Product Description

The film is highly stylized. One of the dance sequences is like a Brueghel painting sprung to life; the living mingle with the dead physically and thus emotionally.

When Caruso heard Sirota sing "Celeste Aida" in a concert, he reportedly thanked God the cantor had chosen "to employ his heavenly gift in a different field." Sirota, born in Russia in 1874, officiated as cantor in Odessa, Vilna and Warsaw. He made cantorial recordings, beginning in 1903. From 1927-35, he sang concerts throughout Europe and in the U.S. He and his family perished in the Warsaw ghetto in 1943. In this film he is heard for a few minutes. The Dybbuk was filmed on location in Kazimierz, Poland, and in a Warsaw studio, in 1937.

The Dybbuk is the most widely produced play in the history of Jewish theater. It has been performed in Yiddish, Hebrew, German, Polish, English, Ukranian, Swedish, Bulgarian, Czech, Serbian, French and Japanese.--Stefan Zucker

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #36761 in DVD
• Released on: 2005-01-11
• Rating: NR (Not Rated)
• Aspect ratio: 1.33:1
• Number of discs: 1
• Formats: Black & White, Classical, DVD, Subtitled, NTSC
• Subtitled in: English
• Number of discs: 1
• Running time: 121 minutes

The New Yorker:
"Poignant and mesmerizing, The Dybbuk rewards you with a mystical fervor and layered emotionality, rare in movies of any era."

The International Herald Tribune:
"It has an enthralling power and is magnificently acted. Here is a motion picture of spellbinding strangeness and extraordinary distinction."

Parker Tyler, in Magic and Myth of the Movies:
"Nothing Hollywood has done can compare with the seriousness of The Dybbuk."

Customer Reviews

An extraordinary film
This film is exceptionnal. Not only it was shot in yiddish in Poland four years before Hitler's agression, but also it relates a fantastic story of love beyond life and death, good and evil in a mystic community of religious Jews (hassidim). Eventually, the actors and the scipt are excellent, and the religious songs strongly emphasize the mysticism of the story. It's a real "chef-d'oeuvre", an ultimate cry of love in a world condamned to disappear, and the dance of the bride with the death has a prophetic flavour.

"One Comes Into The World, Another Leaves" ~ Penetrating The Mysticism Of The Kabala
Note: Yiddish with English subtitles.

`The Dybbuk', released in '37 is a cinematic time capsule providing the viewer with a mesmerizing glimpse into a world that no longer exists. While '37 was a long time ago (70 years come 01/07) the film has a feel, no an atmosphere, that seems much older. Filled with magic, superstition and Jewish mysticism, it is a veritable compendium of Yiddish culture, religious practice and belief. While such subject matters will clearly command the attention of a very select audience it is an immensely important film nevertheless.

Synopsis: Two young people, Leah (Lili Liliana) and Channon (Leon Liebgold), fall hopelessly in love but are unable to wed because Leah's Father plans for her to wed a wealthier suitor. Heartbroken, Channon turns from his pious ways and calls upon the "Powers of Darkness" to come to his rescue and help him secure his desired bride. Unfortunately Satan isn't in the business of bringing young lovers together to live happily ever after. Only sadness and grief lie ahead.

This is really quite a watch, kind of an Ingmar Bergman's 'The Seventh Seal' meets `Fiddler On The Roof' with a little touch of `The Exorcist' thrown in for good measure. Definitely not for everyone, but if you're in the mood for something totally different and are willing to put in the time and attention to explore the darker teachings of Kabala and Jewish mysticism this will serve as a great primer.

LIKE THE EXORCIST, ONLY JEWISH
My rating of four stars reflects the dvd transfer of this movie. While the movie is a part of film history and itself worthy of five stars, the restoration of the movie leaves a lot to be desired. The movie is in Yiddish, with English subtitles. This film being black and white, it is very hard to read the white subtitles. It would have been easier to read if the subtitles were yellow.
Channon falls in love with Leah. Unbeknownst to them, but knownst to us, their parents made a sacred pact that if one fathered a boy and the other a girl, they would be wed. One father dies and years later, the pact is forgotten about. I will not give away the rest of the story, but this movie has a lot to do with Kabbalah and numerology, as well as the interesting topic of exorcisms within the Jewish faith. It also has a character that can dissappear and reappear at will and also communicate with the dead.
This is a truly interesting film. I suggest this to anyone interested in Yiddish, as well as those interested in Kabbalah/Jewish Mysticism.