The story of the Golem is timeless (it even made a recent appearance in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay"). The creature is brought to life from clay to protect the inhabitants of a medieval Jewish community from destruction at the hands of the Emperor. But the prophecies from which he's born also foresee his turning against his creators, and those are of course fulfilled when the Rabbi's daughter carries on an affair with the Emperor's knight. The Golem's death is a stunning moment, coming from a most unexpected pair of hands.

The look of the film (if you can discern it on VHS) is remarkable. The village's homes and towers are stark angular shapes, jutting up against a starry night sky. The appearance of the demon Astaroth, who reveals the Golem's secrets, is remarkably realized, as are the words that form from his breath.

The legend changes with each telling, but the core details should be familiar to most, and are echoed in many other sources down through history (the "Frankenstein" parallels are easy to see). If you can secure a good print of this movie (or even if you can't), the images will stay with you for a long time.


The Golem   April 25, 2004
 17 out of 18 found this review helpful

Wow.
Even on budget dvd (spotty print quality, meaningless background music) watching Paul Wegener's 1920 THE GOLEM is quite an experience.
It's 16th century Prague and the stars imply, and the Emperor impels, an eviction of the ghetto Jews. Their crimes - practicing the black arts, despising Holy Christian ceremonies, etc. In desperation Rabbi Loew, nominal leader of the ghetto, invokes the dread spirit Astaroth to reveal the magic word that will bring the Golem to life.
The Golem is a large clay figure in the form of a man. This faithful servant of Rabbi Loew's possesses superhuman strength and seems invulnerable - daggers bend and break rather than penetrate its skin. It accompanies Rabbi Loew to the Emperor's palace on a mission to have the edict revoked, and the Golem is instrumental in accomplishing that goal.
Of course, the movie reminds us of the dictum that should be engraved on the hearts of all mad scientists everywhere - "If you have brought the dead to life through magic, beware that life." The last third of the movie shows what happens when Man's creation stop obeying the will of their creators.
For me, the big hurdle to clear when watching silent movies is to realize they're NOT over acting. Without sound, emotions have to be expressed with some exaggeration. If you're afraid, eyes pop and mouth gapes and curled fingers cover your face. With sound that type of acting looks ridiculous. This is the second silent movie I've watched recently, and it's getting easier. The acting here is fine.
It's amazing how familiar everything looks. The sets, with walls cantered at weird angles and their organic architecture (there's a spiral stone staircase that seems to have been carved from standing rock), would fit comfortably in a Tim Burton movie. I've seen the painted starscape and arched gables in Charles Laughton's NIGHT OF THE HUNTER. The Golem busts down the ghetto gate just like King Kong, and confronts the little blonde girl in the same manner as Karloff did in THE BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN.
I imagine all this was a lot scarier then than it is now, but it's still well worth everyone's time. If the score and print quality had been higher, I would have given this one five stars.


One of the Best   June 1, 2000
 11 out of 11 found this review helpful

The cinematography in this movie is STUNNING. One feels as though one were a captive in an alternate dimension of reality; an almost Lovecraftian world where the very geometry of the buildings seems to writhe and come to life. The atmosphere of Budapest in the Middle Ages seems to be captured perfectly. After the Jews being ousted from the town by royal decree, the leader of the Jewish community crafts the Golem out of clay and brings him to life in a black magical ceremony (interesting to note that among the crimes accused of the Jews in the edict, one was witchcraft). The Golem then is brought before the king and results in the Jews being allowed to remain. But the Golem falls in love(!) with a young lady and runs amok. The story is a classic and there is a considerable amount of drama here, but the real gem of this movie are the incredible visuals and the atmosphere. One of the greatest expressionist classics ever made. Far superior to "Caligari" in my opinion.


Religious and ethical issues still valid   October 27, 2004
 11 out of 12 found this review helpful

In considering silent films to be shown in our church sanctuary accompanied by pipe organ, I recommended this film because of the weighty issues it exposes. The "Frankenstein" theme--humankind's limitations in controlling life we create--is more relevant today than in 16th century Prague or 19th century England. Genetic manipulation brings forth moral, ethical, and religious questions. But there is much more to "Der Golem".

One of the fascinating subtleties of this film is the use of symbolic imagery. For instance, note that the six-pointed Star of David is used when religious practices are depicted and five-pointed stars are used for occult practices. The Burtonesque structures that seem on the verge of keeling over imbue the ghetto with a vague sense of unease and disjointedness that mirrors the social disconnectedness of the golem. Themes of redemption, purity, reconciliation, and childlike belief are evident. I was also impressed by the respectful treatment of the Jews and their religious practices in this film.

The intensely emotional expressions in the clay face of the golem convincingly portray the wrenching and rending of the fabric of a personality that longs to live and move among humans and will never be able to do so. The golem is never portrayed as evil himself, but rather as the product of, in modern terms, bad genes and emotional deprivation. I do not consider this to be a true horror film, because I think it was intended, through the portrait of a "lost soul", to cause viewers examine their own perceptions of themselves and others.

I orignally gave four stars because of the lousy score in the Gotham Distribution release, which is a ten- or fifteen-minute loop of music that is totally inappropriate to the scenarios. I have since purchased the Kino release and found the score to be sensitive to the emotional breadth of the movie and evocative of Jewish ghetto life, the frivolity of the court, and nuances of scene through use of musical motifs. I still hope to someday see this film accompanied by a world-class organist on a world-class organ.