THE GOLEM is actually the third Golem film that starred Paul Wegener as the mythical character. The first film, THE GOLEM (1915), only currently exists in fragments and the second one, THE GOLEM AND THE DANCING GIRL (1917) is completely lost. The film most people call "The Golem" is this 1920 version and it's more correct title is "THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THE WORLD". Wegener not only starred in the films but he wrote and co-directed them as well! The film is a tale based on a Jewish myth about a man-made creature that came to life in the 16th century to defend the Jews from persecution. This film stays pretty close to that legend and there have been other Golem films since.
The story begins with a royal edict being announced. It says that all Jews are to leave the land. However, the Rabbi is liked by the emperor and so the Rabbi hatches a plan. First, he'll build a Golem out of clay and animate it. Then, he'll take it with him to see the emperor--and threaten to use the Golem unless the edict is canceled. Well, the plan works out very well and the edict is reversed. However, given that the rabbi used the forces of darkness to make the beast, there is a strong chance this "blessing" will become a curse, so he's quick to deactivate the creature. Stupidly, his assistant, in a fit of rage, reactivates it and the creature runs amok--burning and killing pointlessly.
The story gets high marks for creating an excellent and menacing monster--years before Universal created what we now think of as horror monsters. The story is also excellent--especially for the silent age. The only negative is that the story ends very abruptly and there just isn't enough payoff at the end. Once they lose control of the monster and it goes off terrorizing the countryside, it all ends with a bit of a fizzle. Still, for 1920, it's a heck of a good film.
By the way, seeing this film come out just before the Nazi era is interesting. It could mean that Germans were more accepting of Jews and Jewish themes (since the film is about the persecution of them) but I also wonder if the Gentiles took it to be a warning about the Jews--as it shows them dabbling into the occult and being a bit of a menace! So here we have a film that could be pro-Jewish or ant-Semetic depending on the audience! I wonder what the German government in 1933 did about this film--did they ban it or use it to promote the myth of the "evil Jew"?
For an interesting look at the life of Paul Wegener, try this site--http://www.missinglinkclassichorror.co.uk/wegener.htm.
Also, if you look on IMDb for information about the first Golem movie, it seems that many have confused this for the 1920 film--this should account for why the film has so many votes even though only a few minutes of film exists today.
The story begins with a royal edict being announced. It says that all Jews are to leave the land. However, the Rabbi is liked by the emperor and so the Rabbi hatches a plan. First, he'll build a Golem out of clay and animate it. Then, he'll take it with him to see the emperor--and threaten to use the Golem unless the edict is canceled. Well, the plan works out very well and the edict is reversed. However, given that the rabbi used the forces of darkness to make the beast, there is a strong chance this "blessing" will become a curse, so he's quick to deactivate the creature. Stupidly, his assistant, in a fit of rage, reactivates it and the creature runs amok--burning and killing pointlessly.
The story gets high marks for creating an excellent and menacing monster--years before Universal created what we now think of as horror monsters. The story is also excellent--especially for the silent age. The only negative is that the story ends very abruptly and there just isn't enough payoff at the end. Once they lose control of the monster and it goes off terrorizing the countryside, it all ends with a bit of a fizzle. Still, for 1920, it's a heck of a good film.
By the way, seeing this film come out just before the Nazi era is interesting. It could mean that Germans were more accepting of Jews and Jewish themes (since the film is about the persecution of them) but I also wonder if the Gentiles took it to be a warning about the Jews--as it shows them dabbling into the occult and being a bit of a menace! So here we have a film that could be pro-Jewish or ant-Semetic depending on the audience! I wonder what the German government in 1933 did about this film--did they ban it or use it to promote the myth of the "evil Jew"?
For an interesting look at the life of Paul Wegener, try this site--http://www.missinglinkclassichorror.co.uk/wegener.htm.
Also, if you look on IMDb for information about the first Golem movie, it seems that many have confused this for the 1920 film--this should account for why the film has so many votes even though only a few minutes of film exists today.