Movie Review: Yentl Essay -- essays research papers

Movie Review Yentl     Everyone at one magazine or another has felt step up of roll. Feeling unsureof ones moorage in society is an experience that every young adult faces yetdeals with dissimilarly. Some rebel while others comply with whatever has beenset out for them by society or their parents, or both. The role of the woman insociety is forever changing. Where wo men were once obligated to stay in the fellowship and dote on their husbands, they are now working in the uniform types of jobsas their husbands. What was typically the male role has been blurred andpractically obliterated. inviolate roles have followed societys lead in theirevolution. For example, since its creation over five honey oil years ago, theJewish religion has evolved in some movements to involve women and men equallyin ceremonies. The orthodox movement has always remained tralatitious in itsbelief that women have their place in the home, cooking and raising children,and divine s ervice their husbands. Education remains the mans duty. The movie Yentlstarring Barbara Streisand, shows this traditional belief done its plot,characterization, music, lights, tv camera angles, and symbolism.     Set in Eastern Europe in 1904, Yentl captures the upshot of the Jewishwomans eternal struggle. It is the story of a young girl, in spot withlearning but forbidden to do so by Jewish tradition. Upon her fathers death,Yentl disguises herself as a boy to attend a yeshiva (religious school) and underwrite her studies. She befriends Avigdor, a male scholar at the yeshiva,and falls in do with him. Driven by her love for him, Yentl will do all thatshe quarter to ensure that he is near her and that her secret is not revealed.Yentl struggles with her secret until the twenty-four hours she can no longer remain silent.She tells Avigdor what she has done, and of her love for him, but he cannotaccept a woman who refuses to act as a traditional woman should. So Yentldeparts for America in hope of a different mentality, but never forgetting herlove for Avigdor and all that she has learned.     Based on Isaac Bashevis Singers acclaimed laconic story, "Yentl, theYeshiva Boy," the story is somewhat unrealistic but serves its purpose inproving a point the point being that women have always been upright as cap able-bodied asmen in studying and education, an... ...ebird, is able to soar - through the prejudices of her traditions and through theworld of knowledge for which she so longs. She displays this panorama in thelast line of the movie when she sings "Papa watch me fly." As well, when Yentltransforms herself into Anshel, the boy, she looks at herself in a crackedmirror and cuts her hair. This displays her uncertainty of herself and herplace in Jewish society, and the cutting of her hair symbolizes hertransformation and the beginning of a new purport for her. Symbolism throughoutthe film, contributes t o the films theme of self-discovery and role reversal.     The plot, characterization, lighting, camera angles, and symbolismreveal thoroughly the plot of this highly thought-evoking film. The plot generallycontributes to proving that a womans place is not solely in the home. That"story books for women, sacred books for men", as the bookseller says at thebeginning of the story, is not an accurate judgment of a womans intellectualcapabilities. Because of Barbara Streisands fabulous and completecharacterization of Yentl, this movie comes to life and touches the hearts ofits viewers.