{"id":119389,"date":"2023-12-10T10:41:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-10T14:41:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/?p=119389"},"modified":"2025-09-03T16:08:12","modified_gmt":"2025-09-03T20:08:12","slug":"barbra-streisand-directing","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.shortform.com\/blog\/barbra-streisand-directing\/","title":{"rendered":"Barbra Streisand’s Directing: The Risk & Success of Yentl"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

How does Barbra Streisand compare directing and acting? What’s so noteworthy about her film Yentl<\/em>?<\/p>\n\n\n\n

According to Barbra Streisand, directing isn’t easy. But, it provides more of what she looks for in creative pursuits. In her autobiography, Streisand writes about her film directing career, and it’s easy to see how her landmark project Yentl<\/em> showcases so much of her one-of-a-kind style.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Keep reading to learn the highlights of Streisand’s directing career.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n

Editor\u2019s note: This article is part of Shortform\u2019s guide to success<\/a>. If you like what you read here, there\u2019s plenty more to check out in the guide!<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n

Barbra Streisand’s Directing Career<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

According to Barbra Streisand, directing is more difficult than acting, but it’s also more interesting and fulfilling. She writes that she\u2019s come to dislike a lot of the tedious work<\/a> that comes with acting, such as learning lines and spending hours each day getting her hair and makeup ready.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Another reason Streisand likely enjoys directing more than acting is that it gives her greater creative control over the movie<\/a>\u2014more than she\u2019d have in a typical acting role. Streisand values her autonomy and likes to be in charge of her creative projects.) <\/p>\n\n\n\n

Streisand has directed numerous movies, but the most noteworthy of these is her first: the 1983 musical drama Yentl<\/em>, which she also co-wrote, co-produced, and starred in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: Streisand\u2019s decision to write, direct, produce, and star in Yentl <\/em>reportedly didn\u2019t go over well with much of the (male) elite of Hollywood<\/a>. The film was largely snubbed at that year\u2019s Oscars, which some in the industry believe to be retaliation at Streisand rather than a result of the movie\u2019s quality. The factual details of Streisand\u2019s career are readily available<\/a>. Therefore, we focus mainly on what she says about her personal experiences as a performer rather than reiterating all of the specific projects she directed.)<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Yentl <\/em>won a Golden Globe award for Best Picture, and Streisand became the first woman to receive a Golden Globe for Best Director.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

(Shortform note: The Golden Globes<\/a> are annual awards granted for excellence in film and television, both in the United States and abroad. Though not part of the coveted EGOT awards, the Golden Globes are prestigious in their own right<\/a>, and receiving one is considered a great honor. Furthermore, as of 2023, Streisand is one of only three women to have ever won a Golden Globe for Best Director. The others were Chlo\u00e9 Zhao<\/a>, who won the award in 2021, and Jane Campion<\/a>, who won it in 2022.)<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

How does Barbra Streisand compare directing and acting? What’s so noteworthy about her film Yentl? According to Barbra Streisand, directing isn’t easy. But, it provides more of what she looks for in creative pursuits. In her autobiography, Streisand writes about her film directing career, and it’s easy to see how her landmark project Yentl showcases so much of her one-of-a-kind style. Keep reading to learn the highlights of Streisand’s directing career.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":9,"featured_media":119400,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[39,33],"tags":[1346],"class_list":["post-119389","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-history","category-people","tag-my-name-is-barbra","","tg-column-two"],"yoast_head":"\nBarbra Streisand's Directing: The Risk & Success of Yentl - Shortform Books<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The highlight of Barbra Streisand's directing career is the film Yentl. 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