Yentl

Yentl is an American romantic musical drama film directed, co-written, co-produced, and starring American entertainer Barbra Streisand. It is based on Isaac Bashevis Singer‘s short story ‘Yentl the Yeshiva Boy’. The film incorporates humour and music to tell the story of an Ashkenazi Jewish girl in Poland who decides to dress and live like a boy so that she can receive an education in Talmudic Law after her father dies. The film’s musical score and songs were composed by Michel Legrand.  The film received the Academy Award for Best Original Song Score and the Golden Globe Awards for Best Motion Picture—Musical or Comedy and Best Director for Streisand, making her the first woman to have won Best Director at the Golden Globes.

‘The best thing about Yentl is its earnestness. It may resemble a vanity production from afar but even at its kitschiest it seems to be heartfelt’ (Janet Maslin, NY Times)