The Golem: The Legend of Prague

A Golem is an old Czech fairy tale that Mary Shelly stole and rewrote as a film called - Frankenstein. Yes, that is right Frankenstein is a rip-off - A fake, a fraud.

So now it is your duty to go a find out what the Czech fairy tale is about. Watch this film. It is about the Golem, (a story that has been passed from generation to generation), a creature that was created by a Jewish Rabbi......and if you have seen Frankenstein then you what else I am about to tell you.

Go watch this real Frankenstein movie

I'm sincerely sorry not to join the chorus of praises of the other users.I've seen most of Duvivier's talkies and I have always been his fan.But "le golem" is definitely not my cup of tea.Eclecticism was Duvivier's trademark (his precedent movie was "Golgotha" an underrated version of the Passion.)But his metier was film noir ;check his filmography: all his best works belong to the genre.

The main problem with this Golem -which may or may not have inspired Mary Shelley- is that the director does not choose between comedy and drama.Harry Baur's talent is unquestionable,but you'd better see him in "David golder" where he plays a Jew;In the Golem,it seems that the Jewish culture eludes Duvivier (it eludes me too of course),and it is not his use of (beautiful) hymns which will make me change my mind.The ten-minute appearance of Golem is not even impressive ,and when he returns to ashes,well...

Outside "David Golder" ,people interested in Duvivier's work should see "Poil de Carotte" "La Belle Equipe" "Pepe le Moko" "Carnet de Bal" and "La Fin du Jour" all French classics of the thirties.

It's not easy to combine a French set of comedians with a legend from Jewish tradition supposingly happening in Prague but it's hard to resist to the charm of the pre-WW2 movie by Duvivier.

This version of the golem story has some advantages over the 1920 Paul Wegener film. While the original must remain the best simply out of respect, this film has introduced sound, a much more fluid camera, and odd angles that would make a German Expressionist blush -- and this is France with director Julian Duvivier at the helm!

The golem itself is a different sort of creature, less clay or stone and more of a robotic, steel beast. Not as heavy-set, and with decidedly more human movement through use of his arms and legs, removing the lumbering gait of the older version. I do not see this as an improvement or a step back, but an entirely new scenario.

The political message seems to be different, too. While the Wegener film has a Frankenstein-like message about creating something you cannot control, the story is a bit twisted here. The film says, explicitly, "Revolt is the right of the slave." People could draw a variety of messages from that line alone... I will not offer examples, as they are obvious enough.

Duvivier's Golem is a rough sequel to the far-more-famous 1920 German production with Paul Wegener. It is a European court drama first and a horror/fantasy second, but for viewers who don't mind that sort of balance it is a fascinating experience. At times it resembles The Passion of Joan of Arc (1928) or Eisenstein's Ivan the Terrible.

All characters are sympathetic, including the paranoid and desperate emperor and his ruthless but loyal chamberlain. A suave Frenchman appears first to be a self-serving seducer but shows later that he can be exceedingly generous. The Jews are perhaps drawn with a bit too much seriousness, but their faith and idealism is hard not to admire. The actual golem awakens only for the final action scenes, but the wait is worth it. Unlike Wegener's golem which resembled a child's toy, this golem appears as a tall imposing man, stiff but realistic. A brisk, intelligent film.