The Oscar-nominated musical Yentl received its wide release on Jan. 6, 1984, some 15 years after Barbra Streisand originally secured the film rights. Produced by Larry DeWaay with Rusty Lemorande and Streisand, the film is based on Leah Napolin and Isaac Bashevis Singer’s play of the same name, itself based on Singer’s short story “Yentl the Yeshiva Boy.” It’s the story of an Ashkenazi girl in 1904 Poland whose father, Rebbe Mendel, secretly instructs her in the Talmud. After her father’s death, she decides to dress like a man and take her late brother’s name, Anshel, to enter a Yeshiva and continue her studies.
The creative team included Barbra Streisand (direction, screenplay), Jack Rosenthal (screenplay), Michel Legrand (music, orchestrations), Alan & Marilyn Bergman (lyrics), David Watkin (cinematography), Terry Rawlings (editing), Roy Walker (production design), Leslie Tomkins (art direction), and Judy Moorcroft (costumes). The cast included Barbra Streisand (Yentl), Mandy Patinkin (Avigdor), Amy Irving (Hadass), Nehemiah Persoff (Papa), Steven Hill (Reb Vishkower), Allan Corduner (Shimmele), Miriam Margolyes (Sarah), and Doreen Mantle (Mrs. Shaemen).
The film received five Oscar nominations: supporting actress (Irving), production design, score, song (“Papa, Can You Hear Me?”), and song (“The Way He Makes Me Feel”), with Legrand and the Bergmans winning for their score. The film also received six Golden Globe nominations: musical/comedy film, actress (Streisand), director (Streisand), actor (Patinkin), score, and song (“The Way He Makes Me Feel”), picking up trophies for film and director, making Streisand the first woman to win best director at the Globes. Below is Streisand singing “The Way He Makes Me Feel” in the film.
The soundtrack was released Nov. 8, 1983, before the film’s premiere, and peaked at #9 on Billboard’s Top 200, reaching platinum status Jan. 9, 1984. The album, produced by Streisand and the Bergmans with Dave Grusin and Phil Ramone, was arranged and conducted by Legrand. “The Way He Makes Me Feel,” the album’s lead single, was released Nov. 5, peaking at #40 on Billboard’s Hot 100 and spending two weeks at #1 on the adult contemporary chart. The single of “Papa, Can You Hear Me?” (which you can watch below) followed on Jan. 28 and peaked at #26 on the adult contemporary chart.