Der Golem

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.

This film version of the Golem legend is sparse at best. The Jews, as usual, are being persecuted. They are seen as a danger to the empire because they know magic. They have harmed no one but the powers that be decide that they will put a stop to any future efforts by their "enemies." So the Jewish mystics resurrect the Golem, a huge manlike creature made of clay. He becomes a mindless servant. He does his job, but can't be controlled, going on a rampage and destroying everything in his path. This is a classic tale that has been done many times in film. This film was actually lost and must be watched in bits and pieces.

Der Golem (1915)

Paul Wegener will always be remembered for his 1920 film DER GOLEM but most people don't realize that he played the character in two earlier pictures. Sadly this 1915 version is lost as is the 1917 film. Thankfully, however, there are about five-minutes worth of fragments from the 1915 version that are out there to be viewed.

In all honesty, these five-minutes are a true thrill for fans of the 1920 film, which was pretty much a prequel to this. There are a couple sequences shown in the fragments where we get a terrific look at the Golem make-up and this alone makes this worth celebrating. The make- up here is actually very similar to what we saw in the 1910 version, although actor Wegener was much skinnier here. There's another sequence showing a bunch of people running out of a house and into the streets, which I'm going to guess was them trying to escape from the Golem.

Again, the fragments just total five-minutes but if you're a horror fan or film buff then they're very much worth watching.

I have the seen the fragments on the Film im Herzen Europas DVD. From what I know can only be obtained on the German Amazon.de site. It is included as one of the extras on the disc. It consists of two fragments; a brief one from Act II,(red tinted) which lasts over a minute; and the end of the film, from Act IV, (blue tinted)which lasts over two minutes. It features three principal characters, Troedler (Heinrich/Henrik Galeen) the Jewish antique dealer who re-animates the Golem (Paul Wegener). Troedler's daughter Jessica (Lyda Salmonova, who also played the female lead in the 1920 prequel as Miriam), and Graf(Carl Ebert) a wealthy count who is also Jessica's fiancée.

(Spoilers Start Here)

The first part of the fragment shows the antique dealer Troedler leading the Golem down into a room to work on a bellows and forge. Troedler lays something over an anvil; The Golem picks up a hammer and strikes it, breaking one end of the anvil. The antique dealer motions Golem over to the bellows, showing it how to operate it. Golem slowly reaches over and the scene immediately cuts to the second fragment. This one shows a crowd of people running out of the count's stately manor (where a costume party was taking place) in order to escape the Golem, who wrecks havoc and has a big dagger embedded in its chest. The count and Jessica also escape and take refuge on the roof of a high tower. The Golem follows, and we then get a very creepy close up of the Golem's face with wide open eyes as it ascends the stairs. We get a title card in German that reads:

IN ANTICIPATION OF SOMETHING TERRIBLE

It corners the couple on the rooftop and charges at Graf, grabbing the count and possibly looking to throw him over ledge of the tower. We get a shot of an exhausted looking Troedler struggling up the stairs. Jessica comes between man and living statue imploringly. Golem loosens its grip on Graf, and as it does Jessica takes the opportunity to snatch the Star of David from its chest. Deactivated, We get a faraway shot of the Golem falling off the tower as the couple look down and point to where its fallen. Troedler makes it to the roof and embraces his daughter. The count joins them; all three relieved that this terrifying ordeal has finally come to an end. A title card in German then reads:

NATURE DOES ALWAYS DEEP,

SUCH AS WELL AS HEART,

AND EVERYTHING LIVES IN DEATH,

AND DEAD IS ALIVE.

(ANGELUS SILESIUS)

We get a final image of the decapitated head of the Golem, its body broken in pieces, lying among the tall grass. Fade to black.

(End Of Spoilers)

About the Golem's appearance in this film, it looks slightly different than how it appears in the 1920 prequel. For instance, the headpiece or 'hair' on the Golem is much shorter here than the shoulder length piece Paul Wegener wore in the latter film. Also the Golem itself is covered with Hebrew letters and mystical symbols.

Although it is difficult to judge a film based on a few minutes of footage, I get the feeling that a very good film has been lost for all time. One can only hope that somewhere a full print that has survived the ravages of time is out there just waiting to be discovered.

Reviewers of this film seem to be confusing it with Wegener's "The Golem - How He Came Into The World" (1920). Let's clarify:

In 1914, "Der Golem" was filmed. This movie dealt with the resurrection of the Golem in modern times. Known in the USA as "The Monster of Fate", it is considered a lost film. Only about a minute or so survives, somewhere in Germany. Rumors have circulated for years of a single, surviving print - but this seems to be untrue.

The 1920 film was actually Wegener's "prequel" - a film set totally in period, dealing with the creation of the clay being by Rabbi Loew, and how it is brought to life.

The 1920 film is, in my opinion, a must-see; the earlier film is pretty much lost. It is important, however, that we not confuse these two motion pictures.