The #1 Movie Review, Analysis, Question and Answer Site

Yentl (1983)

Synopsis:
Dramatization of "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy," by Isaac Bashevis Singer (1902-1991); originally published in Yiddish c. 1960, then in English c. 1983. The story: In an Ashkenazic shtetl in Poland, Yentl Mendel is the boyishly klutzy daughter and only child of long widowed Rebbe ("Talmud Teacher") Mendel, who teaches Talmud (a codification of Jewish Law) to local boys - and to Yentl, but secretly because girls were not allowed to learn the law in those days. When her father dies, Yentl is all alone in the world. She takes the momentous decision to leave the village and - disguised as a boy and calling herself by the name of her late brother, Anshel - seeks and gets admitted to a Yeshiva, to study the texts, traditions, subtleties and complexities of Torah, Talmud, etc. She befriends Avigdor who is engaged to Haddas, but her family discovers his brother committed suicide so they call off the wedding (in case Avigdor possesses the same madness). Anshel then finds "him"-self in the awkward position of being called into service as substitute bridegroom, so that the wedding can go ahead and Haddas will have a husband. It is a marriage that never gets consummated - apart from the more obvious reasons, because Haddas still wants Avigdor (though she eventually falls in love with Yentl, too). After numerous complications (including Avidor and Yentl falling in love with each other, briefly, after she reveals her secret to him, along with her bosom), the film ends with everybody getting what they always wanted - Haddas and Avigdor to live happily ever after with each other, while Anshel, now Yentl once again, goes off to America to pursue her dream of serious study in Yeshiva, where she will be able to study without needing to hide her identity as a woman.
Resource Links:

Reviews & Analyses: Yentl

Tell the world what you think about Yentl. Post a Review / Analysis!

Post a Review / Analysis
Earn QUA for FREE by contributing to MovieQUA!

Login required. Reviews / Analyses cannot be changed once submitted - please post carefully! No URLs!
Title
Required. An introduction to your Review / Analysis
Body
Required. Post your Review / Analysis in as much detail and as personally as you want. This is your chance to share your innermost thoughts on Yentl
Image
Optional. You can include an image to complement your Analysis
Answer Humanoid Test
Four + CAPTCHA Image =

Latest Questions

Be the first to share a Yentl question!

Post Question
Earn QUA for FREE by contributing to MovieQUA!

Login required. Questions cannot be changed once submitted - please post carefully! No URLs!
Question Title
Required. A catchy introduction to your question
Full Question
Required. Describe in detail exactly what you want to know
Question Category
Plot and Symbolism
Fact vs Fiction
Behind the Scenes
Movie Music
Actors and Actresses
Required. Pick what makes sense!
Answer Humanoid Test
Four + CAPTCHA Image =

Pregnant college student Lenore Harker leaves college before the end of the semester to move to an isolated house wit...
Michael (or Fresh as he's well known) is a 12-year-old drug pusher who lives in a crowded housing project with his co...
David sells cars at his father's dealership and, from time to time, visits his grandpa, Joe, at a retirement home. Da...
The McMartin family's lives are turned upside down when they are accused of serious child molestation. The family run...