Hintergrund Michał Waszyński: "Der Prinz und der Dybbuk"

Background information on filmmaker Michał Waszyński and his Yiddish drama "The Dybbuk": the documentary portrays the director and producer who led a fascinating life as a human chameleon:

THE PRINCE AND THE DYBBUK

POL/DEU 2017. D: Elwira Niewiera, Piotr Rosołowski. Documentary. 82 min. Ital-english-polnOmdtU. FSK: 6

Who was Moshe Waks, who was born in 1904 as the son of a poor Jewish blacksmith in Ukraine and died as Prince Michał Waszyński in Italy in 1965? Was he a cinematic prodigy, a clever trickster or a man who could not tell the difference between cinematic illusion and reality? As a director and producer of Hollywood films in Italy and Spain, Waszyński created over 40 films. His real obsession, however, was the film THE DYBBUK, which he directed in 1937. The film is based on an old Jewish legend in which a young woman is haunted by the dybbuk spirit of her first love. THE DYBBUK is not only considered one of the most mysterious Yiddish films in film history, it also reflects Waszyński's restless life with many unresolved secrets.
A fascinating portrait of a human chameleon who constantly changed names, religions, titles and countries; also to disguise his Jewish origins, also to disguise his homosexuality. Awarded the Golden Lion for Best Documentary in Venice!

Documentary film about the life of the director of DYBBUK - this classic of Yiddish cinema in our "Film & Theater" series on 24 April