Review: The Golem: How He Came into the World (1920)

Sometimes I watch a movie and quickly conclude that I am vastly unqualified to write a review for it.  It happened with Sinners (a film I absolutely love) to use a recent example, and I feel like the same applies for this 1920 film (the full title is The Golem: How He Came into the World).  I can note the German Expressionism in the production design, I can talk about the history (it is the third in a trilogy of films and the only one that has not been lost), I could even go into the importance of watching what is a very Jewish  film in a time of rising antisemitism.  But I am not an expert in any of those subjects, and anything I say would be nothing more than the rewording of what I had just read, so I will avoid that.

Instead, I will just talk about watching a silent movie - one cobbled together from various releases and negatives - from over a hundred years ago and how a modern audience would react to it, assuming they could sit through such a thing.

To wit, I think modern audience would appreciate the production design of the film.  My exposure to German Expressionism is fairly limited, but I appreciate the otherworldliness it brings to the setting while still feeling true to life.  Buildings and rooms are just 'off' enough to throw you off-balance while still feeling like something an actual person would live in.

There's also something of an ethereal mood to the movie, with the various spells cast showcasing some fairly impressive effects for the time period while heightening that unearthly feeling that the sets had already given the viewer.  It's really a masterwork of tone that is impressive for search an early film of this type.

It's hard to judge the acting, given the vast gulf between what works well for a silent film vs one where you can hear the characters.  If pressed, I'd say that Lothar Müthel as Squire Florian is best in show, though director Paul Wegener as the titular Golem is also fairly strong.  On the other end, I can't say I was impressed by Lyda Salmonova as Miriam, though that could very well be because the movie doesn't ask much of her.

Would I recommend this to others?  Yes, I think everyone should experience at least a few silent films just for the novelty, and this one is influential enough to throw it to the top of the list.  But if you absolutely cannot stand this type of film, I wouldn't judge.

8 out of 10