#16: The Golem: How He Came Into The World
A prequel origin story for a movie that no longer exists
Initial release: 1920
Director: Paul Wegener
An early German expressionist classic from the heyday of silent film, The Golem: How He Came Into The World stands as one of the now-forgotten greats of early cinema, and a considerable influence on the 1931 adaptation of Frankenstein.
Technically this film is a prequel to a 1915 film titled simply The Golem, set in contemporary times; The Golem and its 1917 sequel The Golem and the Dancing Girl are among the many lost films of the silent era, leaving only this retelling of the legend of the Golem of Prague.
While there are many variations on the tale, the gist of it is that in 16th century Prague, facing a pogrom from the Holy Roman Emperor, legendary Jewish mystic Rabbi Loew constructs a golem to defend the ghetto using clay and a piece of paper with the true name of God on it.
In the 1920 film (usually referred to simply as The Golem given its status as the only survivor of the trilogy) is at times a trippy or even comedic take on the tale. In this version of the tale, the golem (played by Wegener himself, with the greatest case of helmet hair I have ever seen) ends up being corrupted by the demon Astaroth and wreaking havoc. In between he goes shopping and rescues the Emperor’s court from a collapsing roof.
Wegener brings some seriously amazing facial expressions to his performance; silent film by necessity requires skill in visual acting, but Wegener runs circles around the rest of the cast, which is pretty good given that he’s supposed to be a lump of clay.
The set design is weird and almost dreamlike at times, really driving home the aesthetic that would come to define German expressionism. there’s an almost organic flavor to the Jewish ghetto, especially in comparison to the Emperor’s court, that speaks to the fantastical tone of the film.
There doesn’t seem to be any surviving audio. Many silent films of the era until the early 1920s lacked audio; any music was by a live player, such as an orchestra or just some schmuck with a piano. Any music by necessity must be added later. The Golem is no different.
As such, you can expect to find a variety of different musical accompaniments among the various home video releases of the film; the best might be the Kino Lorber DVD release, which might also be considered the best release of the film overall.
The novelty of a film based on Jewish folklore (in 1920 Germany no less!) is certainly worth seeing this movie for, but it’s also worthwhile for its triumph in acting, set design and overall atmosphere. Also watching the fuckboy knight character get thrown off a tower is gratifying.
