Jack Rosenthal

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.

Originally airing as part of the BBC's "Screen One" series, this film is based on the true story of Deric (Jim Broadbent) and Diana Longden (Julie Walters), who were faced with the debilitating symptoms of an undefined illness that left Diana unable to function. Suffering from what would become Chronic Fatigue and Immune Dysfunction Syndrome, Diana is a paralytic prone to blackouts who must battle her disease and the public ignorance surrounding it.

Based on Isaac Bashevis Singer's story, this Oscar-winning musical stars Barbra Streisand as Yentl, the bookish daughter of a Talmud teacher who instructs her even though it's forbidden to teach the sacred text to girls. Determined to continue her schooling after her father dies, Yentl disguises herself as a boy to gain entry to a yeshiva. There, she meets the brilliant Avigdor (Mandy Patinkin), who only has eyes for Hadass (Amy Irving).

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.