The Bottom Line
Almost ninety years old, Paul Wegener's classic film about the clay statue that comes to life to wreak havoc is still full of startling images--which you might have seen elsewhere in the meantime.
Pros
- One of the original horror film classics
- Well-restored version with good picture quality and color tints
Cons
- A little slower than what we expect from movies these days
Description
- The Golem (1920). Directed by Paul Wegener. 86 mins.
- Restored edition of the film
- Excerpt from Julien Duvivier's 1936 film: Le Golem
- Scene comparison: featuring excerpts of F. W. Murnau's Faust (1926) and Chayim Bloch's book The Golem (1925)
- New and improved English intertitle translation
- Gallery of photographs and artwork
Guide Review - The Golem: How He Came Into the World
Before he made this 1920 version, director Paul Wegener, who also stars as the monster, had already adapted the Jewish folk tale about the Golem in 1915 and 1917. Individual moments of this third incarnation are great, but in a decade filled with fantastic movies, they’re somewhat few and far between.
You know the story: the Rabbi breathes life into a clay statue to protect the ghetto, but he doesn’t read the fine print, and the Golem exacts a terrible price. 1920 was a long time ago (especially in movie years), and the film is worth appreciating as a museum piece and early horror classic more than something you’d watch for kicks. The film prefigures James Whale's classic Frankenstein, and it's fun to look for similarities and inspriation. But The Golem is much slower than what we're used to these days, and you could be excused for setting the DVD player to double speed and providing your own soundtrack.
