Where is the real evil?

In the days of silent film in Germany, writer and director Paul Wegener embarked on what may be considered the first movie trilogy about the Golem, a legendary Jewish monster created by a rabbi to help in the Jewish struggle against a religiously oppressive Europe. The first in the series, The Golem, was made in 1915 and is legendary not only because of its subject matter — which some consider antisemitic — but also has gained in legend because of its status as a lost film. Of course, this version is not entirely lost and if you scramble around the internet, you can find some precious remaining clips of the original film. The sequel was a short comedy film Wegener made in 1916 called The Golem and the Dancing Girl. The third and final movie and the only one to survive was the 1920 full length feature, which was a prequel to The Golem. It is the film which I intend to focus on.

The official title of the film in German is Der Golem, wie er in die Welt Kam translated into English as The Golem: How He Came Into the World and it details just what it says, the birth of the Golem. Another great public domain film, you can watch it here. Though not necessarily a horror film, the film I want to talk about in this post is often put into that genre, especially because of the time period during which it was made. I decided to include this during my Fright Fest because I found, like in many creature movies, the evil of this movie is not the monster but the monstrousness of society.

Now before we go on further and I start getting angry comments about antisemitism, let's put the film into a little perspective. It was made during the Weimar Republic in Germany, pre-Hitler's rise to power a year or so later. During the time period, movies did not have to be politically correct and though you can detect some antisemitic sentiments in the film, that doesn't mean you should not watch it and judge it for yourself. Any of you that want to can read the real Jewish legend of the Golem here and do your own comparison of the legend and the film. After watching it myself, I found it rather pro-Jewish, but that is irrelevant to you watching the film yourself. Personally, I prefer to be a bigger person, look past any political/antisemitic message this film might have, and focus instead on the filmography, which is splendid.

The film is a horror film of sorts, a creature flick one might say, and, like Frankenstein, involves the creation of a monster intended to help people but instead takes a dark turn. Accused of black magic and being a threat to the Christians of Prague, the Jews are told they have to leave. They create the Golem to defend their people against the dark force that threatens their existence. The Golem starts out kindly enough, doing what he is told and not causing any arm. More than anything, he helps out around the house of Rabbi Loew, who created him. The Golem more than anything is a good creature who wants to help others. Despite the rabbis intent for good and the Golem’s seemingly good nature, the Golem turns against his master at the end, because of the evil of the Rabbi’s assistant, and everything begins to unravel. There is also a subplot about the High Rabbi Loew’s daughter falling in love with the Emperor’s messenger who is sent to evict the Jews, for those of you who love forbidden romance.

The scenery is beautiful and seems to have the same production value as an epic film. Lighting is used wonderfully throughout the film. Since color is not an option during this period in film, lighting effects such as the ones found in this film are all that filmmakers could use to create such effects, which Wegener has done splendidly. The music of the film is also masterful and helps create the atmosphere that makes the film. Amazing special effects are used to portray the mysticism in the movie and use elements one might not suspect early film of having. The costuming is also magnificent, the costume of the Golem in particular. This truly is an all around wonderfully made film.

On a side note, this film is sponsored by a great blog called Filmschatten which features tons of forgotten and public domain films in their entirety for you to enjoy. I really hope you'll check out the blog, the film, and have some fun.