276. In the 1983 movie "Yentl", why did Barbra Streisand's character dress up as a boy?
From Quiz Cross-Dressing in the Movies
Answer:
To enter religious training
Barbara Streisand played the role of Yentl Mendel, who was the only child of widower Rebbe Mendel, a teacher of Talmud (Jewish Law) to local boys. Girls were not permitted to learn those laws, at that time. When Rebbe died, Yentl was left all alone so she decided to disguise herself as a boy and take on the name of her deceased brother Anshel. She managed to get admitted to a Yeshiva (Jewish educational institution), where she could study the Torah (Pentateuch, or Five Books of Moses) and the Talmud (central text of mainstream Judaism, such as laws, ethics, philosophy, etc. of the Jewish peoples), as well as other teachings that girls were not permitted to learn. Eventually Yentl (Anshel) made friends with Avigdor. Since Avigdor had a brother who committed suicide, his fiancee, Haddas's, family called off their wedding, which resulted in "Anshel" being asked to stand in as a substitute and become Haddas's husband. Of course the marriage was never consummated and over time Yentl revealed that she was a she and not a he. Through it all, Avigdor and Haddas eventually ended up back together and Yentl went to America to seriously study in Yeshiva, as a woman.