The Golem (1920)

The Golem (Der Golem, wie er in Welt kam) (1920):Reviewed by BRYAN SCHUESSLER

Watching silent films is not my forte. I would much rather have sound effects and acting that is punctuated by memorable lines of dialogue. But that is just me and everyone is different.

The Golem, directed by Carl Boese and Paul Wegener, is not my first silent film to come under review by me, nor will it be my last. There are a number of silent classics and some not so classic that I have yet to review. I think that watching a silent film and being mesmerized by it is a remarkable thing to have happen to one. The Germans were way ahead of their time when they started making films, and pin-pointed the formula to making creepy and original horror films time and time again. Nosferatu, eine Symphonie des Grauens (1922) directed by F.W. Murnau and Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari (1920) directed by Robert Wiene were two of the most extremely influential films made in that silent film era. But in a neighboring country, Austria, Fritz Lang was busy making phenomenal horror/sci-fi/thriller/fantasy themed films like Dr. Mabuse, der Spieler – Ein Bild der Zeit (1922), Metropolis (1927), M (1931), Testament du Dr. Mabuse, Le (1933) and many more fantastic films, thus paving the way for other filmmakers to build upon these ideas and others in the years to follow. These film pioneers crafted their own dark and sinister films of horror and put them to film years before anyone else had.

Silent films from all genres of film are a history lesson for all film buffs and need not be dismissed as boring, inconsequential, filmstrip fodder to be chucked into the bin of “films to be seen…eventually” and forgotten forever. Now mind you, I used to be that boy of youth that wanted NOTHING to do with a black and white film, let alone a black and white film with NO SOUND!!! To me that would have been true torture, but as I grow older and older, I see how these grainy black and white films, some with a yellowish hue to them, have some quite ground-breaking camera techniques involved and show me just how much the horror film has grown and where its roots are if you care to dig them up and view them. The Golem was one of those such films that surprised me with scenes of violence and camera techniques that truly must have been magical to audiences 88 years ago, when the film first came out.

Henrik Galeen wrote the film with the help of Gustav Meyrink who wrote the novel originally. From what I understand, the Golem is a Jewish legend or tale and in the Golem legends he is made to protect the Jewish ghetto of Prague and also do a lot of the village’s work. In 16th Century Prague, a Jewish rabbi creates a creature made out of clay, resembling a big man, using sorcery to animate it and use it to protect all the persecuted Jews of his village. The Jews have been accused of engaging in Black Magic and other dastardly things, and just overall labeled as being an evil people. The Rabbi is successful in his creation, but his assistant decides to use the Golem for evil purposes. The scene where the Golem first comes to life is pretty incredible for its time and reminded me of many Black Metal/Dark Metal videos of modern day times.

I think that considering this film was made in 1920s Germany and that Hitler’s reign was sorta right around the corner, there can be made many discussions over the film’s anti-semite and/or racist connotations throughout. But, I like to keep my reviews light and focus on the horror elements of the the films, and not the social or moral aspects, so watch the film and discuss those aforementioned issues with someone other than me.

Paul Wegener, one of the directors, also plays the part of the Golem in the film. The Golem (Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam) (1920) is one film in a series of Golem films and Paul Wegener plays the part of the Golem in all three. He also is co-director in the three films as well. The other two films in the trilogy are Der Golem aka The Monster of Fate (1915) and Der Golem und die Tänzerin aka The Golem and the Dancing Girl (USA)(1917). I have yet to see the other two films, but the one I watched seems to be the genesis of the Golem and the most famous of the three. I plan to find the other two Golem films and view them.

I applaud anyone who rents these early creepy German films and gets a sense of where their horror-heritage was birthed from. It can be a truly enlightening experience. In a day and age where remakes after remakes and sequel after sequel are being rammed down our throats, take a trip back in time and check out the early horror films and see where the ideas for terror originally came from.