THE GOLEM ***

Looked at in an historical context "The Golem" is a remarkable film. Made in Germany in 1920 it is about the persecution of the Jewish people but centuries earlier. Was it popular with Hitler and the Nazi High Command? Perhaps, since this is about the creation of a giant creature called The Golem whose initial purpose is to help the Jews but whose activities turn nefarious as the film progresses. It is, therefore, one of the first monster movies and while in no way frightening is as much as genre classic as James Whale's "Frankenstein", (the similarities are manifold).

The Golem is played by Paul Wegener, who co-directed the film with Carl Boese, and visually this is one of the great medieval pictures, (the DoP was the great Karl Freund). It is designed in a fairy-tale fashion, each image looking as if it was conjured from the pages of a very old book. Yes, it does have a touch of the 'Penny Dreadfuls' about it but that only adds to its strange charm. Seldom revived, it is, nevertheless, a classic that really ought to be seen.