Short and Sweet
The film was based on the legend of the Prague rabbi Judah Löw and tells the Jewish legend of the Golem:
Prague’s ghetto in the 16th century. When Rabbi Löw reads in the stars that the Jewish community is in danger, he creates a powerful clay figure, the Golem, according to an ancient legend, and imbues it with life through magical powers. The Golem saves the emperor’s life, who then revokes his order to expel the Jews from the city. Although the Golem has essentially fulfilled its purpose, when Löw’s assistant uses it to combat a rival, the Golem goes berserk and sets the city on fire. It is ultimately defeated by a little girl who removes the star from the Golem’s chest, the same star with which the rabbi had given it life.
*The Golem: How He Came into the World* is an expressionist German film directed by Paul Wegener and Carl Boese, released in 1920. It is considered one of the greatest classics of silent, horror, expressionist, and German cinema.
Noteworthy is the sculptural film architecture by Hans Poelzig and Kurt Richter in the style of Expressionism, which significantly contributes to the film’s fairy-tale and romantic overall impression. The film was one of the biggest international successes of German silent cinema, with months of sold-out screenings in the United States and even in China.
Action
The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920) is an expressionist German film directed by Paul Wegener and Carl Boese, based on the Jewish legend of the Golem. The story is set in the 16th century in the Jewish ghetto of Prague. Rabbi Löw, who learns from the stars that great danger threatens his community, creates a clay figure, the Golem, using magical rituals to protect the Jews from impending doom. The Golem saves the emperor and prevents the expulsion of the Jews.
When Löw’s assistant abuses the Golem for personal revenge, the situation spirals out of control: the Golem wreaks havoc, sets the ghetto on fire, and is eventually defeated by a little girl who removes the magical star from its chest.
The film is considered one of the greatest successes of German silent cinema and is notable for its modern cinematic approach, which deviates from the typical stage settings of the time. The impressive set design and architecture by Hans Poelzig, the cinematography by Karl Freund, and the special effects by Carl Boese all contribute to the film’s significance. It is regarded as a classic of expressionist cinema and a milestone in the history of German film.
Music
New music for organ and clarinet by Wilfried Kaets. Alternative pieces for piano and clarinet, as well as for solo piano or organ, are also included.
The music is structurally inspired by the film music dramaturgies of the silent film era. It incorporates themes from 1920s film archives and a variety of melodies from Jewish cultural traditions (Hebrew, Aramaic, and Yiddish music and songs), but is largely a new composition.
Formally, this is evident in the timbres of the organ and clarinet, as well as in the musical notation, which presents contemporary compositional approaches without attempting to copy old models. This achieves an intriguing balance of “old images” and “new sounds” that do not simply run contrapuntally alongside or against the film but create a dramaturgically cohesive integration.
The music is created as a reminiscence of the great tradition of silent film music from the 1920s in Germany. It represents a typical combination of film music techniques from the silent film era, involving both compilation (the use of existing works deemed suitable or adapted) and composition (the creation of new music for specific needs). Central themes include compositions and arrangements of Chassidic, Yiddish secular and religious songs and melodies, reflecting the film’s “Jewish-Christian” thematic and the late bourgeois artistic outlook.
The new compositions capture the spirit of contemporary silent film music from the early 20th century. The music aims to sound as it might have in a 1920s cinema, bringing the qualities of the film to life in a manner closely aligned with the original, infusing acoustic life into the silent visuals.
Thus, *The Golem* fits well into this series, not only as a genre horror film but also as a cinematic exploration of themes such as: how people interact with each other, the suffering they inflict, the blindfolding and instrumentalization of power over others, responsibility for creation, and love and devotion.
Register
Paul Wegener
11.12.1874 Arnoldsdorf, East Prussia (now Jarantowice, Poland) †13.09.1948 Berlin
He spent his childhood on his father’s estate in Bischdorf (Ermland). From 1883 to 1894, he attended gymnasiums in Rössel and Königsberg, graduating with his Abitur, while also working as an extra at the city theater. He studied law in Freiburg (Breisgau) and Leipzig, and took acting lessons. In 1895, he began his career at the Rostock City Theater and worked at various stages from 1896 to 1903, joining the Deutsches Theater Berlin in 1906.
Alongside author Hanns Heinz Ewers and cameraman Guido Seeber, he co-wrote the screenplay for The Student of Prague. The film, directed by Stellan Rye in 1913 with Wegener in a dual role, is considered one of the first artistically significant works of German cinema, alongside Max Mack’s The Other (1912/13). Wegener’s directorial and acting work is noted for its departure from conventional plot aesthetics and the integration of fantasy elements, as seen in films like Rübezahl’s Wedding and The Pied Piper. His 1920 film The Golem: How He Came into the World, based on a Jewish legend, was a success.