This film is part of Free
The Wicked One - What Does He Say?
A grief-stricken rabbi recollects life in his home country, only to find that tragedy has followed him to his new life
Overview
Betrayal, brutality and heartbreak lead a rabbi to a new life in the UK, where a shocking coincidence sparks intense reactions. Flashbacks of past Passover Seder nights reveal tragedy and sorrow, while in the present we see the hardship of poor immigrants in Britain. Taking its title from the 'Four Sons' passage of the Passover Haggadah text, this beautifully evocative amateur film offers a glimpse into the sensibility of Yiddish melodrama.
Back in the home country, the rabbi’s son is tempted to pursue romance rather than join in the family Seder. But the risk to traditional Jewish life is greater still, as pogroms threaten Jewish communities and one subsequent Seder night, danger enters the home with tragic consequences. The sacred rituals of Passover are interrupted by violence, murder and rape. In the present day, the rabbi receives help from the 'Jews’ Temporary Shelter' (then in Mansell Street, in London’s East End) and finds work teaching in a boys’ school; but the horrors of the past continue to disturb him.
Related
Simcha Simcha
Documentary 2000 12 mins
Extremely rare insight in the role of a Hasidic woman, featuring a mother-daughter team who live in North London.
Some of My Best Friends Some of My Best Friends
Documentary 1969 30 mins Location: Westminster
Jewish people - and a few Gentiles - muse on what it means to be Jewish in 1960s Britain
Chief Rabbi's Emergency Council Chief Rabbi's Emergency Council
1947 19 mins Silent
Poignant postwar appeal for Britain’s Jewry to support orphaned Jewish children rescued from Europe
Jewish Pensioners' Controversial Pools Win Jewish Pensioners' Controversial Pools Win
News 1975 5 mins Location: Southend-on-Sea
All good pals and jolly good company! A syndicate of Jewish pensioners from Southend celebrate their big win on the football pools.
Just One Kid Just One Kid
Factual TV 1974 54 mins Silent
A Jewish Eastender recalls growing up in poverty in the 1930s and being part of a community now long gone
Mr. Emmanuel Mr. Emmanuel
Drama 1944 97 mins
An elderly Jewish man journeys to Nazi Germany to track down a refugee’s mother in this extraordinary drama
Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A Getting it Back: The Story of Cymande - Q&A
Inside Film 2024 22 mins
The director of a documentary about British funk pioneers Cymande joins the band at BFI Southbank to talk about the film.
The West Case The West Case
Action and Adventure 1923 28 mins Silent Location: Tilbury
Plotting world domination, Devil Doctor Fu-Manchu steals plans for a new aero-torpedo in this earliest surviving thrill-a-minute serial instalment.
Enter the Scala!!! Enter the Scala!!!
Inside Film 2024 16 mins
Filmmakers Jane Giles and Ali Catterall discuss their documentary Scala!!!, revisiting the legendary and inspirational cinema venue and some of the most notorious films that screened there.
Smith Smith
Charity appeal 1939 10 mins
Long thought lost, this Powell-directed promotional short for a veteran’s charity was only rediscovered in 2003.
An Airman's Letter to His Mother An Airman's Letter to His Mother
Documentary 1941 6 mins
A poignant, stirring letter from a recently deceased pilot to his mother is read by John Gielgud.
The NHS75 Celebration The NHS75 Celebration
Short documentary 2023 3 mins
Former Bristol Poet Laureate, Miles Chambers reads a poem specially commissioned for the 75th anniversary of the NHS.