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''The Dybbuk'' (, ''Der Dibuk''; pl, Dybuk, links=no) is a
1937 Events January * January 1 – Anastasio Somoza García becomes President of Nicaragua. * January 5 – Water levels begin to rise in the Ohio River in the United States, leading to the Ohio River flood of 1937, which continues into ...
Yiddish-language Polish fantasy drama directed by
Michał Waszyński Michał Waszyński (29 September 1904 – 20 February 1965) was first a film director in Poland, then in Italy, and later (as Michael Waszynski) a producer of major American films, mainly in Spain. Known for his elegance and impeccable man ...
. It is based on the play '' The Dybbuk'' by
S. Ansky Shloyme Zanvl Rappoport (1863 – November 8, 1920), known by his pseudonym S. Ansky (or An-sky), was a Jewish author, playwright, researcher of Jewish folklore, polemicist, and cultural and political activist. He is best known for his play ' ...
. ''The Dybbuk, or Between Two Worlds'' (; ''Der Dibuk, oder Tsvishn Tsvey Veltn'') is a 1914 play by S. Ansky, relating the story of a young bride possessed by a dybbuk – a malicious possessing spirit, believed to be the dislocated soul of a dead person – on the eve of her wedding. ''The Dybbuk'' is considered a seminal play in the history of Jewish theatre, and played an important role in the development of Yiddish theatre and theatre in Israel. The play was based on years of research by Ansky, who traveled between Jewish shtetls in Russia and Ukraine, documenting folk beliefs and stories of the
Hassidic Jews Hasidism, sometimes spelled Chassidism, and also known as Hasidic Judaism (Ashkenazi Hebrew: חסידות ''Ḥăsīdus'', ; originally, "piety"), is a Jewish religious group that arose as a spiritual revival movement in the territory of contem ...
. The film, with some changes in the plot structure, starred as Leah, Leon Liebgold as Hannan (Channon, in the English-language subtitles), and as Rabbi Azrael ben Hodos. The film adds an additional act before those in the original play: it shows the close friendship of Sender and Nisn as young men. Besides the language of the film itself, the picture is noted among film historians for the striking scene of Leah's wedding, which is shot in the style of
German Expressionism German Expressionism () consisted of several related creative movements in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin during the 1920s. These developments were part of a larger Expressionist movement in north and central ...
. The film is generally considered one of the finest in the Yiddish language. ''The Dybbuk'' was filmed on location in Kazimierz Dolny, Poland, and in Feniks Film Studio in Warsaw.


Plot

Two best friends, Nisan and Sender, living in a shtetl in the
Pale of Settlement The Pale of Settlement (russian: Черта́ осе́длости, '; yi, דער תּחום-המושבֿ, '; he, תְּחוּם הַמּוֹשָב, ') was a western region of the Russian Empire with varying borders that existed from 1791 to 19 ...
, jointly vow that the children their wives are expecting will eventually marry, against the advice of a mysterious and sinister traveller who warns against binding future generations. Sender's wife dies giving birth to their daughter Leah, and Nisan drowns in a storm at the moment his wife gives birth to their son Chanan. Sender becomes a rich but miserly rabbi in the shtetl of Britnitz, and one day Chanan arrives there as a poor
yeshiva A yeshiva (; he, ישיבה, , sitting; pl. , or ) is a traditional Jewish educational institution focused on the study of Rabbinic literature, primarily the Talmud and halacha (Jewish law), while Torah and Jewish philosophy a ...
student. With both men unaware of their connection, Sender offers Chanan hospitality. Leah and Chanan fall in love, but knowing that Sender will not agree to marriage because of his lack of wealth, Chanan obsessively studies the
Kabbalah Kabbalah ( he, קַבָּלָה ''Qabbālā'', literally "reception, tradition") is an esoteric method, discipline and Jewish theology, school of thought in Jewish mysticism. A traditional Kabbalist is called a Mekubbal ( ''Məqūbbāl'' "rece ...
and attempts to practice magic to improve his position. When he hears that Sender has arranged Leah's marriage to a rich man's son, he calls on Satan to help him. He's struck dead, but returns as a dybbuk, a restless spirit, who possesses Leah. The ceremony is postponed, and Sender calls on the assistance of Ezeriel, a wise and powerful rabbi in nearby Miropol (
Myropil Myropil ( uk, Миропіль, translit. ''Myropil’'', russian: Миро́поль, pl, Miropol) is an urban-type settlement in Zhytomyr Raion, Zhytomyr Oblast Zhytomyr Oblast ( uk, Жито́мирська о́бласть, translit=Zhyto ...
). Ezeriel exorcises the dybbuk, but Leah offers her soul to Chanan and dies as the mysterious stranger blows out a candle.


Cast

* as Rabbi Ezeriel ben Hodos * as Meszulach, the messenger * as Sender Brynicer ben Henie * as Leah – Sender's daughter * Leon Liebgold as Chanan ben Nisan *
Dina Halpern Dina Halpern (15 July 1909, Warsaw – 18 February 1989, Chicago) was a Polish-born actress of the Yiddish theater, who came to the United States in 1938, on the eve of the Second World War, and spent the rest of her life there. She first became ...
as Aunt Frade * (billed: Maks Bozyk) as Nute, Sender's friend *M. Messinger as Menasze, the prospective groom * as Nisan ben Rifke *Samuel Bronecki (billed: S. Bronecki) as Nachman, Menasze's father * as Zalman, matchmaker * as Michael *Judith Berg as Dancer * * as Mendel


See also

*
Yiddish cinema Yiddish cinema ( yi, יידישע קינא, יידיש-שפראכיגע קינא; trans. ''Idish-Sprakhige Kino'', ''Idishe Kino'') refers to the Yiddish language film industry which produced some 130 full-length motion pictures and 30 short duri ...
*
Cinema of Poland The history of cinema in Poland is almost as long as the history of cinematography, and it has universally recognized achievements, even though Polish films tend to be less commercially available than films from several other European nations. Af ...


References


External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Dybbuck, The 1930s fantasy drama films 1937 films Polish black-and-white films Films about Orthodox and Hasidic Jews Dybbuks in film Films directed by Michał Waszyński Yiddish-language films Yiddish-language mass media in Poland Polish fantasy drama films 1937 drama films