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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
(aka 'Das alte Gesetzor "Israels Sřn" or "Baruch" or "This Ancient Law' or 'The Ancient Law')
Directed by Ewald André Dupont
Germany 1923
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Flicker Alley is proud to present Ewald
André Dupont's 1923 silent film The Ancient Law (Das
alte Gesetz), digitally restored by the Deutsche
Kinemathek with generous support from the Sunrise
Foundation for Education and the Arts. The Ancient
Law is an important piece of German-Jewish cinematic
history, 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. 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. With the censor s certificate, the restoration team from the Deutsche Kinemathek could accurately reconstruct the intertitles as well the correct editing. The color scheme is based on two nitrate prints nearly identical in their tinting and toning. The restored version closely corresponds to the original German theatrical release, both in its length and digitally simulated color. 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. This deluxe dual-disc collectors set features two scores: an orchestral score by French composer Philippe Schoeller, and a second ensemble score by Donald Sosin and Alicia Svigals. |
Poster
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Theatrical Release: October 29th, 1923 (Berlin)
Reviews More Reviews DVD Reviews
Review:
Flicker Alley - Region FREE - Blu-ray| Box Cover |
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| Distribution |
Flicker Alley |
| Runtime |
2:14:12.753 |
| Video |
Disc Size: 45,213,430,074 bytes Feature Size: 36,433,659,264 bytes Average Bitrate: 29.87 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video |
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Bitrate:
Flicker Alley Blu-ray
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| Audio |
LPCM Audio 2304 kbps 2.0 / 48 kHz / 2304 kbps /
24-bit |
| Subtitles | English, French, Russian (on German intertitles), None |
| Features |
Release
Information: Studio: Flicker Alley
Disc Size: 45,213,430,074 bytes Feature Size: 36,433,659,264 bytes Average Bitrate: 29.87 MbpsDual-layered Blu-ray MPEG-4 AVC Video
Edition Details: Second disc DVD
Chapters: 12 |
| Comments |
NOTE: The below Blu-ray captures were taken directly from the Blu-ray disc. As we know - over 90% of all Silent Era films are lost forever. Unfortunately the original negative and the German version of This Ancient Law (The Ancient Law) have not been preserved. Copies of shortened version exist with altered sequences. In 1984, Lothar Schwab edited an initial reconstruction for the Deutsche Kinemathek but the the censor's certificate was found and the restoration team could accurately reconstruct the intertitles as well the correct editing. So this restored version closely corresponds to the original German theatrical release, both in its length and digitally simulated color. Flicker Alley's transfer is on a dual-layered, Blu-ray with a very high bitrate. Predictably the 1080P presentation has plenty of inconsistency considering it's restoration history (five vintage nitrate prints) . But there is no overwhelming damage and some of the detail is quite remarkable - as evidenced by the screen captures below. Mostly in a dark-sepia tint the image quality looks fine in-motion for a Silent Era reconstruction. Some contrast flickering is acceptable but I was surprised, after all that had been done, that it looks as good as it does.
The audio transfer in a linear PCM 2.0 channel (24-bit) for two musical accompaniment tracks. Featured are an orchestral score by French composer Philippe Schoeller, and a second ensemble score by Donald Sosin and Alicia Svigals. Both sound excellent playing beside the film. Flicker Alley add optional English, French or Russian subtitles for the reconstructed German intertitles. The disc is a Region FREE Blu-ray.
Extras include the 1923, 17-minute, Der Film im Film which is the
only surviving excerpt of a documentary on film production in Weimar
Germany, featuring the different personalities of several famous
directors of the era at work on the set including Fritz Lang, Robert
Wiene, and Dupont. Insights into the Restoration is a 16-minute
demonstration with raw scans of the different nitrate source materials,
illustrating how the reconstruction was completed. There is also an
image slideshow of rare production stills and original archival
materials, and the package has liner notes with Essays on The Ancient
Law - a booklet containing two essays: an appreciation of the film
and its historical context, written by film historian and scholar,
Cynthia Walk; and an overview of the restoration process by Daniel
Meiller, Head of Audiovisual Collections, Deutsche Kinemathek. Notes on
the Film Music Introductions to the two new musical scores commissioned
for the restored film. lastly there is a second disc DVD included. An age-old story of commitment and respect for the family's ideals when your life-path sends you in out into the world. This was excellent in so many ways - a very rewarding film experience. Flicker Alley's Blu-ray package has plenty of value. Strongly recommended!- Gary Tooze |
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Flicker Alley |
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S E A R C H D V D B e a v e r |
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Gary Tooze
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Thank You!
