Yentl      

By Tom Keogh

Barbra Streisand made her directorial debut with this 1983 adaptation of the Isaac Bashevis Singer story about a young Eastern European woman (Streisand) who disguises herself as a male at the turn of the century in order to get an education. Except for an excessive musical score with too many songs and Streisand's tiresome tendency to play characters who suppress their beauty, the film is crisp and engaging, and the gender-bending love story complications are fun, if gimmicky. Streisand gives a smart, vulnerable performance and gets fresh work from costars Mandy Patinkin and Amy Irving.

Academy Awards

Yentl received an Academy Award for Music Scoring Awards (Best Original Song Score or Adaptation Score: Michel Legrand - Original Song Score, Alan Bergman - Original Song Score, Marilyn Bergman - Original Song Score). Yentl also received Academy Awards nominations for Nominated for Supporting Actress (Amy Irving), Art Direction/Set Decoration (Roy Walker - Art Direction, Leslie Tomkins - Art Direction, Tessa Davies - Set Decoration), Music Best Song (Michel Legrand - Music, Alan Bergman - Lyrics, Marilyn Bergman - Lyrics), and for Music Best Song (Michel Legrand - Music, Alan Bergman - Lyrics, Marilyn Bergman - Lyrics).

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