Thread by @sheilakathleen

Barbra Streisand showed a rough-ish cut of YENTL to Steven Spielberg. She's tough. She's a professional. She wanted his feedback, what should she change, what did he think? He watched it and said to her, "Don't change a frame."

When it premiered, Spielberg was a huge and early champion, making sure his comments were public. He got behind it. If you've seen YENTL, you know how it feels like someone's 20th film, not her first. If you don't agree, I don't care.

In YENTL, just for a refresher, Babs was: Director, Producer, Writer, and Star. A first in history. She also recorded all the songs, of course (I think it's some of her best vocal work, too, and that's saying something). She also showed an enormous gift in casting.

Mandy Patinkin and Amy Irving were phenomenal. Babs' sense of story and montage and mood was superb. There was humor in the film. The music was woven into the action. It had a huge finish involving a boat, a river, a helicopter shot, an entire city, Babs' arms outstretched.

I have goosebumps just thinking about it.

And listen, Babs has been criticized for being egotistic from the jump. Eyeroll. You're the greatest singer in your generation? Judy Garland basically taps you as "You're the New Me?" She SHOULD be proud. She SHOULD demand the best, and be central. It's how it should go.

She was an "ugly duckling." She was not seen as a valid leading lady. Her first Broadway role was a funny sidekick and she stole the show. Barbra told Mike Wallace that fame had to happen for her. There was no Plan B. Imagine the guts of this. The low expectations.

People were so scornful of her long nails in PRINCE OF TIDES, and her "oh my nails" when she caught the football. Just thinking about people's bitchy comments about her nails makes me see red. Ya know why?

Her mother, raising Babs alone, they had nothing, wanted Babs to be a secretary and signed her up for secretarial classes. Teenage Babs, already slipping out of the house to perform in clubs, thought, Oh hell no I cannot, no, no, I know where I'm going, how do I avoid this fate??

Babs grew her nails SUPER LONG. Because YA CAN'T TYPE IF YOU HAVE NAILS 5 INCHES LONG.

So I see those nails - those long girlie nails - the nails of Lowenstein in PRINCE OF TIDES - and I see SURVIVAL. The desperation of a kid doing whatever she could do to avoid what her mother had laid out. The prison of her expected future.

Those nails are BEAUTIFUL. People snickering about them? Fuck you.

Back to Yentl. Papa, can you hear me? YENTL was not, to put it mildly, an arthouse indie underdog. It was a huge hit. Financially.

It won Oscars for Best Music, Amy Irving won Best Supporting Actress, and the film's art decoration also won. Barbra wasn't even nominated.

Barbra Streisand was one of the biggest stars - male or female - of the 20th century. Hell, now. As my friend Mitchell observes: she is still a headliner. A movie could open TODAY on the strength of her name alone. She's 76 years old.

After YENTL, a multiple Oscar winner, a big financial hit, it took her over 10 years to make another movie. The aforementioned Prince of Tides. Which, by the way, was nominated for 7 Oscars. Including Best Picture.

Nick Nolte, Kate Nelligan, the screenplay, the cinematographer, the art direction, and the music - were all nominated for Oscars. You know who wasn't nominated for Best Director? Barbra.

Steven Spielberg, joked, and publicly mind you - making sure his comments were on record - (b/c being public about these things is very important - especially when it's a man - put yourself on the line for talented women): "I guess Prince of Tides directed itself, huh."

I am babbling about Babs because ... listen, I love the boy directors being recognized. Okay? But I'm pissed about Ramsay/Granik/Heller/Zhao. I don't put a lot of value on Oscars - at least not in terms of actual WORTH - but w/someone like Babs you realize how deep this shit goes

She tried for 20 years to get THE NORMAL HEART made. Nada. On the strength of YENTL alone, she should have been handed opportunities and, $$. You don't get a hand-out based on nothing. But if you're Babs? Come on. GIGANTIC star. PLUS Yentl, huge Oscar-winning hit.

People have been given blank checks for FAR less.

The good news is: the women who want to get shit done, get shit done. Nobody BEGS someone to make THE RIDER. Thank God Chloe Zhao was like, "Oh well, this is what I am going to do because I want to do it." And it's GRATIFYING when a movie like that gets made/released/recognized.

But this shit runs REAL deep. It's changing but ... women have always been doing good work (that Kino box set!!), whether or not they're invited into "the room where it happens" - fuck that, women make their own room. But still. I feel protective of Babs and I'm still pissed.

and did you notice during Jeff Bridges' tribute reel at the Golden Globes ... one movie was conspicuously absent? The one directed by Babs. Which, granted, has some problems - but so did MANY of the other movies in that damn reel. Those weren't all PERFECT movies.

But somehow ... MIRROR HAS TWO FACES (and Bridges is funny in it, it's a good performance!) was deemed not worthy to be included. I'm not saying there's some anti-Babs conspiracy. Clearly she's fine. But what a way to treat an Oscar-nominated PHENOM like Barbra Streisand.

And just because it's so awesome, and so enormous, and so well-done, and so ... so ... BARBRA ... here's that insane finale scene of YENTL. Remember Spielberg's words. "Don't change a frame."

I did RT one of the corrections to this thread - but people aren't seeing it. I should have checked my work and I want to get facts straight: Amy Irving was nominated, did not win. Also there is no city in the final scene of YENTL. Lol.