UCL Hebrew & Jewish Studies research leads to online musical about the history of colour film

A new musical in development, Man & God, is helping to tell the forgotten story of the Jewish refugee scientists who invented the colour film process.

Leopold Mannes and Leopold Godowsky Jr. invented mass-market colour photography so that everyone could preserve their memories. But the pair were then largely written out of history.

Now, thanks to a new musical in development called Man and God, their story is being told to a whole new audience.

The musical draws on Professor Michael Berkowitz’s (UCL Hebrew & Jewish Studies) research into the historical engagement of Jews and photography.

The latest songs, written during lockdown, focus on Leopold Godowsky Jr.'s relationship with Kenneth Mees, the brilliant chemist who saved several Jewish scientists from the Nazis.

“Man and God explores the history of the Kodakrome film process conceived in the early decades of the 20^th century,” explains Michael.

“Colour film completely changed the way people experienced photography, slides and motion pictures between the 1930s and 1980s, before the digital revolution. It was revolutionary, and it was developed out of the efforts of two young Jewish boys, who no one has heard of. We felt this was a story that had to be told.”

Man and God has been developed as a collaboration between UCL Hebrew & Jewish Studies, the Lithuanian Embassy, and Virtually Opera. It was written by UCL alumnus Leo Doulton (History, 2015) and composed by Jake Dorfman.

The team received funding from UCL’s Knowledge Exchange programme to write and orchestrate the songs completed so far. They are currently seeking investment to complete the next stage of the project.

Watch the latest songs from the musical and hear more about the research behind Man and God

Links 

• UCL Hebrew & Jewish Studies
• Leo Doulton
• Jake Dorfman
• UCL staff – how to access knowledge exchange funding