Sound and Light Cinematic Duo trailer
From Polina Shepherd:
At last I've managed to upload a short demo of our silent film programme - you may have seen Merlin and myself accompanying these fantastic earliest cinematic representations of east European Jewish communities. Thought I could share...
soundandlightcinematicduo.wordpress.com/
Sara’s Grief “Cine-fono” magazine 1913 #25
Sara is a beautiful Jewish woman, granddaughter of the local rabbi who is loved by two brothers, Itzik and Borukh. They are sons of a wealthy Jew, Rabinovitch. They both love her deeply but she loves Itzik. Her parents consent that she marries him. Borukh loves both Sara and his brother and wishes them happiness in their family life, but he leaves the shtetl. It would have been too hard for him to keep seeing Sara and realising that she doesn’t belong to him.
Itzak and Sara are happy in their mutual love but God didn’t bless them with children, which they desperately wanted. Ten years past since their marriage but there are no children.
So Itzak’s parents and other Jewish shtetl authorities decide that they have to divorce. For her grandfather the rabbi it is a shame that his granddaughter is childless, it means that she doesn’t have God’s blessing. The authorities insist on it but Itzak fights against their opinion. Eventually he is too weak to struggle with everybody and agrees to sign the get (divorce certificate). The get has been ready for a long time, so Itzak has simply to sign it and take it to Sara. From that moment, they would be considered to be officially divorced, but the question is how to get this paper to the wife that he loves to death. She wouldn’t agree to the divorce, but the Jews have a special trick in this case; one can bring this paper to the wife using deceitful means. The most important thing is to have witnesses. As soon as she takes hold of this fateful paper and the others witness it, she is divorced.
The authorities decide to use his trick. One of them dresses as a pauper and whilst taking mitzveh geld (alms) from her, drops the document. Sara picks it up and already whilst opening the document realises that trick, too late!
She is in despair. She shares her grief with her husband but at the same moment, the Jewish authorities announce that she has to leave her husband’s house, and he is a stranger to her fro now on. This terrible outcome affects the weak Itzak so much that he takes a rope and ties it to a hook on the wall and ends his bitter existence.
Itzak was buried according to strict Jewish traditions. And Sara is inconsolable. She moans and longs and yearns and after gets seriously ill. Her father and mother invite a doctor to see their dear daughter. The doctor having examined the patient announces categorically that she is absolutely fine and is going to become a mother soon. So if Itzak had waited to define his destiny, they would both be happy.
And this is a play of ruthless fate.