History Film / TheDybbuk

It is based on a classic play by S. Ansky. The entire film is in Yiddish. The movie plot, in a nutshell: In a shtetl (pre-Holocaust Eastern European small town with a large Jewish population), Khonnen, a poor student, and Leah, a rich merchant's daughter, fall in love (their parents pledged that they would marry). But Leah's father is making her marry a rich man's son. Khonnen responds by studying the forbidden Kabbala and then drops dead in mystical ecstasy. At the wedding, Leye becomes possessed by Khonnen's spirit. The rest of the community wants to get him out. (It's been described as "''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' meets ''Film/TheExorcist''.")

Starring Leon Liebgold, Lili Liliana, Abraham Morewski. Compare ''Film/{{Tevya}}'', an American production made around the same time (1939) in Yiddish and depicting shtetl life in Eastern Europe.

''The Dybbuk'' is a 1937 film from Poland, directed by Michal Waszynski.

* ReligionIsMagic: A love-struck young man uses ancient Jewish mystic knowledge to summon the devil; the ritual kills him and turns him into a ghost. Later in the film a rabbinical trial summons the ghost of Nisn, and the head rabbi urges Nisn's ghost to cut Sender a break.

* {{Things Man Was Not Meant To Know}}--the Kabbala was traditionally considered too dangerous to study unless you were over 40, married and with a family, for your own protection. Khonnen is an example of this.

* ReligionIsMagic: A love-struck young man uses ancient Jewish mystic knowledge to summon the devil; the ritual kills him and turns him into a ghost.

''The Dybbuk'' is a classic Yiddish movie (based on a play, which is still performed in various languages). The movie plot, in a nutshell: In a shtetl (pre-Holocaust Eastern European small town with a large Jewish population), Khonnen, a poor student, and Leah, a rich merchant's daughter, fall in love (their parents pledged that they would marry). But Leah's father is making her marry a rich man's son. Khonnen responds by studying the forbidden Kabbala and then drops dead in mystical ecstasy. At the wedding, Leye becomes possessed by Khonnen's spirit. The rest of the community wants to get him out. (It's been described as "''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' meets ''Film/TheExorcist''.")

1937, Poland. Directed by Michal Waszynski. Based on a play by S. Ansky. Starring Leon Liebgold, Lili Liliana, Abraham Morewski. Compare ''Film/{{Tevya}}'', an American production made around the same time (1939) in Yiddish and depicting shtetl life in Eastern Europe.

!!This film containes examples of:

%%* Love Makes You Crazy

%%* {{Star Crossed Lovers}}

1937, Poland. Directed by Michal Waszynski. Based on a play by S. Ansky. Starring Leon Liebgold, Lili Liliana, Abraham Morewski.

%%* Black Magic

%%* ReligionIsMagic

%%* ArrangedMarriage (forced)

-> --Leye, revealing that she has been possessed by Khonnen's dybbuk

''The Dybbuk'' is a classic Yiddish movie (based on a play, which is still performed in various languages). The movie plot, in a nutshell: In a shtetl (pre-Holocaust Eastern European small town with a large Jewish population), Khonnen, a poor student, and Leye, a rich merchant's daughter, fall in love (their parents pledged that they would marry). But Leye's father is making her marry a rich man's son. Khonnen responds by studying the forbidden Kabbala and then drops dead in mystical ecstasy. At the wedding, Leye becomes possessed by Khonnen's spirit. The rest of the community wants to get him out. (It's been described as "''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' meets ''Film/TheExorcist''.")

* ChildhoodMarriagePromise: A variation—Khonnen and Leye's fathers promised their children would marry, before they were born.

* DeathByChildbirth: Sender's wife dies giving birth to Leye.
* DemonicPossession: Chanan dies but comes back as a dybbuk and possesses Leyte.

* LongHairIsFeminine: Leye is very feminine, sweet and innocent, and has two waist-length braids.

%%* {{Love Makes You Evil}} and {{Anti Villain}}, arguably: Khonnen becomes a spirit who possesses his beloved, after calling on Satan for assistance.

%%* Demonic Possession

* Long Hair Is Feminine: Leye is very feminine, sweet and innocent, and has two waist-length braids.

* {{Arranged Marriage}} (forced)
* {{Black Magic}}
* {{Childhood Marriage Promise}}--a variation: Khonnen and Leye's fathers promised their children would marry, before they were born.
* {{Demonic Possession}}

* {{Long Hair Is Feminine}}: Leye is very feminine, sweet and innocent, and has two waist-length braids.
* {{Love Makes You Crazy}}
* {{Love Makes You Evil}} and {{Anti Villain}}, arguably: Khonnen becomes a spirit who possesses his beloved, after calling on Satan for assistance.
* ReligionIsMagic
* {{Star Crossed Lovers}}

'''Tropes:'''

* {{Beard of Evil}}, averted: Since it's set in an old ultra-Orthodox Jewish community, most men have long, thick beards, sometimes white. The men tend to be stern and grim and sometimes forbidding, but not at all evil.

* {{Things Man Was Not Meant To Know}}--the Kabbala was traditionally considered too dangerous to study unless you were over 40, married and with a family, for your own protection. Khonnen is an example of this.

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* {{Love Makes You Evil}} and {{Anti Villain}}, arguably: It's debatable whether Khonnen becoming a spirit who possesses his beloved makes him evil, but you could make a case for it.

''The Dybbuk'' is a classic Yiddish movie (based on a play, which is still performed in various languages). The movie plot, in a nutshell: In a shtetl (pre-Holocaust Eastern European small town with a large Jewish population), Khonnen, a poor student, and Leye, a rich merchant's daughter, fall in love (their parents pledged that they would marry). But Leye's father is making her marry a rich man's son. Khonnen responds by studying the forbidden Kabbala and then drops dead in mystical ecstasy. At the wedding, Leye becomes possessed by Khonnen's spirit. The rest of the community wants to get him out. (It's been described as "''Theatre/RomeoAndJuliet'' meets ''Film/TheExorcist''.") Much, much BetterThanItSounds.

''The Dybbuk'' is a classic Yiddish movie (based on a play, which is still performed in various languages). The movie plot, in a nutshell: In a shtetl (pre-Holocaust Eastern European small town with a large Jewish population), Khonnen, a poor student, and Leye, a rich merchant's daughter, fall in love (their parents pledged that they would marry). But Leye's father is making her marry a rich man's son. Khonnen responds by studying the forbidden Kabbala and then drops dead in mystical ecstasy. At the wedding, Leye becomes possessed by Khonnen's spirit. The rest of the community wants to get him out. (It's been described as "''Romeo and Juliet'' meets ''The Exorcist''.") Much, much Better Than It Sounds. The plot of the original play is slightly different, mainly in that Leye is merely attracted to Khonnen, and even the attraction is subtle.