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Focus on films
A tender, loving ‘Yentl’
by Louise
Barbra Streisand produced
“YentP with tender, loving care and
directed it with a meticulous,
flawless touch. (She co-wrote it,
based on an adaptation of Isaac
Bashevis Singer’s short story).
Deftly she has woven a tapestry of
music and song—through which
the film’s most poignant moments
are fashioned — capturing
emotions which are rich and
flawless.
Understandably, every ethnic
group looks back at its “roots"—
thus the movie “Yentl" instills a sense
of pride in tradition and beliefs.
Old World customs, now obsolete,
are nevertheless fascinating and
intriguing! Currently in the era of
the “now" generation, one no
longer expresses the opinion that
“woman’s place is in the home."
We’ve come a long way since those
early 1900s in Eastern Europe
where "picture books were for
women" and "religious books
only for men."
For during that period of Jewish
culture, “men only” were
designated as scholars. The sacred
books of knowledge were solely for
them. Women were confined to the
arts of baking, cleaning and
cooking. They were schooled in the
preparation and selection of fresh
fish, fowl or fruit. Aside from that,
their formal “education" ceased to
exist.
No so for Yentl, whose brain
was filled with a million images —
all involving scholarly thoughts.
She envied the young male
students. Their heated, argumentative
discussions—which ranged from
the Torah to the Talmud, from the
Mishna to the Midrash—seemed
to be pearls of wisdom trapped
beneath a bottomless sea!
The only one who understood
her was her learned, ever-patient
father (Nehemiah Persoff). To
him, Yentl embodied the
combination of the sweet maiden
together with the firmness of
purpose in the son he never had.
At day’s end, Yentl would close the
curtains so that she might study
with her father. “God will
understand," he would say, “but
I'm not so sure about the
neighbors." For in this world of
study, belonging only to men, none
could comprehend why a girl
would want to seek out knowledge.
Those were joyous moments for
both of them as they dissected the
myriad of commentaries and
interpretations of the Bible—and
the mysticism of Creation. “The
Talmud recognizes that life is filled
with contradictions,” was one of
their favorite topics of discussion.
Their joyous moments together are
short-lived, when Yentl’s beloved
father succumbs to tuberculosis.
Streisand confesses that the
movie is dedicated to the father she
SUBSCRIBE TO
THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITEI
Yentl (Barbra Streband) shares a moment with her papa, Reb Mendel
(Mehemia PersofT).
never knew. He died when she was
only 15 months old. He was a
teacher, a scholar, a Phi Beta
Kappa, she proudly relates.
Yentl leaves the small shtetl after
her father’s death. Disguised as a
yeshiva student, she becomes “one
of the boys” and even succeeds in
gaining admission to one of the
most respected, prestigious Jewish
«<*■■>■ ot 1—rning m the town.
When Yentl meets the love of her
life, another top honor student
(played brilliantly by Mandy
Patinkin), he doesn't see through
her disguise because he has eyes
only for his beautiful fiancee(Amy
Irving).
Wise and sagacious, Yentl
realizes that she can never fulfill
the dreams of womanhood—at least
not while she’s purporting to be a
yeshiva student. A story of self-
determination and independence,
the film strikes a familiar chord for
those who choose to go through
life “their way." In the film, Yentl
rationalizes that “in a world of
reason and logic—nothing is
impossible."
Likewise, Streisand epitomizes
her heroine. It took close to 15
years to bring this incredible film to
the screen. The more difficult
things became, the more rejection
she encountered, the more
tenacious Streisand became. It
started out as a poem, a tribute to
her father. When the film was
completed—and she had taken all
the risks to see her dream come
true—Streisand, like Yentl, had
proven that “nothing is
impossible."
“Yentl” is a tug-at-the-heart
stealer all the way. It’s a charming,
captivating cinema not to be
missed. It will light up the viewer’s
mood and brighten one’s spirits,
leaving a warm glow.
Say “YES” to Israel’s Future on
GREEN SUNDAY —
DECEMBER 11
For over 80 years, the Jewish National Fund has
been saying "yes’’ to Israel's future Through ex
tensive afforestation, land reclamation, and break
through agricultural research, the JNF has helped
bong new life to art ancient land
Today, this nation-building work continues. But
vast stretches of barren terrain still remain to be
covered by a blanket of green
On GREEN SUNDAY — DECEMBER 11,
a JNF volunteer will be calling to ask you to
plant trees in Israel for each member of
your family.
Say “YES” to the Greening of Israel.
Plant trees in Israel on
JNFs GREEN SUNDAY.
Please! We need volunteers. Call us it you want to help
make phone calls on Green Sunday. 633* 1132
IIWBH
rwnofw
FU1D
SHARK THE BEAUTY OF OUR JEWISH HERITAGE
AT Tin:
SANS SOUCI & VERSAILLES HOTELS
1. With . .. THE PRECIOUS LEGACY":
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2. With .. IN QUEST OF EXCELLENCE":
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3. With . .. THE WORLD FAMOUS
SEASON OF FINE ARTS":
Ballets. Concerts and Artiste's presented
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PAGE 11 THE SOUTHERN ISRAELITE December 9, 1983