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Aspect Ratio: 1.33:1
Audience Rating: Unrated
Binding: DVD
EAN: 0089218404794
Format: Black & White, DVD, Silent, NTSC
Label: Alpha Video
Manufacturer: Alpha Video
Number Of Discs: 1
Publisher: Alpha Video
Region Code: 1
Release Date: September 24, 2002
Running Time: 91 minutes
Studio: Alpha Video
Theatrical Release Date: June 19, 1921
Editorial Review:
Amazon.com:
A relic certainly, but a fascinating one, Der Golem is perhaps the screen's first great monster movie. Though it was actually the third time director-star Paul Wegener had played the eponymous creation, the earlier efforts (sadly lost) were rough drafts for this elaborate dramatization of the Jewish legend. When the Emperor decrees that the Jews of mediaeval Prague should be evicted from the ghetto, a mystical rabbi creates a clay giant and summons the demon Astaroth who breathes out in smoky letters the magic word that will animate the golem. Intended as a protector and avenger, the golem is twisted by the machinations of a lovelorn assistant and, like many a monster to come, runs riot, terrorizing guilty and innocent alike until a little girl innocently ends his rampage. Wegener's golem is an impressively solid figure, the Frankenstein monster with a slightly comical clay wig. The wonderfully grotesque Prague sets and the alchemical atmosphere remain potent. --Kim Newman
Average Rating: 
Rating: 
-
Preceding James Whales' FRANKENSTEIN by over a decade, this tragic Promethean tale of a man-made monster that wreaks havoc on a small Jewish ghetto resonates just as strongly with today's audiences as it had nearly a century ago. In THE GOLEM, the revered Rabbi Loew predicts that a terrible fate will befall the Jews of Prague, which comes in the form of an edict from the Emperor that calls for each of the Jews to be removed from the city. Rabbi Loew shapes a giant protector out of clay in order to ... Read More
Rating: -
I liked the story line--It was exciting and held my interest. I also like the music. It was a love story, forbiden love, people trying to get hope from what ever source was available to them. The Golem, with the help of G-d, saved the people from destruction. He was there as a last resort to save them from disaster. People took advantage of him and also used him to serve their own purposes. The movie held my attention and made me think.
Rating: -
Although this is certainly not a restored version, the print on this release from Alpha Video is quite good. There is some washing out but it isn't bad and there is surprisngly little dirt and scratching on this print. I am also a fan of the music score used for this version. I have no idea what it might be and there is no music credit on the disc anywhere but I think it really adds something to this version of the film. If you are looking for a cleaned up, near perfect release then this one isn't ... Read More
Rating: -
This 1920 silent horror film is simply incredible. It is considered perhaps the first great monster movie ever made, and it definitely is the most unheralded. In fact, the Universal classic Frankenstein probably got some ideas from it.
This opening storyboard is incredibly frightening...
The learned Rabbi Loew
reads in the stars that
misfortune threatens
the Jews
Geez, if that's not some freaky foreshadowing. Here's the setup--in ... Read More
Rating: 
-
The Golem is an interesting story though the sets and costumes do not match the time. It is suppossed to be in 16th Century Prague but the costumes look 13th century and the entire period look is much more medieval than Renaissance. The emperor that persecuted the jews in that region then known as Bohemia, was Rudolph I (May 1218 - 15 July 1291, emperor from 1273) not Rudolph II (King of Bohemia from 1575-1608/1611) who quite the contrary, was in best of terms with the head rabbi in Prague and very interested ... Read More
