Review of Yentl (1983) by Stephen M — 22 Mar 2008

Whatever criticisms people may have about the film YENTL, it is a masterpiece. It isn't the book, it isn't the play - it is THIS ARTIST'S vision of that story and all artists deserve to create their artwork and to use whatever they can from their own lives to do so.

Streisand chose to tell the story expressly from Yentl's point of view: to that end, she is in (almost) every frame of the movie and all the songs are musical monologue's of her character's. We can choose to accept it or not. The bottom line, though, is that the story gets told with style and meticulous attention to detail. Unlike A Star Is Born, Streisand's fascination with herself does not hinder this film - it enhances it. The movie is called YENTL and the focus stays on her at all times; even when the focus isn't ON Yentl, it is on Streisand in that we marvel at her work as a director, her use of colour and camera angles and the light that fills them both.

I have not criticisms of this picture. I rank it as Barbra's crowning glory because she got to use all the parts of herself to make it.