous, visually clever, and when Yentl’s lie is inevitably discovered at the climax, the scene is played powerfully with Avigdor unleashing every ferociously shocked reaction one would expect having been so mind-fucked by the revelation. This is a damn interesting film, particularly for those who dig musicals (nearly every song is performed as a thought in Yentl’s head), and extremely important in the unjustly short history of female movie directors. As co-writer, director, producer, and star of the film, Barbra Streisand thoroughly and passionately created a debut akin to Citizen Kane in many ways. It makes you wonder if her reputation as a “bitch” might simply have been perpetuated by a handful of men made uncomfortable by such a talented woman calling the shots.
THE PACKAGE
Booklet Insert: Julie Kirgo made me laugh, from the gut, out loud with this one, and I also enjoyed her always entertaining summary the film’s production history and significance.
Theatrical Version and Director’s Cut
Introductions: to both the film and the special features by Barbra Streisand herself.
Director’s Reel Featurette: Extended takes of Streisand directing her cast members mid-scene while the camera continued to roll. Really enthralling.
Feature Commentary
Deleted Scenes
Many Behind the Scenes Features
Theatrical Trailers, and More…
Available from Screen Archives Entertainment.
