'Yentl' is why I ignore the Oscars
-
smoko — 15 years ago(May 10, 2010 04:53 AM)
Oh, as director, now I understand.
Yes, if someone acts in and directs the same (worthy) film, they do usually end up with at least a nomination. Off the top of my head:
Mel Gibson - Braveheart
Warren Beatty - Reds
Kevin Costner - Dances with Wolves
Clint Eastwood - Unforgiven
George Clooney Good Night, and Good Luck
I'm sure there are plenty of others.
Maybe if Streisand really was a boy she would have gotten a director nom. -
InherentlyYours — 9 years ago(October 18, 2016 03:02 PM)
Nope, she should have gotten a nomination as director!! And getting nominated as a director has nothing to do with her minutes on screen.
Not being nominated for Best Director while the films receives a nomination is not rare. (and the reverse) Only because it's Streisand do we question it. And I never saw one review give it more than 3 1/2 stars, likely because Streisand mis-cast herself. -
JoeStracke — 14 years ago(April 13, 2011 03:16 AM)
I cannot honestly conceive any viable use of both 'Leonard Maltin' and 'highly respected' in the same film-related sentence.
A few more that wank gave two-and-a-half stars to are:
The Shawshank Redemption, The Princess Bride
and
Laserblast
clearly, this is a man without a clue, and one who should be utterly ignored by any fans of film. -
CinemaDude1 — 13 years ago(April 17, 2012 01:05 AM)
Joe, THANK YOU this guy is all over the place ranks top notch films on the bottom and doesnt understand that low comedy can be wildly entertaining. He teeters on snobbism.
I just revisited YENTL a second time and must say, I found it much more of an engrossing, powerful film than the first time I "saw" it when it came out. Back then I was up in a projection booth running the film, which is not exactly "watching" it, er, film you know, the stuff that used to run thru a motion picture projector. Back then I never got the complexity or the emotional power of it. All I was thinking at the time was how incredibly savvy and dedicated to quality Striesand was because she ordered a run of 35mm prints with 4 track magnetic sound for theatres that still had that superior sound playback system it hadn't been used for a number of years due to cost to produce those prints. Thing is, 4 track mag is much better than the matrixed optical sound that was all the rage at the time (because it was cheaper to produce). Magnetic sound gives (gave) four discrete channels of high fidelity sound with no bleed between channels as does matrixed, optical sound. The sound in the theatre for YENTL was awesome. So even on a technical level the woman demanded quality. I say hats off to her.
Fine you say, but what about the film itself is it great? Not quite, but what do you want from a film.does it have to be a CITIZEN KANE to be enjoyable? I sat watching YENTL with a room full of people and grown men sat there after the closing frames too embarrassed to turn around because they were visibly emotional. And BTW, I HATE sloppy sentimentalism, that was not what Striesand was about with this and I promise you, I am particularly critical of maudlin, gooey films, but she was able to connect with core feelings that connect with a broad spectrum of viewers, no small task and the stuff a really good film is made of.
Then of course there was lots of talk in the room afterward about the touchy issue of a Hassidim young man falling in love with what he seems to realize, at least on some level, is his best buddy, or as they say on craigslist "M4M," and then he seems to be saying, "So be it." Not exactly what makes very orthodox Jews jump for joy. Anyone know if there was ever any protests about this particular aspect of the film? Seems like if all of us goyum at this screening saw it, the Jewish community would have too, no?
Thing is, I am not a Streisand fan, so I think I can judge this film fairly objectively, unlike those rabid Streisand haters and the gushing Streisand minions and so I give it what I consider a very objective 7.5 not to shabby a film and one I am definitely adding to my DVD library. -
gbennett5 — 13 years ago(January 14, 2013 11:21 AM)
Sorry, I disagree. He doesn't play into hyperbole, and just because a
film is large, Oscar-clad and modern, he doesn't get caught up in the
tasteless fuss. He calls it for what it is, and he is usually dead-on. -
sirjeremy — 12 years ago(May 19, 2013 02:55 PM)
Yeah, I agree with you, gbennett. I see that the RT score for
Yentl
is 73%: good but not great. Her chances were always a bit iffy that year, regardless of the huge push MGM gave it and her in the media for months back then. The film was a moderate hit but not a big one and I think Babs is being at best disingenuous with this comment in spring 1984: "In Hollywood, a woman can be an actress, a singer, a dancer - but don't let her be too much more".
But I do feel she deserved a nod for directing
The Prince of Tides
and her snub that year was erroneous. God, her fellow directors at the D.G.A even nominated her. -
rascal67 — 12 years ago(May 21, 2013 07:24 PM)
@gbennet, your post is eloquently and perceptively put.
'Yentl', sits at middle of the road for me as is neither awful or something that could have been wonderfulwhich it certainly had the potential to become. It was an ambitious and heartfelt attempt by Streisand and if it was to have received a major Oscar
nomination, I would say she was more deserving of an acting nod rather than a directing one.
1983 was a strong year for leading ladies and she fell through the cracks, where as most films sat middle of the road for this year and possibly; had it been released a year later in 1984 she may have gotten more notice for her performance. I doubt that she would have been given a director nod though. Streisand's attitude of self entitlement and narcissism, just because she is Streisand and thinks she deserves it, justifies the snub.
She did a moderate to better job on 'Prince Of Tides'. For those of us that have read this sprawling tale and loved it, it could have made an exceptional and better film than what she gave us. She either should have just directed it or starred in it..not both. I can understand the BP nomination it was honored with, but also the director snub. For me, 'Mirror Has Two Faces' is her best directing effort and of the 3 films the least ambitious story wise, yet the most proficient and entertaining. -
LaurieMann — 15 years ago(March 02, 2011 05:55 PM)
I hadn't watched the movie in a very long time. Yentl was moderately enjoyable, and the Mandy Patinkin performance was terrific. Considering it was Streisand's first movie as a director, it was pretty good (a few too many close-ups, and the music, while it was Oscar-winning, was too repetitive). It wasn't a terrible miscarriage of justice for the movie to not have been nominated for the Best Picture Oscar.
Remember here were the other movies nominated for the Best Picture Oscar that year:
Terms of Endearment (which won)
The Big Chill
The Dresser (a small movie that's mostly forgotten now but it has two excellent performances)
The Right Stuff (which SHOULD have won)
Tender Mercies (Duvall at his finest)
I think Streisand grew a little as a director with each of her movies. While Yentl was a little more ambitious than the other two, The Mirror Has Two Faces and Prince of Tides were both better.
Laurie Mann
Pittsburgh Flicks - Movie-making in the 'Burgh
http://www.pghflicks.com/ -
VirginOnPromNight — 15 years ago(March 27, 2011 06:20 PM)
this is all YOUR opinion.. you think the oscars are a joke because Yentl was ''snubbed'' ? just say 'in my opinion' before every stupid comment you make. this movie shouldnt have even been made. such a dreadful turd, this movie.
-
TheChamCham — 11 years ago(March 31, 2015 12:31 AM)
The three leads were all substantially older than the ages (according to the original story) of the characters they were playing. Hadass should have also been a sixteen year old blonde and not very likeable. I far preferred the film version,I like to watch adult actors and I have no problem with dispelling disbelief in order to enjoy a film.
"I say ! Open this door at once! We're British !"