The Ancient Law (Das Alte Gesetz)

Blu-ray pressing. 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 it's 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.