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Information

A.k.a.
The Golem
Year
1920
Runtime
91 min.
Directors
Carl Boese, Paul Wegener
Genres
Fantasy, Horror
Rating *
7.2
Votes *
4,508
Checks
1,988
Favs
88
Dislikes
10
Favs/checks
4.4% (1:23)
Favs/dislikes
9:1
* View IMDb information

Top comments

  1. Siskoid's avatar

    Siskoid

    The Golem (How He Came Into the World) is a 1920 piece of German Expressionism, about a Medieval rabbi who animates a clay figure to protect his people from an antisemitic king, but also to make him do the shopping (Frankenstein's Monster never did that, though this film looks like a clear influence on James Whale's 1932 classic). Let's just say that while it does have some interesting effects and good performances, it's not exactly the most exciting horror film to come out of the era. Even without the Golem, the rabbi seems to be a pretty powerful wizard who you might think wouldn't need a magical servant, and in the end, beware what you ask the monster to do as it could come back to haunt you. What's perhaps most intriguing is the set design, which affects vaginal openings and womb-like chambers, as if commenting on the creature's unnatural origins. How should we then interpret the ending where little children are the cause of the Golem's destruction? Little blond children outside the ghetto at that. I have a hard time getting a handle on what the film is saying about the Jews, or who it is siding with. There are probably some postgraduate theses about this somewhere. 3 years 7 months ago
  2. essaywhu's avatar

    essaywhu

    Interesting, but like others have said, it is a little hard to get through. I also agree that it has great sets and special effects. 8 years 5 months ago
  3. Armoreska's avatar

    Armoreska

    There's an edition with rock OST by Black Francis. It omits several less-important intertitles though, compared to Restored Authorized Edition 9 years 3 months ago
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In 9 official lists

  1. This movie ranks #16 in Kinemathekverbund's The 100 Most Important German Films
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    Kinemathekverbund's The …

    16
  2. This movie ranks #41 in BFI's 100 European Horror Films
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    BFI's 100 European Horro…

    41
  3. This movie ranks #42 in Mark Cousins's The Story of Film: An Odyssey
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    Mark Cousins's The Story…

    42
  4. This movie ranks #68 in Silent Era's The Top 300 Silent Era Films
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    Silent Era's The Top 300…

    68
  5. This movie ranks #70 in Paul Rotha's Silent but Not Forgotten
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    Paul Rotha's Silent but …

    70
  6. This movie ranks #108 in TSZDT's The 1,000 Greatest Horror Films
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    TSZDT's The 1,000 Greate…

    108
  7. This movie ranks #312 in Eureka!'s The Masters of Cinema Series
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    Eureka!'s The Masters of…

    312
  8. This movie ranks #359 in The Guardian's 1000 Films to See Before You Die
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    The Guardian's 1000 Film…

    359
  9. This movie ranks #792 in Halliwell's Top 1000: The Ultimate Movie Countdown
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    Halliwell's Top 1000: Th…

    792
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