The Golem: How He Came Into the World (1920)

"Superb Silent Cinema"

The new 4K restoration of Paul Wegener's masterpiece of German horror cinema gets a gorgeous Blu-ray release from Eureka.

Prague in the 16th century. The Jewish community is being persecuted by the tyrannical Emperor Luhois (Otto Gebuhr). Meanwhile, on top of his twisted German expressionist dwelling, Rabbi Low (Albert Streinruck) has been studying the skies. It seems the stars are right for him to bring to life a clay man called a Golem that will save the Rabbi's people. 

Of course, this sort of thing is never easy. First the Rabbi has to make the Golem, and then he has to conjure up Astaroth, who provides him with the magic word that must be written on parchment and placed in an amulet in the centre of the creature's chest to give him life.

All goes well at first, as the Golem (director Paul Wegener) does indeed perform acts of great heroism. But the ancient text the Rabbi has been working from also includes a warning, one which the Rabbi's assistant fulfils when he attempts to use the clay man for his own selfish gain.

A remarkable piece of cinema, both for the time and in its own right, THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THE WORLD was actually the third Golem film made by director / star Wegener. It was a prequel to the first and is the only one thought to survive. With its towering expressionist sets, huge crowd scenes and a plot where a powerful creation goes on the rampage, even now THE GOLEM feels like 1920s big budget blockbuster entertainment. 

Eureka's 4K transfer is a beauty, with the quality of the image made all the more impactful by the rich colours of the tinting. You get the option of three very different soundtracks. Stephen Horne's is a more traditional piano accompaniment score, Admir Shkurtaj's is a bit more orchestral, but for maximum weird I'd suggest Wudec's electronic score for a splendid dark and stormy night's screening.

Extras include a new commentary track by Scott Harrison and new video essays from David Cairns and Jon Spira. Also included is the US version of THE GOLEM with a piece on the differences between the domestic & export versions of the film. Finally, there's a collector's booklet with new writing from Scott Harrison as well as illustrations from the original printing of Gustav Meyrink's novel. Oh, and an 'O' card to wrap the whole lovely package in. Great stuff, Eureka. 

The 4K restoration of Paul Wegener's THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THE WORLD is out on Blu-ray from 

Eureka on Monday 18th November 2019