The Dybbuk
Directed by Michal Waszynski
Written by S.A. Kacyzna and Andrzej Marek based on a play by Sholom Ansky
1937/Poland
Warszawskie Biuro Kinematograficzne Feniks
First viewing
dyb·buk [Sephardic Hebrew dee-book; Ashkenazic Hebrew, English dib-uhk] noun, plural dyb·buks, dyb·bu·kim [Sephardic Hebrew dee-boo-keem; Ashkenazic Hebrew dih-book-im] Jewish Folklore. a demon, or the soul of a dead person, that enters the body of a living person and directs the person’s conduct, exorcism being possible only by a religious ceremony.
It took me some time to get into this filmed Yiddish folk tale but, once I did, I found it richly rewarding.
As the story begins, two friends, Sender and Nisan, vow that if one has a male child and the other a female, their two children will marry. A mysterious messenger warns that making a vow with regard to the future is a sin but they ignore him. The friends go on to solemnize their vow with the village “wonder rabbi”. Sender goes on to have a daughter, but his wife dies in childbirth. Nisan has a son but he drowns on the day the child is born with the vow on his lips.
Later, Sender becomes a very wealthy man. His daughter, Leah, is 18 and a beauty. Chanan, a poor Yeshiva student, arrives in their village and becomes a friend of the family. He and Leah are drawn to each other. Knowing that Sender is looking for a rich match for his daughter, Chanan begins to study the Kabbala and evoke evil spirits to win Leah. He is unsuccessful and kills himself when Sender arranges a marriage with another. On the day of the wedding, Leah, who is still in love with Chanan, goes to the cemetery ostensibly to visit her mother’s grave. There, Chanan’s dybbuk takes possession of her body. The wedding cannot take place and the “wonder rabbi” must be appealed to for an exorcism.
This took some time to get into because the culture depicted was very foreign to me and the beginning of the film had few subtitles and the ones that there were were often of the frustrating white-on-white variety. However, I immediately appreciated the gorgeous solo and choral singing. Later, as the story took shape I became involved in it, largely due to the acting of the two young lovers. The wedding scene, with its many dances and songs, is a real treat as well.
This was a melancholy watch as I thought about how close this way of life, and indeed probably all the people involved with the film, were consigned to complete annihilation. How lucky we are that this was preserved.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9PHHqclQPsE
Clip – the Dance of Death
