The Ancient Law (1923)
(Das alte Gesetz, E.A. Dupont, Germany 1923, 128 min., DCP)
With live original music composed and performed by world-renowned klezmer violinist Alicia Svigals and celebrated silent film pianist Donald Sosin, this is a film not to be missed. An important piece of German-Jewish cinematic history, The Ancient Law was digitally restored by the Deutsche Kinemathek with generous support from the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts. 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 film paints a complex portrait of the tension between tradition and modernity, contrasting the closed world of an Eastern European shtetl with the liberal mores of 1860s Vienna. With its historically authentic set design and ensemble of prominent actors – all captured magnificently by cinematographer Theodor Sparkuhl – The Ancient Law is an outstanding example of the creativity of Jewish filmmakers in 1920s Germany.
The film will be accompanied by Donald Sosin and Alicia Svigals, with generous support from the Sunrise Foundation for Education and the Arts.