The Man Without a World

“This story could have been told of any shtetl in Eastern Europe but it happened here, in Poland. In all the world Poland may be the country most beloved of the Angel of Death.” —Yevgeny Antinov, 1928THE MAN WITHOUT A WORLD is credited to the legendary (and imaginary) 1920s Soviet director, Yevgeny Antinov. But the film is anything but old. In fact, Antinov himself is the creation of contemporary filmmaker Eleanor Antin. A world-renowned artist, authorand performer, Antin has exhibited her work at major museums around the world. In her art, Antin explores history through the eyes of various imaginary personas, including Eleanor Nightingale (a nurse in the Crimean War) and Eleanora Antinova (the famous black dancer in Diaghilev’s Ballet Russe). THE MAN WITHOUT A WORLD, is also Antin’s “love letter” to her mother, a former actress in the Yiddish theater, who is now suffering from Alzheimer’s disease.THE MAN WITHOUT A WORLD is a dark, comic melodrama setin a typical village (shtetl) in Poland. The Jews’ struggle against poverty and racial hatred is complicated by their own division into hostile political factions of the religious orthodoxy, assimilationists, socialists, Zionists, anarchists and survivors. While the Jews of the shtetlpursue their loves, politics, religion, business and dreams for the future, the Angel of Death is ever near...The story centers on the romance of Zevi, a Bohemian Yiddish poet, and Rukheleh, the nice Jewish daughter of a local merchant. Rukheleh longs to marry Zevi, but her parents plan a match with the butcher. Zevi’s sister, Sooreleh, has been half-mad and mute since the day she was raped by Polish soldiers. Their mother Sarah, lies ill at home.Zevi and Rukheleh’s relationship is threatened by the arrival of a Gypsy acting troupe. Zevi is seduced by the sultry Gypsy dancer, and settles into a life of decadence. He drinks nightly with socialists, Zionists and anarchists at Moishe’s cafe, where the town’s intellectuals meet “to solve the world’s problems.”When the Angel of Death comes for Sarah, Zevi’s grief and guilt lead him briefly back to Rukheleh. But after one night of passion, Zevi returns to the charms of his Gypsy ballerina. Later, Rukheleh learns she is pregnant. Her parents arrange for a marriage with the butcher, who is too much in love to notice her condition.Rukheleh runs to confide in Sooreleh, but the mad girl is kidnapped by religious “fanatics” who take her to the synagogue. There, Rabbi Eliezar, the great Cabbalist, tries to exorcise the dybbukwithin the girl. After a harrowing ritual, the spirit agrees to leave her body. Instead of leaving through her fingernail, the dybbukescapes through Sooreleh’s throat, suffocating her. A window breaks in the temple as her wretched soul escapes.After Sooreleh’s funeral, Zevi discovers the truth about Rukheleh and woos her back. At the wedding, the drunken butcher crashes the celebration and in a jealous rage, attacks the guests with a knife, killing two. Zevi grabs the weapon and in the struggle, kills the butcher.Zevi decides that he must run away and hide in Warsaw. Rukhelehwants to go with him but the Gypsy dancer tells her that the big city is no place for a young mother and child. The next day, Zevi leaves with the Gypsy caravan. The Angel of Death follows the little band as they head down the road...“On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland.In 1941, the massive deportations of the Jews began.By 1943, the shtetl world had disappeared.