Ian Sears

Based on a short story, "Yentl, the Yeshiva Boy," by Isaac Bashevis Singer. Yentl is the story of a young Eastern European woman, who, very early in our century (pre-WWI), disguises herself as a boy in order to pursue her passion for studying the Torah. Yentl (Streisand) has no trouble passing for a boy as she pursues her studies, but when she falls in love with a fellow student (Mandy Patinkin) she cannot, of course, express her feelings. Circumstances of Jewish law force the "boy" Yentl to marry a girl (Amy Irving), but the concealment must continue and Yentl must invent reasons for a long-delayed "consumation" of the marriage. Finally, she reveals her secret to her bride, who, after a time of shock, accepts Yentl for what she is.

Tired of her husband's boorish lifestyle and difficult attitude, the wife of a barbaric crime boss engages in a secret romance with a bookish patron between meals at her husband's restaurant, sneaking in liaisons while he and his thugs dine.

At Le Hollandais gourmet restaurant, every night is filled with opulence, decadence, and gluttony. But when the cook (Richard Bohringer), a thief (Michael Gambon), his wife (Helen Mirren) and her lover (Alan Howard) all come together, they unleash a shocking torrent of sex, food, murder and revenge.

King David, starring Richard Gere, follows the real-life story of the lowly shepherd boy whose shrewdness and bravery helped him ascend to the throne of ancient Israel. But this film is much more than just another Biblical epic. Richard Gere and a fine supporting cast present a fresh new look at the people who actually lived the events that have become legend-from David's battle with Goliath to his self-destructive yearning for Bathsheba.