Language:
Yiddish
Pages:
1 DVD-Video (101 Min.)
,
schwarz-weiß
Year of publication:
2006
Uniform Title:
Got, Mentsch un Taybl
Keywords:
DVD-Video
Abstract:
A wager between God and Satan has dire consequences in this allegory based on the play by Jacob Gordin about the material world's false promises. Beware when money sounds sweeter than music, it cautions; those who win lotteries stand to lose all, including their spiritual treasures, families, communities and religion. Poor, pious Torah scribe Hershele Dubrovner has a life that glorifies God until Satan, disguised as a business partner, turns him into a greedy, dishonest factory owner whose success desecrates both his religion and his community. Betrayal and abandonment replace serenity and familiarity; the instruments of good fortune become instruments of death. Not even music, previously Hershele's joy, can heal these rifts. If the character of Hershele Dubrovner reminds some of Faust and others of Job, its no coincidence as "God, Man and Devil" combines elements of both stories. The wager at the center of the story is that for all his piety, the scribe can be corrupted - not by suffering (as in Job's case) or by the temptation of wealth (as in Faust's case), but by worldly good fortune itself. As the plot develops, Hershele amply confirms Satan's expectations, only to realize the gravity of his error after it is too later to rectify it. It is a simple morality play, timeless even though addressed in its specifics to a particular audience. [jewishfilm.org]
Note:
jidd. mit engl. UT
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