Grimerlana Plenty to Like, Plenty to Dislike

Freaktana A Major Disappointment

Stoutor It's not great by any means, but it's a pretty good movie that didn't leave me filled with regret for investing time in it.

Kaydan Christian A terrific literary drama and character piece that shows how the process of creating art can be seen differently by those doing it and those looking at it from the outside.

jadavix "Der Golem" is surely one of the best German expressionist silent movies. It may be second only to "The Cabinet of Doctor Caligari"; I enjoyed it as much as Murnau's "Faust", and, truth be told, more than "Nosferatu".You probably already know the story: it's a well-known Jewish folk tale about a rabbi who constructs a stone creature (a golem) to protect his fellows from an anti-Semitic government in medieval Prague. The creature impresses the gentiles, but then it turns on its master.These movies aren't really about plot, nor characters. They're about mood, setting, and mise-en-scene. The golem itself is an indelible image; surprisingly it was played by the writer-director himself, who must have been a massive person. You can see the influence on James Whale's classic "Frankenstein". The settings are also sumptuous and fitting.My mind did wander, but not as much as when I watched Swedish silent "Korkarlen", also a horror film based on local myth. I appreciated that the story was easy to follow and interesting.

MonsterVision99 I originally wanted to watch all the Golem films but after some research it turned out that the first two Golem movies are lost, which is a shame, I guess this is some kind of prequel to the other films, which would explain many things.The Golem (1920) makes use of its amazing sets and great special effects (for the time of course) and delivers a compelling story with its visuals. Silent films have a surreal feeling to them, most of these people are dead and the filmmaking its obviously quite different from what we see today, but they still share the same goal of telling a story. Of course many people can find silent films to be boring, but I believe that film is a visual medium and that filmmakers should show not tell.The myth of the Golem was unknown to me by the time I watched it, at least for the most part, so there's something I got out of it.I find the story to be quite interesting and of course the monster is captivating, every scene with him its just a delight to watch.This was quite an enjoyable film, I wouldn't put it above something like The Cabinet of Dr Caligari or The Phantom of the Opera, but I still think this is worth a watch.

Cristi_Ciopron Given the enormously strong impression these silent movies are making on me, I would be tempted to conclude that the primeval form of cinema art, the silent art, was the superior one, and that what has been lost was vastly preferable to what has been gained by the sound. On the other hand, and speaking of this fantasy movie, the Golem is 'my creature theme', finding it in every way superior to 'mad scientists' creatures movies'.DER GOLEM is awesomely crafted, and Paul Wegener's performance remains a hallmark for the fantasy cinema. Exciting, wise, thrilling, what a storyline …. In the silent cinema, they had a very positive notion of beauty, of what's beautiful on screen. Karl Freund provided the sensational cinematography.Movie entirely constituted by style. Sheer virtuosity. In a sense, GOLEM is better than FAUST, than BERLING and then ARNE; and, also in an accept-ion, more stylish than USHER and NOSFERATU. Am I nearing the affirmation that GOLEM might be the best of the silent fantasy movies? Perhaps yes. (I disliked CALIGARI; but those mentioned here are beautiful beyond comparison.)How are the Jews depicted here? Well, not entirely positively; they are accused of black magic—which they actually practice. They are presented like a persecuted minority; but also like folks who indulge in black magic, who conjure demons, etc.. Not really the people of the Old Law, but of Babilonian magic.

moldtom37 The moment I first saw this film I knew it was a classic. The visuals are excellent. The story is old as time. The basic story is the country their in, Prague I think, wants to evict the Hebrews out. Anti semitism was unfortunately a way of life back then. Using force if necessary. But of course they don't want to leave. Desperate for a solution, they call upon some dark forces to bring up the golem. But things go awry and they are soon protecting themselves from their protector. It's a classic creation turning against the creator story. If you can find the kino versio of the DVD, buy it. you'll be better off. The visuals are a good portion of why this is a good film. Nosferatu and Cabinet of Dr. caligari usually take all the credit for German expressionism, but this more than holds up to those films.