Ost und West (1923)

The film deals in an ironic, pointed way with the differences between assimilated Western Jewry and traditional Orthodox Jewry in Eastern Europe. The main character is Molly, a young Jewish American who, far removed from any religious observance, leads the life of an ordinary, sheltered “modern” American girl (we see her, for example, boxing with young men), until her family is invited to the wedding of Molly’s cousin Selda, who lives in Tarnopol, Poland. The family then travels to Poland, where Molly meets Ruben, a Talmud student. Before the wedding, the annual Yom Kippur observance takes place, which also includes a period of fasting. During a service, Molly sneaks out of the synagogue, helps herself generously to the festive meal prepared at her uncle’s house, simply puts the leftovers under the table, where dogs and cats eat them, and forgets a personal book in the kitchen, leaving incriminating evidence behind for the others to find. The cook and the rest of the household are very angry with Molly, but she decides to get revenge, puts on boxing gloves, and knocks the cook out. Preparations for the wedding are in full swing when Molly visits the young men practicing for the choir and teaches them to dance the shimmy. In another scene, she puts on men’s clothes, which also meets with little approval. Finally, the wedding is imminent, and the bride-to-be, Selda, lets Molly try on her veil. This gives Molly the idea of playing wedding, and she persuades the others to join in. Ruben plays her groom and, at Molly’s insistence, puts a ring on her finger despite the earlier warnings—and now, since there were two male witnesses, he is Molly’s husband under religious law. Heated discussions continue the next day about what to do, but Ruben is unwilling to divorce her because he has fallen in love with Molly. Since no one is willing to understand him, Ruben writes to his wealthy uncle in Vienna to ask if he can visit him for a while. He writes a letter to Molly’s father asking him to give Ruben five years—if Molly still wants to divorce him then, he will agree. Ruben is warmly welcomed by his uncle. He stays for months and, during that time, at first only reluctantly, gives up his religious attire and cuts off his sidelocks. He writes a book titled East and West, which attracts international attention. Five years later, Molly and her father announce their arrival. Ruben sends them an invitation to a reading, where he too will present his latest book, Mazel Tov, under his pen name, “Ben-Ami.” But Molly and her father know nothing of Ruben’s new identity, and Ruben’s uncle keeps quiet as well. Molly is impressed by Ben-Ami, who is also admired by other women, and the two quickly grow closer. After the five-year period has elapsed, Ruben and Molly’s divorce is due to take place soon. Ruben “disguises” himself once again as the Talmud student with sidelocks whom Molly first met, and hands her what she believes are the divorce papers. But the papers actually contain a text by Ruben explaining that he and Ben-Ami are one and the same person. Molly no longer wants a divorce after all; the two kiss, and the film ends.