Cine Concert: Ancient Law

The Ancient Law, (Das Alte Gesetz) Ewald André Dupont’s 1923 silent masterpiece, is the moving story of the rupture between a rabbi and his son in a Polish shtetl, when the young man abruptly leaves to become an actor in Vienna. With its fascinating attention to cultural detail, and ensemble of some of the great actors of the day, the film still resonates deeply with audiences in its 100th anniversary year.

The film has been newly restored with an original score by master silent film pianist Donald Sosin and violinist Alicia Svigals who will perform live with the film for a unique cine-concert experience.

After first reconstructing the film in 1984, the Deutsche Kinemathek found the censor’s certificate with the text of the original title cards. This provided the impetus for a worldwide search for all the surviving film elements and a new, digital restoration – which drew upon nitrate prints in five different languages held in archives across Europe and the United States.

In the film, Baruch (Ernst Deutsch), the son of a rabbi, becomes fascinated by the theater. Against his father’s wishes, Baruch leaves home and finds his way to Vienna, where an archduchess at the imperial court (Henny Porten) falls in love with him. She becomes his patroness, facilitating his successful career as a classical actor. But Baruch continues to long for home, and must find a way to reconcile his religious heritage with his love of secular literature. The movie paints a complex portrait of the tension between tradition and modernity.

Now viewers can experience a film fundamental to German-Jewish history in its most complete form since 1923, with riveting live performances by two musicians renowned in their respective genres.

Card to Culture tickets available.