Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam
Plots(1)
In the Jewish ghetto in 16th century Prague, Rabbi Low (Albert Streinruck) creates a forbidding clay Golem (played by director Paul Wegener) to protect his people from the tyrannical Emperor Luhois (Otto Gebuhr). Brought to life with a demon spirit and an amulet placed in the center of the creature's chest, the Golem is a seemingly indestructible juggernaut, performing acts of great heroism. But when the Rabbi's assistant attempts to control the Golem for selfish gain, it becomes a terrifying force of destruction, rampaging through the ghetto leaving fire and death in its wake. An iconic early horror masterpiece, Der Golem was Paul Wegener's third attempt at adapting the Golem character for the big screen. Starring and co-directing with Carl Boese, Wegener crafted one of silent cinema's most enduring masterpieces. (Eureka Entertainment)
(more)Reviews (1)
An old Jewish legend in the timeless robe of German Expressionism. The Wegener-Galeen directorial duo performed a stimulating shape synthesis of Gothic arching and fraying with an expressionist-distorted perspective, resulting in a special visual world on the border between reality and dream, history and myth. The classic story of Rabi Löw and his monstrous creation is a gushing spring of dark atmosphere that culminates in the scene of Astaroth's evoking (timelessly portrayed and extraordinarily suggestive), as well as the sensual prefigurations of stories about "misunderstood" monsters. Wegener himself portrayed the Golem as a source of uncontrollable power, but at the same time as a being slowly abandoning his original destiny and awakening into his humanity. Which clearly foreshadowed a whole branch of major horror films. In the restored version, I especially appreciate the color filter system, which sensitively copies the atmosphere of the plot and then the excellent soundtrack, which perfectly corresponds to the spirit of the film. The Golem is an epic historical piece (of course on the scale of its time), a film with an atmosphere of mysticism and a story that predetermined monsters in cinema once and for all. It's somewhere on the border of the heavily stylized The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari and the reality of the poetizing Nosferatu. Embodied pleasure for lovers of black and white dreams with the IFA seal!
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