The Golem: How He Came Into the World
Encyclopedia
The Golem: How He Came Into the World (original German
title: Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam) is a 1920 silent
horror film
by Paul Wegener
. It was directed by Carl Boese
and Wegener, written by Wegener and Henrik Galeen, and starred Wegener as the golem
. The script was adapted from the 1915 novel The Golem
by Gustav Meyrink
. The film was the third of three films that Wegener made featuring the golem
, the other two being The Golem
(1915) and the short comedy The Golem and the Dancing Girl
(1917), in which Wegener dons the Golem make-up in order to frighten a young lady he is infatuated with. It is a prequel
to The Golem and is today the most widely known of the series.
Judah Loew ben Bezalel
. In the 16th century, the Jews of Prague
face persecution. Rabbi Loew creates a giant Golem out of clay
to protect the people. Unfortunately, the creature rebels, setting fire to the ghetto, and wreaks deadly havoc. In the end, a small girl stops the Golem by removing the amulet
in the shape of a pentagram
from its chest. After the triumphant final scene the movie ends with the image of a hexagram
, symbol of Judaism
.
as he heard it told in Prague
while he was filming The Student of Prague
(1913).
Architect Hans Poelzig
designed the sets, a reproduction of the medieval Jewish ghetto of Prague. He designed them specifically to be filmed, creating highly expressionist
imagery. The cinematography
of Karl Freund
, in collaboration with Poelzig and Wegener, is cited as one of the most outstanding examples of German Expressionism.
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
title: Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam) is a 1920 silent
Silent film
A silent film is a film with no synchronized recorded sound, especially with no spoken dialogue. In silent films for entertainment the dialogue is transmitted through muted gestures, pantomime and title cards...
horror film
Horror film
Horror films seek to elicit a negative emotional reaction from viewers by playing on the audience's most primal fears. They often feature scenes that startle the viewer through the means of macabre and the supernatural, thus frequently overlapping with the fantasy and science fiction genres...
by Paul Wegener
Paul Wegener
Paul Wegener was a German actor, writer and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema.-Stage and early film career:...
. It was directed by Carl Boese
Carl Boese
Carl Boese was a German film director, screenwriter and producer. He directed 158 films between 1917 and 1957.-Selected filmography:* The Golem: How He Came into the World * Paprika...
and Wegener, written by Wegener and Henrik Galeen, and starred Wegener as the golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
. The script was adapted from the 1915 novel The Golem
The Golem (Meyrink)
The Golem is a novel written by Gustav Meyrink in 1914.First published in serial form as Der Golem in 1913-14 in the periodical Die weissen Blätter, The Golem was published in book form in 1915 by Kurt Wolff, Leipzig. The Golem was Meyrink's first novel...
by Gustav Meyrink
Gustav Meyrink
Gustav Meyrink was the pseudonym of Gustav Meyer, an Austrian author, storyteller, dramatist, translator, and banker, most famous for his novel The Golem.-Childhood:...
. The film was the third of three films that Wegener made featuring the golem
Golem
In Jewish folklore, a golem is an animated anthropomorphic being, created entirely from inanimate matter. The word was used to mean an amorphous, unformed material in Psalms and medieval writing....
, the other two being The Golem
The Golem (1915 film)
Der Golem is a 1915 silent horror film written and directed by Paul Wegener and Henrik Galeen. The film is an original work inspired by ancient Jewish legend. It is a long lost film...
(1915) and the short comedy The Golem and the Dancing Girl
The Golem and the Dancing Girl
The Golem and the Dancing Girl , was a 1917 comedy and a film sequel of the 1915 film The Golem.The Golem and the Dancing Girl is now considered a lost film.-See also:*The Golem ...
(1917), in which Wegener dons the Golem make-up in order to frighten a young lady he is infatuated with. It is a prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to The Golem and is today the most widely known of the series.
Plot
The film concerns itself with the legendary creation of the Golem, which had appeared in the earlier film, by RabbiRabbi
In Judaism, a rabbi is a teacher of Torah. This title derives from the Hebrew word רבי , meaning "My Master" , which is the way a student would address a master of Torah...
Judah Loew ben Bezalel
Judah Loew ben Bezalel
Judah Loew ben Bezalel, alt. Loewe, Löwe, or Levai, widely known to scholars of Judaism as the Maharal of Prague, or simply The MaHaRaL, the Hebrew acronym of "Moreinu ha-Rav Loew," was an important Talmudic scholar, Jewish mystic, and philosopher who served as a leading rabbi in the city of...
. In the 16th century, the Jews of Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
face persecution. Rabbi Loew creates a giant Golem out of clay
Clay
Clay is a general term including many combinations of one or more clay minerals with traces of metal oxides and organic matter. Geologic clay deposits are mostly composed of phyllosilicate minerals containing variable amounts of water trapped in the mineral structure.- Formation :Clay minerals...
to protect the people. Unfortunately, the creature rebels, setting fire to the ghetto, and wreaks deadly havoc. In the end, a small girl stops the Golem by removing the amulet
Amulet
An amulet, similar to a talisman , is any object intended to bring good luck or protection to its owner.Potential amulets include gems, especially engraved gems, statues, coins, drawings, pendants, rings, plants and animals; even words said in certain occasions—for example: vade retro satana—, to...
in the shape of a pentagram
Pentagram
A pentagram is the shape of a five-pointed star drawn with five straight strokes...
from its chest. After the triumphant final scene the movie ends with the image of a hexagram
Star of David
The Star of David, known in Hebrew as the Shield of David or Magen David is a generally recognized symbol of Jewish identity and Judaism.Its shape is that of a hexagram, the compound of two equilateral triangles...
, symbol of Judaism
Judaism
Judaism ) is the "religion, philosophy, and way of life" of the Jewish people...
.
Production
Wegener had been unhappy with his previous attempt to tell the Golem story (Der Golem, 1915) due to compromises he had to make during its production. This second attempt is meant to more directly mimic the legendLegend
A legend is a narrative of human actions that are perceived both by teller and listeners to take place within human history and to possess certain qualities that give the tale verisimilitude...
as he heard it told in Prague
Prague
Prague is the capital and largest city of the Czech Republic. Situated in the north-west of the country on the Vltava river, the city is home to about 1.3 million people, while its metropolitan area is estimated to have a population of over 2.3 million...
while he was filming The Student of Prague
The Student of Prague (1913 film)
The Student of Prague is a 1913 German silent horror film. The film was remade in 1926, 1935, and 2004 under the same title The Student of Prague.-Plot:...
(1913).
Architect Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig
Hans Poelzig was a German architect, painter and set designer.-Life:Poelzig was born in Berlin in 1869 to the countess Clara Henrietta Maria Poelzig while she was married to George Acland Ames, an Englishman...
designed the sets, a reproduction of the medieval Jewish ghetto of Prague. He designed them specifically to be filmed, creating highly expressionist
German Expressionism
German Expressionism refers to a number of related creative movements beginning in Germany before the First World War that reached a peak in Berlin, during the 1920s...
imagery. The cinematography
Cinematography
Cinematography is the making of lighting and camera choices when recording photographic images for cinema. It is closely related to the art of still photography...
of Karl Freund
Karl Freund
Karl W. Freund, A.S.C. was a cinematographer and film director most noted for photographing Metropolis , Dracula , and television's I Love Lucy .-Early life:...
, in collaboration with Poelzig and Wegener, is cited as one of the most outstanding examples of German Expressionism.
Cast
- Paul WegenerPaul WegenerPaul Wegener was a German actor, writer and film director known for his pioneering role in German expressionist cinema.-Stage and early film career:...
as The Golem - Albert SteinrückAlbert SteinrückAlbert Steinrück was a German film actor of the silent era. He appeared in 88 films between 1910 and 1929...
as Rabbi Loew - Lyda Salmonova as Miriam
- Ernst DeutschErnst DeutschErnst Deutsch aka Ernest Dorian was an Austrian actor. In 1916 he played the protagonist in the world première of Walter Hasenclever's Expressionist play The Son in Dresden to great acclaim...
as Famulus - Hans StürmHans SturmHans Sturm was a German football player. He was born in Schönau an der Katzbach, Lower Silesia and died in Köln....
as Rabbi Jehuda - Max Kronert as Temple Servant
- Otto GebührOtto GebührOtto Gebühr was a German theatre and film actor, who appeared in 102 movies released between 1917 and 1962. He is noted for his performance as the Prussian king Frederick the Great in numerous films.-Life:...
as Emperor Luhois - Dore Paetzold
- Lothar MüthelLothar MüthelLothar Max Müthel was a German stage and film actor and director.Müthel was born in Berlin, Germany where he attended the acting school of Max Reinhardt, Schauspielschule, Berlin....
as Knight Florian - Greta SchröderGreta SchröderGreta Schröder was a German actress. She is best known for the role of Thomas Hutter's wife and victim to Count Orlok in the 1922 silent film Nosferatu. In the fictionalized 2000 film, Shadow of the Vampire, she is portrayed as having been a famous actress during the making of Nosferatu, but in...
as a Lady of the court - Loni Nest as Little girl
Citations
- Matei Chihaia: Der Golem-Effekt. Orientierung und phantastische Immersion im Zeitalter des Kinos, transcript, Bielefeld 2011 ISBN 978-3-8376-1714-6