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This is the first official musical film I've seen for the Movieforums Top 100 Musicals Countdown. Having said that, this was only one of two majore reasons. Truth is my mother invited me to watch it with her, I had forgotten about it but knew it was on my to-do list so I went ahead with it. One third but less important reason was because I was curious about other Streisand roles after having adored her in What's Up Doc by Peter Bogdanovich. So apparently she starred in, directed, produced and wrote this film. So let's see where her passion lead to...
Yentl is a Jewish woman who's fed up with the sexist ideal that women shouldn't read the Torah. After her priest father passes away, she decides to disguise herself as a boy and take her father's place in the Chi- I mean, seek an education at an all-boy's school. While there, she befriends, and falls in love with, an energetic but inquisitive student (Mandy Patinkin) who's actually in love with someone else. And all the while, the expectations of manhood are thrown towards her.
Having just written three reviews for Judas Priest albums and watched this movie, I'm still not pop-cultured out for the day as I want to seek another musical to watch, one that will be more to my liking. First, lemme make it clear that I heard a bunch of mixed things about this movie. Brilliant, lame, alright, yadda yadda.
Now a personal favorite Disney movie of mine is Mulan. Saw it 100 times as a kid. Mulan handled the idea of gender roles in ways that were never too uncomfortable and even left a lot of room for the awkward comedy of Mulan dealing with a bunch of grown guys. There really isn't much of that here in Yentl. It shoves the theme down your throats after two minutes and relies on the shoving to tell its story, leading many characters to come off as empty save that one quality.
As a writer, I'm a stickler for character development. There are only two characters who ever get any actual development here: Yentl and Avigdor. Now the two work brilliantly as an awkward romantic pairing rooted in a deep friendship, which is made more powerful and artistically awkward based on its signature misunderstanding. The sparks fly in some incredible and even unique ways. I wish these two would come together more often. Having said that, I did NOT like Avigdor as a person. He was grabby and loudmouthed, never taking the time to listen. He was way too much of a product of his time, which brings me back to my criticism of shoving the theme down people's throats. In fact, I would love more development for Amy Irving's character, as she did a good job with what little she had.
Of course, our situation also allows us to see many things through Yentl's eyes, especially when she's singing. In some cases there are lyrics with a deep analysis mirroring the intelligence and perception seen in our lead, tackling the subjects of each song from varying angles in extremely poetic ways. This, when paired with the strong sentimentality and emotional core of the songs, makes up for the lacking and messy rhythms which are more geared towards allowing Streisand a chance to sing rather than to feel like a musical number, which might be best for the theme to stay away from the obnoxiousness of typical musicals. However, maybe actual choreographed numbers might lighten the sexism a little.
As for Streisand's work as an actress and director: excellent work. Not only is her performance more convincing than her brilliant work in What's Up Doc, but as a director she's showing a lot of skill in the cinematography and emotional departments. Some scenes are a little like a music video, but this lady always knows exactly where to put the camera. Some scenes are just EPIC.
Streisand really did impress in some ways here, and disappoint in a couple of ways for me. Yentl is a collection of both strong and weak points, albeit more strong. I don't know if I'll ever go back to this movie, but it said only good things for Streisand's future. Yentl may tug at the heartstrings of those in tune with the theme, but it feels a little overdone for me. I'd put this in the same league as Jeanne Dielman.
= 68
Barbra Streisand needs 2 more films for a Directorial Score.
Yentl
(1983) - Directed by Barbra Streisand
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Musical / Historical Drama / Romance
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"Why is it people who want the truth never believe it when they hear it?"
(1983) - Directed by Barbra Streisand
--------------------------------------------
Musical / Historical Drama / Romance
-------------------------------------------------
"Why is it people who want the truth never believe it when they hear it?"
This is the first official musical film I've seen for the Movieforums Top 100 Musicals Countdown. Having said that, this was only one of two majore reasons. Truth is my mother invited me to watch it with her, I had forgotten about it but knew it was on my to-do list so I went ahead with it. One third but less important reason was because I was curious about other Streisand roles after having adored her in What's Up Doc by Peter Bogdanovich. So apparently she starred in, directed, produced and wrote this film. So let's see where her passion lead to...
Yentl is a Jewish woman who's fed up with the sexist ideal that women shouldn't read the Torah. After her priest father passes away, she decides to disguise herself as a boy and take her father's place in the Chi- I mean, seek an education at an all-boy's school. While there, she befriends, and falls in love with, an energetic but inquisitive student (Mandy Patinkin) who's actually in love with someone else. And all the while, the expectations of manhood are thrown towards her.
Having just written three reviews for Judas Priest albums and watched this movie, I'm still not pop-cultured out for the day as I want to seek another musical to watch, one that will be more to my liking. First, lemme make it clear that I heard a bunch of mixed things about this movie. Brilliant, lame, alright, yadda yadda.
Now a personal favorite Disney movie of mine is Mulan. Saw it 100 times as a kid. Mulan handled the idea of gender roles in ways that were never too uncomfortable and even left a lot of room for the awkward comedy of Mulan dealing with a bunch of grown guys. There really isn't much of that here in Yentl. It shoves the theme down your throats after two minutes and relies on the shoving to tell its story, leading many characters to come off as empty save that one quality.
As a writer, I'm a stickler for character development. There are only two characters who ever get any actual development here: Yentl and Avigdor. Now the two work brilliantly as an awkward romantic pairing rooted in a deep friendship, which is made more powerful and artistically awkward based on its signature misunderstanding. The sparks fly in some incredible and even unique ways. I wish these two would come together more often. Having said that, I did NOT like Avigdor as a person. He was grabby and loudmouthed, never taking the time to listen. He was way too much of a product of his time, which brings me back to my criticism of shoving the theme down people's throats. In fact, I would love more development for Amy Irving's character, as she did a good job with what little she had.
Of course, our situation also allows us to see many things through Yentl's eyes, especially when she's singing. In some cases there are lyrics with a deep analysis mirroring the intelligence and perception seen in our lead, tackling the subjects of each song from varying angles in extremely poetic ways. This, when paired with the strong sentimentality and emotional core of the songs, makes up for the lacking and messy rhythms which are more geared towards allowing Streisand a chance to sing rather than to feel like a musical number, which might be best for the theme to stay away from the obnoxiousness of typical musicals. However, maybe actual choreographed numbers might lighten the sexism a little.
As for Streisand's work as an actress and director: excellent work. Not only is her performance more convincing than her brilliant work in What's Up Doc, but as a director she's showing a lot of skill in the cinematography and emotional departments. Some scenes are a little like a music video, but this lady always knows exactly where to put the camera. Some scenes are just EPIC.
Streisand really did impress in some ways here, and disappoint in a couple of ways for me. Yentl is a collection of both strong and weak points, albeit more strong. I don't know if I'll ever go back to this movie, but it said only good things for Streisand's future. Yentl may tug at the heartstrings of those in tune with the theme, but it feels a little overdone for me. I'd put this in the same league as Jeanne Dielman.
= 68
Barbra Streisand needs 2 more films for a Directorial Score.