The Golem

Another early silent German expressionist horror/fantasy film that makes for a solid watch. In addition to the film's style/design, the effects for the incantation and the Golem, looked great in the remastered version I saw. While I didn't really mind the anti-climactic ending too much, the story as a whole is simply serviceable enough. Although you can definitely see the influences this had on later early monster movies, I wish we had gotten some more Jewish mysticism horror films after this.

A straightforward story and anticlimactic ending prevent The Golem from being amongst the top of the silent horror films, but there's still a lot to love. Large amounts of extras giving some scenes a great, massive feel. The sets and locations are quite interesting. And of course that lovable clay scoundrel, the Golem himself; Wegener's mannerisms and facial expressions definitely give the movie its charm.

This is how I learned that Jews in the Habsburgian empire wore pointy hats and cast spells like wizards.

A community resists scapegoating by fashioning an artificial being, but the power of the latter proves to be both a cure and a danger. Fascinating to think that in 1920 it was possible for a successful German film to end with an image of the Star of David, even if there is a certain amount of ambiguity in the presentation of Jewish life (but ambiguity is not a negative). Evokes a magical pre-cinematic cinema conveying historical memory qua dream. Clear reference point for Whale's FRANKENSTEIN.

There's something ineffably magical about silent era classics. Somehow the excitement of experimenting in a new medium translates to the screen. I think a big reason is, of course, that the format necessiates developed visual storytelling, but also the lack of an audience impetus for 'realistic' films, allowing huge creative freedom despite technological limitations (or perhaps because of them). The Golem is no exception, filled with striking images and a real sense of wonder and enchantment.

I love the tinting and use of shadows. Wonderful visuals, sets and set designs. An interesting and very influential film. I feel that the 1931 Frankenstein owes just as much to this as it does to Mary Shelley's novel.

Wegener brings a new sense of imagery to this picture whose influence over later monster movies of the classic era is hard not to notice. There are some nice, expansive sets, with lighting that really sells them (flickering lamplight, sunlit windows, torches, etc.) And Wegener himself is really memorable and effective as the Golem. Like most of Wegener's preceding pictures, it could probably stand to be a little shorter, but it's never entirely dull.

The whole expressionistic style and mood plus strong directing more than make up for the lack of suspense this still has nowadays. Wegener himself is very good as the Golem, with some nice little human emotions shining through in his eyes at tiny moments.

Early horror film that isn't quite sure how much it wants to scare the audience. The incantation scene has some decent special effects (for its day); everything else is pretty simplistic, including the straightforward plot that fizzles out at the end. Good if you like German Expressionism (the sets are quite good), but a little dull if not.

A unique twist on the story of Frankenstein's monster. Here, instead of electricity and mad science, revenge-inspired Jewish mysticism is the culprit in bringing the misunderstood monster to life. The clay effects on the creature are absolutely ingenious. Nothing in modern effects looks as effective. While the story's conclusion is a bit anticlimactic, the movie as a whole is quite good.

Great-looking movie, fantastic effects, interesting themes, slightly offset by some rather iffy representations of Jews and an ending that just kind of peters out. And there's at least one scene too many of people taking credit for fixing a problem they stupidly caused in the first place. But you'll forgive a movie anything when it has a scene of a golem going shopping.

Dark sorcery in a surreal city of nightmare: this is a true gem of early German cinema. More sinister than M, more depressing than Metropolis, and even more fantastical than Caligari, this is a class of its own. Don't miss this one, and make sure you play it at the right frame rate to see the majesty of this masterpiece.

Fantastic imagery and wonderful set design in service of a story that mostly serves its purpose but doesn't inspire, or end well for that matter. But Wegener truly brings the Golem character to life, so to speak, and the menace he exudes in the later parts is something special. More films should try having chapters, too.

Great expressionistic visuals, but everything else is only good enough to keep things moving along.

One of the few golem movies, but it still bores like hell

There were several versions of this story, but this is almost certainly the best, its splendid sets, performances and certain scenes all being clearly influential on later Hollywood films, especially _Frankenstein_.

86.500

This has not aged at all well, and today is horrifying in ways that its creators never intended -- yet it created most of the monster-movie tropes that still hold today. In order to appreciate this at _all_, you must see it in a good, restored print with a sensitive score. Kino's DVD is best.

I saw this film in such an amazing kino consert, I cannot think about a bad thing to say about it.

Fico imaginando o Paul Wegener dirigindo os filmes (essa é a terceira versão) e pensando que daria um ótimo monstro de argila. Eu sei que o Wegener fez algumas coisas emblemáticas, mas o considero um diretor menor dentro do expressionismo alemão. Box Obras-primas do Cinema Expressionismo Alemão Volume 2.

Pretty good and sometimes quite frightning too.

What do you say about a movie closing in on it's centennial? I guess it's pretty good, nice use of colored filters and some decent expressionism sets.

Interesting film.

83.375

Some of the effects in this are very cool, but the monster is not very convincing looking and I was a bit disappointed. Seeing the similarities with Frankenstein, which the old folktake this is based on inspired, was interesting.

The cinematography is nuanced for a silent film, but the plot is a mess, and The Golem runs far too long.