Yentl on TV this afternoon

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 2:41pm

Ran across Yentl on some cable channel this afternoon. Oy, what a huge steaming pile of poop that film is. Self-indulgent even for Babs- and BOY IS THAT SAYING SOMETHING! Hard to believe it was seen as an Oscar contender in it's day.

The supporting cast looked so humiliated I kept hoping Patti LuPone would turn up.

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 4:14pm

It was made with the best of intentions, she sounds great on all the songs and god love her for actually getting it made, but ultimately the film is a self indigent, melodramatic "me" fest. La Streisand trying to pass herself off as a boy is pretty laughable. No more Ridiculous than Julie Andrews in V/V, but that was the point. It's a comedy. Trying to take Streisand seriously in this "musical drama" is too much for my suspension of disbelief to handle.

Streisand had her pick of the a-list Hollywood litter when it came to casting the leading man. I think she cast Mandy just piss to off Patti. LOL.



Updated On: 1/30/14 at 04:14 PM

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 6:12pm

In her defense, Julie Andrews wasn't tying to pass herself of as a "boy" who was what, 40 years younger.

[broadwaybabywannabe2]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 6:44pm

YENTL is magical...and to say otherwise is just to be mean...the music is beautiful and perfectly sung by BABS...and her direction is flawless...the whole songs starting out in voice-over then moving to be fully sung on screen was very before-it's time...and did I say the music is gorgeous?...and least we forget AMY IRVING got an Oscar nomination for her role...YENTL was the one thing my lover and I NEVER argued about as we both loved it obviously more than you here...:)

[best12bars]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 7:08pm

I actually think the movie starts out really well. Then it completely falls apart about halfway through and stays there.

[amoni]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 7:39pm

Not as Self-indulgent as your post Joeyboy. Love how you can actually see a wonderful supporting cast looking humiliated. They have meds for that, you know.

[BobbyBubbi]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 9:36pm

BroadwayBaby-

It's interesting you see the voice overs as before their time. Call me a purest, but I personally didn't like the voice over work. I thought it was a rather cheap trick and dishonest to what a musical is/should be. To me, if it's a musical, then they should stand there in front of god and everyone and /saang/. Whether on screen or otherwise. Also, just having just one character sing seems problematic to me, and the casting of Mandy, who was known largely for Evita, who to me just comes off very hard and icy in the film. I'm not sure what there was to love about his character, as we never really got to know him.

As you said, the music is beautiful, as is the amazing cinematography (say what you will about Babs, gurl knows her light and her angles) and all the elements of beautiful Mise en scène are there, but ultimately for me, the story just wasn't enough.

[mamaleh]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 9:56pm

I remember reading that Streisand wanted Richard Gere for her leading man, but that did not work out. It still boggles the mind that Mandy Patinkin did not get to sing at all in a musical film. Nonetheless, the music is haunting and memorable.

[sephyr]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 11:17pm

I really liked the movie. The music is sublime and her voice was transcendent on numbers like A Piece of Sky and Papa, Can You Hear Me? I liked the ending which I didn't predict and I thought the whole movie was directed skillfully.

[sephyr]

Posted: 1/30/14 at 11:17pm

I really liked the movie. The music is sublime and her voice was transcendent on numbers like A Piece of Sky and Papa, Can You Hear Me? I liked the ending which I didn't predict and I thought the whole movie was directed skillfully.

[Unknown User]

Posted: 1/31/14 at 6:09pm

I guess if you like long,lingering closeups of Barbra bathed in golden light and filtered to within an inch of her life you'd like the "direction."