This film is currently unavailable
The Wandering Jew
After spitting on Christ on the way to crucifixion, a Jewish man is cursed with immortality
Director: Maurice Elvey
Overview
Conrad Veidt stars as Matathias, a Jewish man who, after spitting on Christ en route to his crucifixion, is doomed to walk the earth until the Second Coming. After two passages - one set during the Crusades, the other in Mediaeval Italy - Matathias is offered redemption during the Spanish Inquisition. The opening and closing segments are particularly haunting, and Veidt is excellent as the antihero. This was the second film based on E. Temple Thurston’s play, which had previously been adapted for a silent version in 1923, also directed by Maurice Elvey.
The representation of Christ is imaginatively depicted; the viewer never sees him, and his words are conveyed silently, through words that appear eerily on screen. The last chapter features the screen debut of Peggy Ashcroft. Despite Matathias’ heroism in the final scenes, the portrayal of the Jew as arrogant and adulterous in the Jerusalem chapter led to the film being heavily cut before its US release.
Related
The Queen of Spades The Queen of Spades
Fantasy 1949 95 mins Director: Thorold Dickinson
Thorold Dickinson's most dazzling success, based on Pushkin’s 1834 tale of black magic and gambling.
O Lucky Man! O Lucky Man!
Comedy 1973 178 mins Director: Lindsay Anderson
A coffee salesman travels England in Lindsay Anderson's profane and satiric vision of English high and low life.
Gremlins Gremlins
Comedy 1984 106 mins Director: Joe Dante
One Christmas, Billy and his cute friend Gizmo try to save themselves and their whole town when diabolical creatures take over.
Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman Blind Willow, Sleeping Woman
Animation & Artists Moving Image 2022 108 mins Director: Pierre Földes
Impressive and captivating animated adaptation of Haruki Murakami’s short stories.
Orlando Orlando
Fantasy 1993 93 mins Director: Sally Potter
Tilda Swinton stars in Sally Potter's dazzling interpretation of Virginia Woolf's novel.
After Blue (Dirty Paradise) After Blue (Dirty Paradise)
Fantasy 2021 129 mins Director: Bertrand Mandico
A mother and daughter living in a post-apocalyptic future are sent to hunt down and kill an evil demon hell-bent on destruction.
The Small World of Sammy Lee The Small World of Sammy Lee
Drama 1963 107 mins Director: Ken Hughes
Seedy Soho strip-club compere Sammy (Anthony Newley) races to escape the heavies who hunt him in this gritty, engrossing 1960s London thriller.
Orthodox Orthodox
Drama 2016 94 mins Director: David Leon
Stephen Graham is the orthodox Jew tempted into a life of violence by his corrupt associate (Michael Smiley), in this riveting and complex crime drama.
Simon Magus Simon Magus
Drama 2000 115 mins Director: Ben Hopkins
Noah Taylor (Game of Thrones) stars as an outcast accused of sorcery by his fellow 19th-century villagers, in Ben Hopkins' rich and haunting allegory.
The Bespoke Overcoat The Bespoke Overcoat
Fantasy 1955 38 mins Director: Jack Clayton
A clerk in a cold warehouse wants one of the warm sheepskin coats stacked around him.
Suzie Gold Suzie Gold
Romance 2004 90 mins Director: Ric Cantor
Girl meets goy: a Jewish princess must decide between a Jew and a gentile in this light-hearted romantic comedy
A Kid for Two Farthings A Kid for Two Farthings
Comedy 1955 90 mins Director: Carol Reed
The adventures of a young boy who buys a small goat in the belief that it’s a unicorn that will be able to grant the wishes of him and his friends.
I Was a Spy I Was a Spy
War 1933 91 mins Director: Victor Saville
A nurse who doubles as a spy in German-occupied Belgium attracts the attentions of a German commandant.
Rome Express Rome Express
Thriller 1933 91 mins Director: Walter Forde
A star-studded international cast boards the Paris-Rome express for this lavish comedy-thriller from Gainsborough Pictures.
Fun at St. Fanny's Fun at St. Fanny's
Comedy 1955 80 mins Director: Maurice Elvey
Ronnie Corbett features in this quick-fire vintage classroom caper, featuring enough old jokes to fill a Christmas cracker factory.
What Every Woman Wants What Every Woman Wants
Drama 1954 88 mins Director: Maurice Elvey
The trials and tribulations of 1950s working class family life are engagingly evoked in this warm-hearted drama of urban England.
The Great Game The Great Game
Comedy 1952 77 mins Director: Maurice Elvey
Goals and glamour go together in this high-scoring drama of football league corruption with Thora Hird, Diana Dors and John Laurie.
Happiness of Three Women Happiness of Three Women
Drama 1954 79 mins Director: Maurice Elvey
The Wishing Well Inn in rural Wales is the bustling centre of love and intrigue in this charming romance starring Petula Clarke.
Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings Boys on Film 24: Happy Endings
Anthology 2024 174 mins Director: Jason Bradbury, Jesse Ung, Diego Alvarez Parra, Itai Jamshy, Fabia Martin, Alejandro Sandoval Bertín, Sara Larrota, Benjamin Belloir, Jeremy McClain and Arthur Cahn
A compilation of new gay short films showcasing unashamedly positive stories of love, sex and romance to move, inspire and uplift.
Four Daughters Four Daughters
Drama-documentary 2023 103 mins Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
The mother-daughter relationship is explored to cathartic effect in this complex and poignant hybrid documentary about a woman and her missing daughters.
Her Last Affaire Her Last Affaire
Drama 1936 68 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell's 'society drama’ involving suspicion, clandestine romance and presumed murder, and glorious comic double-act from Googie Withers and John Lurie.
She Will She Will
Thriller 2021 96 mins Director: Charlotte Colbert
In Charlotte Colbert’s strikingly gothic film, an ageing actor recovering from a mastectomy taps into a mysterious power at a remote Scottish retreat.
Rynox Rynox
Crime 1932 46 mins Director: Michael Powell
Michael Powell’s earliest existing film is a twisty thriller crafted with a bold visual style that is unmistakeably influenced by Fritz Lang.
Hotel Splendide Hotel Splendide
Comedy 1932 53 mins Director: Michael Powell
Music hall veteran Jerry Verno stars as a lowly clerk who gets more than he bargained for when he inherits a hotel, in Michael Powell's charming comedy.