The Golem: Difference between revisions

Everything About Fiction You Never Wanted to Know.
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* [[Language of Magic]]: Hebrew, apparently.
* [[Language of Magic]]: Hebrew, apparently.
* [[Literal Genie]]: Implied -- the Golem follows orders, but little seems to grasp their sense.
* [[Literal Genie]]: Implied -- the Golem follows orders, but little seems to grasp their sense.
* [[Load Bearing Hero]]: The Golem's great moment.
* [[Load-Bearing Hero]]: The Golem's great moment.
* [[Love Triangle]]: Both Florian and the Famulus love -- or at least covet -- Miriam.
* [[Love Triangle]]: Both Florian and the Famulus love -- or at least covet -- Miriam.
* [[Mad Scientists Beautiful Daughter]]: Played with. The learned Rabbi's only child, beautiful Miriam, falls promptly in a forbidden love with the Christian knight Florian. However, Florian is not exactly a hero, and the romance is cut short by {{spoiler|Florian's death.}} Also, the Rabbi is neither mad nor evil, even though his creation runs out of control.
* [[Mad Scientist's Beautiful Daughter]]: Played with. The learned Rabbi's only child, beautiful Miriam, falls promptly in a forbidden love with the Christian knight Florian. However, Florian is not exactly a hero, and the romance is cut short by {{spoiler|Florian's death.}} Also, the Rabbi is neither mad nor evil, even though his creation runs out of control.
* [[Mars Needs Women]]: The Golem appears momentarily enraptured by Miriam, but loses interest soon.
* [[Mars Needs Women]]: The Golem appears momentarily enraptured by Miriam, but loses interest soon.
* [[Mundane Utility]]: The Rabbi claims that the Golem's aim is to save the Jews, but the first task we see that stupendous achievement of the occult arts do is chopping wood.
* [[Mundane Utility]]: The Rabbi claims that the Golem's aim is to save the Jews, but the first task we see that stupendous achievement of the occult arts do is chopping wood.
* [[Non Malicious Monster]]: Even though the Rabbi's book purports that the Golem will inevitably turn evil, at closer watch he seems not so much evil but just misunderstood, clumsy, and unable to comprehend the world around him.
* [[Non-Malicious Monster]]: Even though the Rabbi's book purports that the Golem will inevitably turn evil, at closer watch he seems not so much evil but just misunderstood, clumsy, and unable to comprehend the world around him.
* [[Open Says Me]]: The Golem breaks open both the door to Miriam's room and in the end, {{spoiler|the Ghetto gate.}}
* [[Open Says Me]]: The Golem breaks open both the door to Miriam's room and in the end, {{spoiler|the Ghetto gate.}}
* [[Pivotal Wakeup]]: Interestingly, the Golem does this when the Famulus wakes him (minus the coffin).
* [[Pivotal Wakeup]]: Interestingly, the Golem does this when the Famulus wakes him (minus the coffin).
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* [[Rooftop Confrontation]]: Between the Golem and Knight Florian.
* [[Rooftop Confrontation]]: Between the Golem and Knight Florian.
* [[Shout Out]]: Astaroth is [[Ars Goetia]] demon #29.
* [[Shout Out]]: Astaroth is [[Ars Goetia]] demon #29.
* [[Sliding Scale of Anti Villains]]: The Golem is a type IV -- he is not actually evil, [[Woobie|just dumb, misused, and resentful of being deactivated.]]
* [[Sliding Scale of Anti-Villains]]: The Golem is a type IV -- he is not actually evil, [[Woobie|just dumb, misused, and resentful of being deactivated.]]
* [[Sorcerers Apprentice Plot]]: The Famulus unwisely reviving the Golem.
* [[Sorcerer's Apprentice Plot]]: The Famulus unwisely reviving the Golem.
* [[Speech Bubble]]: The magic word -- {{smallcaps|aemaet}} -- appears as a writing hovering in the air in front of the demon's mouth.
* [[Speech Bubble]]: The magic word -- {{smallcaps|aemaet}} -- appears as a writing hovering in the air in front of the demon's mouth.
* [[The Speechless]]: The Golem, faithful to traditional Golem lore.
* [[The Speechless]]: The Golem, faithful to traditional Golem lore.
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* [[Tome of Eldritch Lore|Tomes Of Eldritch Lore]]: The books that teach the Rabbi how to create the Golem.
* [[Tome of Eldritch Lore|Tomes Of Eldritch Lore]]: The books that teach the Rabbi how to create the Golem.
* [[Turned Against Their Masters|Turned Against His Masters]]: The Golem does not like being deactivated.
* [[Turned Against Their Masters|Turned Against His Masters]]: The Golem does not like being deactivated.
* [[Unspoken Plan Guarantee]]: The Rabbi [[Step Three Profit|never explained how the Golem was supposed to save the Jews]], and the Golem eventually fulfilling this task appears more like a result of random events. This leaves room for three interpretations:
* [[Unspoken Plan Guarantee]]: The Rabbi [[Step Three: Profit|never explained how the Golem was supposed to save the Jews]], and the Golem eventually fulfilling this task appears more like a result of random events. This leaves room for three interpretations:
** the Rabbi [[Indy Ploy|had no real plan in mind when he created the Golem]];
** the Rabbi [[Indy Ploy|had no real plan in mind when he created the Golem]];
** the Rabbi knew that the Golem was [[The Chosen One|destined by fate]] to ''somehow'' save the Jews; or
** the Rabbi knew that the Golem was [[The Chosen One|destined by fate]] to ''somehow'' save the Jews; or
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* [[Urban Segregation]]: The Ghetto. The massive gate is always closed, and anyone passing in or out of the Ghetto is a cumbersome procedure each time. See Reality Subtext.
* [[Urban Segregation]]: The Ghetto. The massive gate is always closed, and anyone passing in or out of the Ghetto is a cumbersome procedure each time. See Reality Subtext.
* [[What a Drag]]: Poor Miriam is dragged through the streets by her pigtails.
* [[What a Drag]]: Poor Miriam is dragged through the streets by her pigtails.
* [[What Measure Is a Non Human]] The Rabbi has no qualms about turning the Golem on and off at his will, and ultimately, destroying it. The Golem eventually takes offense at it.
* [[What Measure Is a Non-Human?]] The Rabbi has no qualms about turning the Golem on and off at his will, and ultimately, destroying it. The Golem eventually takes offense at it.
* [[Wizard Beard]]: The Rabbi again. Also, his hair would pass as [[Einstein Hair]], had the trope existed at the time.
* [[Wizard Beard]]: The Rabbi again. Also, his hair would pass as [[Einstein Hair]], had the trope existed at the time.
* [[Words of Power]]: {{smallcaps|Aemaet}}.
* [[Words of Power]]: {{smallcaps|Aemaet}}.

Revision as of 13:01, 9 January 2014

Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (The Golem, How He Came Into The World) is a 1920 German silent horror film, co-written, co-directed, and starring Paul Wegener, about the origins of the Golem of Prague. It is one of the earliest and most influential Expressionist films and is considered a masterpiece of the German silent cinema. Wegener had produced two earlier films using the character, Der Golem (1915), a mostly lost film telling a somewhat similar story, and Der Golem und die Tänzerin (The Golem and the Dancing Girl) (1917), in which an actor (clearly Wegener playing an Expy of himself) puts on the make-up of his monster role as a prank on a dancing-girl whom he is interested in.

The film would influence later horror films profoundly, in particular James Whale's Frankenstein and The Bride of Frankenstein (as, for instance, the monster's playing with an innocent little girl).

This film is in the public domain. It is currently available on YouTube here.

The Golem, How He Came Into the World provides examples of:

  1. ↑ Wait, does a Golem actually have muscles?
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