Jewish mysticism and a monster form the basis of this German Expressionist gem. Two things happen when an emperor decides to force the Jews out of their ghetto in medieval Prague: a) the prince who delivers the message falls in love with a woman from the ghetto and b) a rabbi mystic conjures up a Golem, a giant mindless brute made of clay to execute a plan to win over the emperor. Things go swimmingly while the Golem is nice and docile. As a condition of the spell though, the Golem eventually turns against its creator and goes on a rampage.
This is the third of three films that director Paul Wegener made based on the centuries-old Golem folklore. The other two are considered lost. Don’t worry too much about that, though. Wegener, reportedly unhappy with his first Golem film, goes back to the beginning here and this movie stands tall on its own.
The set designs are classic menacing Expressionist structures by celebrated architect Hans Poelzig. Cinematography by Karl Freund.