Die Stadt ohne Juden (PG)

This startlingly prescient silent film from inter-war Vienna, now with score from Olga Neuwirth, chillingly imagines – and astonishingly predicts – the consequences as a city succumbs to intolerance.

Made in 1924, Die Stadt ohne Juden is ominous, portentous, and completely unforgettable. H K Breslauer’s satirical dystopia shows the cultural and economic impoverishment of a city that expels its Jewish population, and is disturbingly prophetic in its depiction of the murderous anti-semitism in Vienna in the wake of the First World War.

And the story of the film is almost as remarkable as its content. Lost during the Second World War, this version was only rediscovered in a Paris flea market in 2015. The political message is more sharply articulated in this newly restored version, with a hitherto lost ending and other sequences. For anyone interested in 20th-century history, this film is essential viewing. But composer Olga Neuwirth is a cinephile herself, and her specially commissioned score will add another wholly compelling dimension.

Tagged with: Cinema Classical music Barbican Presents 2018-19 More...

Part of our 2018 Season, The Art of Change, which explores how artists respond to, reflect and can potentially effect change in the social and political landscape.

The performances are expected to finish around 8.30pm and 11pm respectively and will not include an interval.

Commissioned by Barbican Centre, Wiener Konzerthaus, Elbphilharmonie Hamburg, Ensemble Intercontemporain, Sinfonieorchester Basel and ZDF/ARTE

The cooperation of PHACE and Nacho de Paz is kindly supported by Acción Cultural Española (AC/E) / PICE.

PHACE is supported by the SKE-Fonds (Austro Mechana), The Arts and Culture Division of the Federal Chancellery of Austria and the City Council of Vienna.

Part of the UK Jewish Film Festival 2018

This is a past event. Subscribe to our newsletters to hear about upcoming events

Download the programme

5.45pm Pre-concert talk

Discover

Read: The City Without Jews

Pamela Hutchinson investigates the history of The City Without Jews, one of the most prophetic, provocative films of the 20th century, reflecting on the importance of its restoration and its relevance today.

Start reading