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OPEN CLASSIC CINEMA · 1567

The Golem: How He Came into the World

192085 minGermany
HorrorFantasy

Synopsis

Facing an order that threatens Prague's Jewish community, Rabbi Loew creates a powerful figure from clay and brings it to life. The Golem appears to offer protection, but the force that animates it cannot easily be controlled. Rival desires and a dangerous display at the imperial court turn a promise of safety into a crisis.

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Video edition
Internet Archive
Original language
No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: German.
This copy runs
76:12
Subtitles
No subtitle track in this language

No spoken dialogue. Intertitles: German. No subtitle track in this language.

Languages and subtitles

No subtitle track in this language

Internet Archive · Paul Wegener, Carl Boese · Internet Archive source edition

This copy runs shorter than the reference runtime. Editing and playback speed can differ between editions.

Cast

DirectorsPaul WegenerCarl Boese

Historical context

Paul Wegener and Carl Boese place the legend within the stylized spaces of German Expressionist cinema. Hans Poelzig's architecture makes the ghetto feel like a world shaped from the same material as the creature.

Inspirations

The film draws on the Jewish Golem legend associated with Prague and Rabbi Loew. It is a fantasy, not evidence of historical events. Its depiction of Jewish life also reflects the assumptions and stereotypes of its production period.

Behind the scenes

Wegener performs the title role as well as co-directing. This is the 1920 film, the surviving feature in a series of earlier Golem projects, and should not be confused with the 1915 production.

Reception and legacy

The creature's imposing body and the film's architectural spaces made it a lasting reference for screen fantasy and monster cinema.

Sources and availability

General references identify the work and its copy. A reference beside an editorial section is linked to the claims checked in that section.

Wikipedia — film referenceWikidata — film identity and creditsBFI — film identity and creditsImage: Hans Poelzig / Museum of Modern Art / Wikimedia Commons — Public domain

Work catalogued as public domain in the United States.

The public-domain references concern the original films in the United States. Rights can differ for other countries, editions, restorations, music or translations. Sources are listed on each film page.

Availability checked on September 18, 2026.

Photograph credit

Photographs cropped, resized and optimized as WebP, displayed in monochrome.

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