Cinema
The Dybbuk
דער דיבוק
Michał Waszyński · 1937
Synopsis
Two friends, Sender and Nisn, swear to unite their children if they have a son and a daughter, despite their rabbi's advice and the warning of a mysterious messenger. Sender's wife dies giving birth to Leah, and Nisn dies accidentally at the birth of his son Khonen. Eighteen years later, Khonen, a poor student of the Talmud, and Leah, raised in comfort, love each other without knowing of their promise; her father betroths her to a richer match, and Khonen turns to the Kabbalah to win her back.
Context
The film follows S. An-ski's play, which drew on the ethnographic expedition he led from 1912 to 1917 in the Jewish towns of Ukraine. Alter Kacyzne wrote the screenplay, and Judith Berg choreographed the dance of death and plays the role of Death. Shooting lasted two weeks of exteriors at Kazimierz Dolny and five weeks at the Feniks studio in Warsaw. Released on 26 September 1937, it is now distributed in a restored print by the National Center for Jewish Film.
Who it is for
About two hours, in Yiddish, subtitled in the restored copies; a style of acting from the theatre and a slow rhythm.
Prizes and reception
Regarded as one of the finest Yiddish-language films, and as its director's masterpiece.
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