Yentl: Master of Disguise

She sings! She acts! She directs! Barbra Streisand is perhaps the ultimate triple-threat pop icon, and she makes her Beyond The Box Set debut this week as we pitch sequel ideas for her 1983 passion project Yentl...

The story of a plucky young(?) Jewish girl whose insatiable passion for learning drives her to disguise herself as a man, Yentl was a movie over two decades in the making for Streisand. In addition to directing and starring in the movie, she also produced it and co-wrote the screenplay.

Her dedication was rewarded when the movie was released to strong box office returns and enthusiastic reviews - Steven Spielberg famously described the film as "the greatest directorial debut since Citizen Kane" - although his then-girlfriend Amy Irving played the second female lead, so he might have been slightly biased. 

In this week's episode we discuss Yentl's surprisingly complex depiction of gender and sexuality, the unexpected sexiness of 80s Mandy Patinkin, why the soft focus lighting is practically a fourth character in this movie and much more... before moving on to sequel pitches that attempt to tackle the eternal question - who could possibly replace Barbra Streisand in a movie? 

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Each week on Beyond The Box Set, we pitch fictional sequel ideas for classic standalone movies. From iconic hits like Titanic and Forrest Gump to cult hits and forgettable Jennifer Lopez vehicles - there's nothing we can't spin out into a fantasy franchise...

A combination of movie review, creative fan fiction and comedy, we've been featured as a Podcast of the Week by The Guardian and Podbean, in addition to being listed as a 'Binge Worthy Podcast' by iTunes. You can check out the show on all good Podcasting platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Stitcher, aCast and Google Podcasts. We also have a Patreon page where you can access a wide range of exciting bonus content for as little as $2 per month. 

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00.00: God Damn Mandy Patinkin! 

31.00: Yentl Drinking Games

38.20: Yentl: Master of Disguise

46.50: Yentl: A Titanic Talent

1.01.00: Listener Submissions & Episode 73 Preview