Yentl

Zavvi - The Home of Pop CultureBased on Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer's play of the same name Yentl was directed, produced, co-written and stars the legendary Barbra Streisand as Yentl Mendel, a girl living in an Ashkenazi shtetl in Poland in 1904. Her father, Rebbe Mendel (Nehemiah Persoff), secretly instructs her in the Talmud despite the proscription of such study by women according to the customs of her community.After the death of her father, Yentl decides to cut her hair short, dress like a man, take her late brother's name, Anshel, and enter a Jewish religious school where she befriends fellow student, Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), and meets his fiancée, Hadass (Amy Irving). Romantic complications soon arise though. Features a score and songs composed by the late great Michel Legrand, who won an Oscar for his work on the film, whilst Barbra Streisand became the first female winner for Best Director at the Golden Globes.Features:Includes both the Theatrical Version and Ms. Streisand's Extended Cut of the filmAudio commentary with Barbra Streisand and co-producer Rusty Lemorande (2008)Two introductions by Barbra Streisand (5 mins)Deleted Scenes (16 mins)The Director's Reel (7 mins): Barbra Streisand demonstrates her approach as both an actor and directorThe Rehearsal Process (29 mins): during pre-production Streisand enlisted the help of family, friends and colleagues to act out key scenes.Deleted Songs & Storyboard Sequences (7 mins): two songs that were cut from the final film, presented here with their storyboardsBarbra's 8mm Concept Film (9 mins): footage assembled by Ms. Streisand to help crystalise her vision for Yentl and help find finance for its productionMy Wonderful Cast and Crew (7 mins): a montage of behind-the-scenes footage of the production teamImage galleryTrailers**FIRST PRESSING ONLY** Fully illustrated booklet with new writing by So Mayer, Heather Osborn and Dr Nicolas Pillai and full film credits