The Director's Commentary
Director Barbra Streisand provides running commentary throughout the newly released DVD of "Yentl," with occasional assistance by "Yentl's" co-executive producer, Rusty Lemorande. You can tell that "Yentl" was Barbra's labor of love. Her detailed recollections of almost every aspect of the film, from casting to lighting to location, are uncanny in their detail. If you didn't know any better, you might assume that Barbra completed the film just last week instead of some twenty-five years ago. Her commentary is that engaging.

As expected, Barbra offers a lot of information on the technical aspects of making the film. She talks proudly of how her crew was able to create the look and feel of Poland in 1904, exactly as she envisioned it during pre-production scouting trips. As you watch the film, Barbra discusses why she used a Rembrandt-like color palette throughout the picture. We learn how certain scenes employed natural lighting to enhance particular emotional crossroads in the film. And she even fesses up by telling us that several key outdoor scenes were actually shot in England.

As for her co-stars, Barbra offers only minor insights. While the casting process, a technical element of the film, is explored thoroughly, how each actor individually enhanced the film did not really come up in Barbra's commentary. I really wanted to know Barbra's assessment of Mandy Patinkin and Amy Irving's performances, from an artistic point of view, and in retrospect. But it's been more than two decades, so I guess she can't be expected to remember everything.

Interestingly, Barbra pays homage to director Ingmar Bergman. She met Bergman in Sweden when Elliott Gould was working for him in 1970 ("The Touch"). Barbra learned a lot during her brief visit to the Bergman set. Recalling how the legendary director plied his craft, Barbra describes how she successfully emulated Bergman's techniques during "Yentl's" critical wedding night scene.

The feature commentary ends, as you might expect, with Barbra telling us about her father and why she dedicated the picture to him. As she explains it, it was so that she could actually have a father, not just for the two-plus hours of "Yentl," but for all time. A nice sentiment indeed.