Rating: 
Summary: A Classic of the German Expressionism
Review: "The Golem" (1920 - 85 minutes), a mute film photographed in black & white, was written and directed by Paul Wegener that also was the star of this classic movie of the German Expressionism. Golem is a clay being - a myth of a Jewish medieval legend - that gains life when Loew, a rabbi and astronomer of Prague, in the XIV century, finds a magical formula in an old book of Cabala. One of the most relevant moment in the film is when the clay "monster", created to protect the Jews against anti-semitic attacks, manifests affective feelings for a little girl. Paul Wegener had taken for two times the myth of the Golem to the cinema, and this movie was the most beautiful form. More recently, the legend of the Golem was rewrite by two great authors: Isaac Bashevis Singer, that published the book "The Golem" in 1982, and Elie Wiesel, that also wrote a book with the same heading. "The Golem" have influenced many Hollywood productions and certainly will inspire other writers of future generations.
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Rating: 
Summary: A Must.........
Review: .... for any collector of silent horror films. The customer review from E. Shappy raves about the soundtrack - it should be noted however that this version's soundtrack is not original but rather is the cycle of Brandenburg Concertos and one orchestral suite of J.S.Bach. In my opinion this music works well for the film but I thought it important to make this distinction.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Silent Era's Most Influential Films
Review: Although this 1920 German silent does not really rank alongside the truly great silent films, it remains a fascinating oddity. Based on European Jewish folklore, it tells the story a Jewish community in Prague which is threatened with explusion from the city. In an effort to protect his people, Rabbi Loew creates a man-like creature made of clay and uses it to impress the Emperor. Unfortunately, the magic backfires, and when the Golem falls into the hands of the Rabbi's perfidious assistant disaster results.Much of the film's charm is in its visual style. The sets by Hans Poelzig are a strange but cohesive mixture of mediaeval, nouveau, and surrealism, and the cinematography by legendary photography Karl Freund uses high contrast black and white to truly remarkable effect. The Poelzig-Freund combition would cast an extremely long shadow, and THE GOLEM would influence not only such German films as Fitz Lang's METROPOLIS but the entire cycle of 1930s American horror films that began with the 1931 Bela Lugosi DRACULA. Several plot devices and the look of the Golem, as played by Paul Wegener, would also prove particularly influential for director James Whale's famous 1932 FRANKENSTEIN. Whether or not Boris Karloff or make-up artist Jack Pierce knew the film is uncertain--but Whale, who was fond of German cinema, certainly did, and traces of THE GOLEM can be seen throughout his most famous works. Over the past several decades a number of film historians have attempted to reinterpret THE GOLEM in light of the Holocaust. There may actually be a certain validity to this, for although the Jews are portrayed sympathetically they are very clearly outsiders, and their religion seems less like religion than witchcraft--and indeed Rabbi Loew might be said to practice black magic in bringing the Golem to life. This sense of social estrangement and religious stigmatism does seem indicative of the antisemitism that will ultimately explode into furnaces of Nazi Germany. All the same, it is worth noting that THE GOLEM is a fundamentally Jewish story to begin with, and it is perhaps best to think of it in those terms instead of using hindsight to impose modern meanings upon the film. There are several home market releases of the film. While I have not seen it, I am told the Timeless Studios VHS release is weak; I have, however, seen the Gotham DVD release, and although there are some quality issues this inexpensive DVD is not at all bad. Still, my preference and recommendation is the Kino DVD. Unlike many Kino editions, it does not have anything significant in the way of bonuses, but the overall presentation is very fine and likely represents a best-possible presentation short of full digital restoration. GFT, Amazon Reviewer
Rating:
Summary: I was just watching this video again...
Review: and I felt compelled to mention that The Golem not only merits 5 stars for it's visually stunning direction and mesmerizing special effects, but for it's beautiful and haunting musical score as well. The pieces remind me somewhat of the scores to Schindler's List and The Piano. Powerful, memorable and deeply emotional; this music is of Oscar caliber...I suggest you dim the lights, light some candles, open a good bottle of wine and spend an evening experiencing this amazing classic.
Rating:
Summary: One of the first and greatest horror stories
Review: I'm infinitely pleased that this incredible treasure is finally on DVD. I got hooked on the story of the golem several years ago, read every literary adaptation of it that I could find, and then stumbled across this masterpiece. It grabs your attention and doesn't let go. You'll find yourself amazed that something so compelling, so interesting, so *creepy* could have been created over 70 years ago with no digital special effects, no morphing, no explosions, no fake blood, no animatronics, not even any dialogue. Just a great story, wonderful sets, excellent acting, lighting and directing. The first time I watched it, I watched by myself. The second time I watched it was a blustery, January night, with the lights off, with another reviewer here, with whom I have not spoken in years and whose review I stumbled across when looking at this DVD. I'm glad to have introduced one other person to this movie. Watch it with someone! They may like it so much, they'll review it!
Rating:
Summary: Darkland on film
Review: If you ever wanted to see a film version of the classic computer game Darkland, this is the movie for you. Very good photography.
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Summary: Religious and ethical issues still valid
Review: In considering silent films to be shown in our church sanctuary accompanied by pipe organ, I recommended this film because of the weighty issues it exposes. The "Frankenstein" theme--humankind's limitations in controlling life we create--is more relevant today than in 16th century Prague or 19th century England. Genetic manipulation brings forth moral, ethical, and religious questions. But there is much more to "Der Golem".
One of the fascinating subtleties of this film is the use of symbolic imagery. For instance, note that the six-pointed Star of David is used when religious practices are depicted and five-pointed stars are used for occult practices. The Burtonesque structures that seem on the verge of keeling over imbue the ghetto with a vague sense of unease and disjointedness that mirrors the social disconnectedness of the golem. Themes of redemption, purity, reconciliation, and childlike belief are evident. I was also impressed by the respectful treatment of the Jews and their religious practices in this film.
The intensely emotional expressions in the clay face of the golem convincingly portray the wrenching and rending of the fabric of a personality that longs to live and move among humans and will never be able to do so. The golem is never portrayed as evil himself, but rather as the product of, in modern terms, bad genes and emotional deprivation. I do not consider this to be a true horror film, because I think it was intended, through the portrait of a "lost soul", to cause viewers examine their own perceptions of themselves and others.
I orignally gave four stars because of the lousy score in the Gotham Distribution release, which is a ten- or fifteen-minute loop of music that is totally inappropriate to the scenarios. I have since purchased the Kino release and found the score to be sensitive to the emotional breadth of the movie and evocative of Jewish ghetto life, the frivolity of the court, and nuances of scene through use of musical motifs. I still hope to someday see this film accompanied by a world-class organist on a world-class organ.
Rating:
Summary: Cavalier and Clay
Review: My love affair with silent films began with "The Golem". I was introduced to this movie on a wintry January night, with the lights off. The flickering images, the "Brandenburg Concerto" soundtrack, and the film's angular sets, left a lasting impression on me, and it wasn't long before I started dreaming in black and white with a classical score. I watched it again this year, at midnight on Halloween, and was captivated all over again.<... The story of the Golem is timeless (it even made a recent appearance in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay"). The creature is brought to life from clay to protect the inhabitants of a medieval Jewish community from destruction at the hands of the Emperor. But the prophecies from which he's born also foresee his turning against his creators, and those are of course fulfilled when the Rabbi's daughter carries on an affair with the Emperor's knight. The Golem's death is a stunning moment, coming from a most unexpected pair of hands. The look of the film (if you can discern it on VHS) is remarkable. The village's homes and towers are stark angular shapes, jutting up against a starry night sky. The appearance of the demon Astaroth, who reveals the Golem's secrets, is remarkably realized, as are the words that form from his breath. The legend changes with each telling, but the core details should be familiar to most, and are echoed in many other sources down through history (the "Frankenstein" parallels are easy to see). If you can secure a good print of this movie (or even if you can't), the images will stay with you for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: Cavalier and Clay
Review: My love affair with silent films began with "The Golem". I was introduced to this movie on a wintry January night, with the lights off. The flickering images, the "Brandenburg Concerto" soundtrack, and the film's angular sets, left a lasting impression on me, and it wasn't long before I started dreaming in black and white with a classical score. I watched it again this year, at midnight on Halloween, and was captivated all over again.<... The story of the Golem is timeless (it even made a recent appearance in "The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Clay"). The creature is brought to life from clay to protect the inhabitants of a medieval Jewish community from destruction at the hands of the Emperor. But the prophecies from which he's born also foresee his turning against his creators, and those are of course fulfilled when the Rabbi's daughter carries on an affair with the Emperor's knight. The Golem's death is a stunning moment, coming from a most unexpected pair of hands. The look of the film (if you can discern it on VHS) is remarkable. The village's homes and towers are stark angular shapes, jutting up against a starry night sky. The appearance of the demon Astaroth, who reveals the Golem's secrets, is remarkably realized, as are the words that form from his breath. The legend changes with each telling, but the core details should be familiar to most, and are echoed in many other sources down through history (the "Frankenstein" parallels are easy to see). If you can secure a good print of this movie (or even if you can't), the images will stay with you for a long time.
Rating:
Summary: One of the Best
Review: The cinematography in this movie is STUNNING. One feels as though one were a captive in an alternate dimension of reality; an almost Lovecraftian world where the very geometry of the buildings seems to writhe and come to life. The atmosphere of Budapest in the Middle Ages seems to be captured perfectly. After the Jews being ousted from the town by royal decree, the leader of the Jewish community crafts the Golem out of clay and brings him to life in a black magical ceremony (interesting to note that among the crimes accused of the Jews in the edict, one was witchcraft). The Golem then is brought before the king and results in the Jews being allowed to remain. But the Golem falls in love(!) with a young lady and runs amok. The story is a classic and there is a considerable amount of drama here, but the real gem of this movie are the incredible visuals and the atmosphere. One of the greatest expressionist classics ever made. Far superior to "Caligari" in my opinion.
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