The film directed by Jean Mihail, one of the most remarkable Romanian silent films of the 1920's, accompanied live by Minima the British band famous for the original soundtracks composed for various classic and avant-garde films. Internationally acclaimed for their scores, but also for their ability to improvise, the Minima quartet played in dozens of theaters, art centers, museums and festivals, and their repertoire includes films such as Nosferatu (1922), The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari (1919) or Hitchcock's The Lodger (1927).
"The atmosphere was absolutely magical, and the hundreds of participants seemed utterly enamored" writes "The Daily Telegraph" about one of the band's performances. Minima accompanied live Manasse for the first time at East End Film Festival in London in 2011 as part of the festival's theme – immigration. The soundtrack is a mix of traditional Hebrew music, modern rhythms and atmospheric textures.
Filmul, turnat parțial în orașul Fălticeni, are ca temă intoleranţa religioasă pe fundalul unei poveşti de dragoste între un român şi o evreică, nepoata lui Manasse Cohen. Manasse is an adaptation of a play written by Roman Ronetti and turned famous after the scandal triggered by the interdiction of being performed at the National Theatre, in 1906, for anti-Semitic reasons. The film's theme, short partly in the city of Fălticeni, is religious intolerance against the backdrop of a love story between a Romanian and a Jew, the niece of Manasse Cohen. Main cast: Romald Bulfinsky (Manasse), George Aurelian (Matei Frunză), Dorina Demetrescu (Lelia), Maria Ciucurescu (Ester), Iosef Kamen (Zelig Șor), Ion Constantiniu (Emil Horn), Alexandru Finți (Lazăr).
Saturday, June 1, from 21.30, at the Bánffy Castle will be screened the Spanish silent film Blancanieves (2012), by Pablo Berger (see Weekend at the Castle).
The Bánffy Castle events will be organized in partnership with the Transylvania Trust and the Bonţida City Hall.
Tickets for the events within Weekend at the Castle program will be on sale online on www.biletmaster.ro, starting April 15, 2013.
