If you’ve ever seen a silent film, you’ve witnessed a piece of rarified history.
The numbers vary by source, but the consensus is clear – the majority of silent films have not survived the years. A 2013 study from the Library of Congress found that 70% of feature length silent films made in America have been completely lost to time. The Film Foundation, Martin Scorsese’s nonprofit dedicated to film preservation, estimates that more than 90% of films made before 1929 are lost. And the National Center for Jewish Film puts the number of surviving films from the 1910s and 1920s at about 20% of those that were made.
“The history of film, in general, is the history of survivors,” said Lisa Rivo, co-director of the National Center for Jewish Film. “The materials that we have now, what we think of as the history of film, are really the films that have survived. And that is a small percentage of films.”
But a small silver lining surrounds that dismal number – if something is lost, that means it could be found. This year, the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival will screen the 1922 film “Breaking Home Ties,” a formerly lost silent film that was rediscovered in 1984 before making the journey of restoration to get to its current form.
Of the small number of surviving older films left in the world, the ones that center around the Jewish experience are even fewer. According to Rivo, there might be films during this period where Jewish immigrants stand in for all immigrants, but it’s rare to find a film where the characters are identifiably Jewish. From scenes in a synagogue to showcasing Jewish rituals, “Breaking Home Ties” fits the bill.
“Breaking Home Ties” tells the story of David Bergmann, a young man who, thinking he’s committed a terrible crime, flees pre-revolutionary Russia for the United States. Once in New York, he becomes a successful lawyer and appears to be doing well. But as the film goes on, David is forced to reckon with his past in multiple ways.
“Breaking Home Ties” was filmed at Betzwood Studios in Philadelphia, owned by early movie mogul Siegmund Lubin. According to Rivo, the center was able to recover original letters from the producers of the film stating that their aim in making “Breaking Home Ties” was to make a film with Jewish people at the center in order to counter rising antisemitism in the country. From Henry Ford delivering anti-Jewish sentiment straight to the consumer to the rise of the Ku Klux Klan, the 1920s was rife with antisemitic attitudes. “Breaking Home Ties” isn’t necessarily about someone facing those attitudes head on, but rather about everyday Jewish people simply living their lives.
“Here you have Jews at the center of the story in a way that’s normal and exciting, and you can have romance and disagreement and all of those things,” Rivo said.
Despite being listed under the incorrect name, the film was rediscovered in a Berlin archive in 1984. Rivo suspects the film must have had some significant distribution considering it ended up in Germany, and the print had been outfitted with German intertitles instead of English. Once the print was back at the center, Rivo said film scholar Joseph Eckhardt came onto the scene and was able to identify the film as “Breaking Homes Ties” despite its erroneous name.
Then, the real work began. The deteriorating, damaged print was sent to a film lab that performed a 35 mm film-to-film restoration, and the intertitles were translated from German to English and shot in 35 mm. When the restoration was finished, the film was saved – but not something you would necessarily screen at a film festival.
“The film was jumping in the gate,” Rivo said. “When they made the print, it probably was jumping, so it was a little bit rocky. Not through the whole film, but enough that, if you wanted to have a screening, fine – but it wasn’t great for the viewer.”
But around 2010, the center decided to give a digital restoration of “Breaking Home Ties” a shot. For a sneak peek at the final product, here’s a before and after trailer.
“We took what had been a film-to-film restoration and then did a whole other round of restoration through digital,” Rivo said. “We were thrilled. We were like, oh my god! This will offer a whole new life for this amazing find. It felt like it was found a second time.”
But one aspect of “Breaking Home Ties” has yet to be revealed to the world. A brand new score for the film, helmed by Steve Berlin of Los Lobos, will debut at the festival. Berlin brought together a host of musicians to help create the score, including Nels Cline of Wilco, Mocean Worker (AKA Adam Dorn), Scott Amendola, Yuka Honda of Cibo Matto, Gretchen Gonzales of Infinite River and Joey Mazzola of Sponge.
“The musicians themselves come from different genres, which is part of why they loved working on this project together,” Rivo said. “They’re all very simpatico, but they’re also a little bit different from each other.”
A recording of the score will accompany the film, and afterwards Rivo is expected to be joined by Berlin and a few other musicians for a panel discussion. After the panel, said Rivo, the musicians are expected to give a short performance.
“Breaking Home Ties” will screen at the Tara Theatre on Feb. 15. Tickets go on sale for the Atlanta Jewish Film Festival on Jan. 31.
