Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Yentl Blu-ray Movie Review

Don't rain on her study of the Talmud.

Reviewed by Jeffrey Kauffman December 18, 2014

As I mentioned in a review of the DVD release of Yentl several years ago for another site, when I was watching the film one of my then young sons wandered by the television and asked, “Is this a scary movie?” to which I replied (somewhat to his consternation), “Barbra Streisand completely in control of everything—you decide!” Streisand has long labored under the probably unfair image of her as a totalitarian “rhymes with witch”, when she would no doubt argue a forceful male personality would be labeled somewhat differently— like a “leader,” for example. Streisand’s power in the film industry probably reached its apex with Yentl, a project she shepherded for literally years before it made it to the screen. Reportedly as early as 1968, when Streisand was flush with success over her cinematic triumph in Funny Girl, a film which famously co-won her a Best Actress Academy Award (in the only Best Actress tie in Oscar history, an award shared with the inimitable Katharine Hepburn for The Lion in Winter). Perhaps already letting it be known that what she really wanted to do was direct, Streisand started making plans to adapt the Isaac Bashevis Singer story Yentl: The Yeshiva Boy, optioning the property and rather quickly moving into pre- production. That initial quick start turned into an arduous decade and a half ordeal as various studios fought back over the idea of La Streisand actually directing (the nerve of that woman!), not to mention a subject matter that didn’t necessarily scream universal appeal. Several times the film seemed to be moving ahead, especially after it was rethought as a musical, but a number of obstacles (including, oddly, the monumental failure of Heaven's Gate ) repeatedly scuttled plans. Studios and producing partners (not to mention a couple of non-Streisand directors) came and went, but finally filming started in 1982, with Streisand on board as director and star, bringing to life Singer’s tale of a shtetl girl posing as a man in order to be better schooled in Judaism, something that was a definite “no no” in the culture of the times. Streisand no doubt saw parallels between the trials of Yentl Mendel (played of course by Babs herself), a young woman (upped in age from Singer’s original story in order to better match Streisand’s own vintage) who seeks to make a go of it in a decided “man’s world.” But there are also echoes of Streisand’s private life running throughout the film, including a touching depiction of a daughter’s love for her deceased father.

Much as with Fiddler on the Roof, Yentl takes the viewer back to the days of a perhaps impossibly picturesque shtetl, where Yentl has been receiving surreptitious schooling in the Talmud and Torah from her father (Nehemiah Persoff). When her father dies, Yentl decides impetuously to continue her studies by disguising herself as a male and entering a yeshiva, where she quickly meets and is taken under the brotherly wing of Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin). Avigdor, like Yentl herself (now calling herself Anshel), is nursing wounds from a recent death, and perhaps sees “Anshel” as a replacement for his deceased little brother. Avigdor is engaged to Hadass (Amy Irving), setting up what is a somewhat sexually ambiguous “love triangle,” as Yentl of course begins to have romantic feelings for Avigdor. The film moves into more farcical territory when a number of developments result in Yentl “marrying” Hadass (as “Anshel,” of course).

It’s well nigh impossible to separate Yentl from Barbra Streisand, and that tends to work both for and against one’s impressions of the film itself. If you’re a Streisand fan, Yentl provides more than ample proof of what a multitalented artist she is. If, on the other hand, you fall into the camp of detractors of this controversial performer, chances are you’ll see Yentl as one of the more self- indulgent star vehicles of its era. Streisand may in fact be “ready for her close-up,” but the fact that she as director is orchestrating those very close-ups makes Yentl a kind of peculiar outing where, to slightly misappropriate another Streisand directorial effort’s title, the mirror has only one face—Barbra Streisand.

The film does feature an absolutely lush (and Oscar winning) score from Michel Legrand and iconic lyricists Marilyn and Alan Bergman. The Bergmans rank as my all time favorite lyricists, able to inject pure poetry into otherwise patent pop formulations, and there is certainly no more sophisticated film composer than Legrand, but that very elegance tends to work against the contention that these are “simple” characters going about their business in a decidedly unsophisticated time. Yentl probably wisely uses the song score mostly as inner monologues for the characters (in much the same way 1969’s Goodbye, Mr. Chips did), keeping this intimate tale from tipping over into an “all singing, all dancing” ambience.

Yentl, probably like Streisand herself, has some outsized ambitions, trying to deal with weighty issues like gender roles, incipient patriarchalism in religion, and the vagaries of romance just for good measure. It’s testament to Streisand’s directorial sureness that the film is able to traffic (some might argue wallow) in pathos one moment and then explode into exuberant farce the next. The performances are geniunely moving quite a bit of the time, with both Streisand and Patinkin less mannered than they occasionally reveal themselves to be in other projects. Amy Irving, the only Oscar nominated member of the principal cast, does fine work as well, actually bringing home the point of what being a woman in those times might have really been like. As I mentioned in my DVD review from years ago, while Yentl is too urbane for its own good, it also provides a generally rousing depiction of a woman’s struggle to empower herself. The fact that Yentl’s story so obviously mirrors Streisand’s simply helps to make the film relevant beyond the epoch of its setting.

Yentl Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Yentl is presented on Blu-ray with an AVC encoded 1080p transfer in 1.66:1. Oswald Morris was famously "accused" of having shot Fiddler on the Roof with a silk stocking draped over his lens, and much the same ambience pervades Yentl's cinematography by David Watkin (Oscar winner for Out of Africa, rather shockingly his only Academy Award nomination). The film has a soft, gauzy appearance that approaches a painterly ambience, especially when Streisand lingers on agrarian scenes showing the simple lives of these rustic but devout characters. Yentl also has a muted palette quite a bit of the time, with the opening sequences bathed in a soft, summery yellow and later scenes given over to a more brown, almost sepia toned, hue. With all of that kept in mind, the film's transfer is rather resplendent most of the time, with a beautifully organic appearance that preserves a natural grain field and excellent depth of field in the many outdoor shots. Detail is excellent in close-ups, but the film's intentionally soft look tends to mitigate detail and fine detail in midrange shots. Contrast is strong and black levels are secure, helping to make scenes like the famous nighttime firelit prayer Yentl sings to her father very evocative looking. There are no issues with image instability, nor any problematic signs of artificial sharpening or filtering.

Yentl Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Yentl features both a DTS-HD Master Audio 2.0 and a DTS-HD Master Audio 5.1 mix. The 5.1 mix beautifully opens up the elegant Legrand-Bergman score, providing a nicely splayed bed for Legrand's penchant to orchestrate for massed strings. Several relatively noisier scenes, like Yentl's first incursion into an all male environment, also benefit from the wider soundstage of the surround track. Fidelity is excellent, with smart prioritization and good placement of ambient environmental effects. There are no issues of any kind to report. It's a little sad that this release did not receive what has become one of Twilight Time's stocks in trade: an isolated score track.

Yentl Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

As with the previous DVD release of Yentl, this new Blu-ray offers both the Theatrical Release Version (2:13:19) and the Director's Extended Cut with Added Scenes from Barbra's Archives (2:16:40). Choosing the Extended Cut automatically leads to a brief Text Introduction (1080p; 00:16) followed by an Onscreen Introduction (1080i; 1:46), both by Streisand.

All of the special features of the previously released DVD set have been ported over to this new Blu-ray release, though not all of them are in high definition:

• Audio Commentary by Barbra Streisand and Co-Producer Rusty Lemorande


• Introduction to the Film by Barbra Streisand (1080i; 1:46) is the same intro mentioned above.


• Deleted Scenes (1080p; 16:45)


• Introduction to Special Features by Barbra Streisand (480i; 3:02)


• The Director's Reel Featurette (480i; 6:55)


• The Rehearsal Process with Material from Barbra's Archives (480i; 29:32) is comprised of a number of interesting featurettes, tracing the film through several concepts.


• My Wonderful Cast and Crew Featurette (480i; 7:29)


• Deleted Songs Storyboard Sequences include:

  The Moon and I (480i; 3:48)

  Several Sins a Day (480i; 3:43)

• Barbra's Original 8mm Concept Film with Optional Narration (480i; 8:35)


• Still Galleries (1080p) include:

  Production

  Behind the Scenes

  Portrait

  Recording Studio

• Original Theatrical Trailer (1080p; 3:15)


• Teaser Trailer (1080p; 1:27)

00:16 1:46

Yentl Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Is Yentl self-indulgent? Probably. But at least Streisand had the good sense to surround herself with top flight talent both in front of and behind the camera. If the result is a bit tonally at odds with the simple, rustic characters of Singer's original, it's a commendably organic presentation that manages to touch both the mind and the heart. This Blu-ray sports excellent technical merits and includes the bonus content of the previously released DVD. Recommended.