Yentl

Based on the short story “Yentl, the Yeshiva boy” by Isaac Bashevis Singer, this is the poignant tale of a young European Jewish woman (Barbara Streisand), circa 1904, who disguises herself as a boy in order to pursue her passion for studying holy scripture, an endeavour restricted exclusively to men in orthodox Jewish culture. As the education of women is prohibited in her society, she must keep her identity a secret. The strangely deceptive world this creates poses many challenges for this intrepid character who, in overcoming them, proves that nothing is impossible. The making of this modern classic was a milestone, not only for its main creative force, the legendary Streisand, but for motion picture history. “Yentl” marked the first time that a woman had produced, co-written, directed and starred in a major feature film.