I've only watched it myself (3 times so far) on VHS but I do have the Kino edition in my "To Watch" list, purchased as part of the "German Horror Classics" 4-Disc Box Set.

As for the film itself, I concede that it's the least of the 3 celebrated German Expressionist classics of the early 20s – the others, of course, being THE CABINET OF DR. CALIGARI (1919) and NOSFERATU (1922). Still, the production itself is quite impressive to my eyes, the "bizarre set design" being the best of it, but I also love the creation scene (with the aid of the demon Astaroth and some notable special effects) and the scene where the old Rabbi describes the Jewish pogroms (which we see superimposed on the screen) to the unimpressed and downright sneering aristocrats, not to mention the rather moving way the Golem meets its comeuppance – which I'm sure even you will concede that it clearly inspired one of the most famous sequences in James Whale's FRANKENSTEIN (1931). In fact, I'd say that even the domesticated monster of BRIDE OF FRANKENSTEIN (1935) owes its genesis more to this film than the Shelley original, where we see it carrying errands for its master the Rabbi (before it runs amok for plot, and genre-defining, purposes). Paul Wegener's acting may feel somewhat comical today, but he certainly managed to convey the lumbering creature's brutish strength – coupled with its inherent innocence and highly susceptible nature.

Actually, this was Wegener's third stab at the character after THE GOLEM of 1914 (set in contemporary times!) – the 1920 version, in fact, was identified by the subtitle HOW IT CAME INTO THE WORLD – and the semi-comic sequel THE GOLEM AND THE BALLERINA (1917),both of which seem not to have survived, alas. Happily, though, Wegener's earlier THE STUDENT OF PRAGUE (1913; which is another much-filmed supernatural tale) – in which he played the principal dual roles but did not direct – has and, in fact was recently released on DVD by, of all people, Alpha. I caught this on Italian TV several years ago and thought it was pretty good; I hope they do a repeat one of these days, or else some other DVD company (like Kino, for instance) will take the trouble to release it in a restored edition – preferably with the apparently rarer Robert Wiene/Conrad Veidt 1926 remake in tow…

P.S. There was a French remake of THE GOLEM in 1936, which I've seen and even managed to tape off the TV: this, too, is basically a historical melodrama rather than a horror film but I recall it being very adequate and featuring some expensive production values to boot.

Imagine shooting a feature-length horror movie with the camera built into your mobile phone. Now imagine disabling sound and colour on your phonecam, only being able to shoot a few seconds at a time, each minute costing a small fortune in recording material, imagine that phonecam being large and unwieldy and kind of knackered so that the already low-resolution image is flickery and erratically exposed, and it plays back too fast so that people look like wound-up dolls. It also exposes blueish light more than reddish light, so each shoot is unpredictable, but of course you'll only know that the next day when the film has been processed.

Welcome to movie-making in the year 1920 AD.

Now go shoot a masterpiece that will still be watched, talked about and revered in a hundred years.

I watched this out of historic interest and expected to be colossally bored. But far from it, this is actually a gripping horror flick, and one with a deep side to it to boot. The Golem himself is an immensely scary horror figure en par with Freddy Kruger or the Alien, kind of a proto-Frankenstein's monster -- and he's actually played by director Paul Wegener himself!. I'd like to know how they made his eyes so scary.

Anyway, what can I say, a stupendous film. Watch it from the edge of your seat.

THE GOLEM is actually the third Golem film that starred Paul Wegener as the mythical character. The first film, THE GOLEM (1915),only currently exists in fragments and the second one, THE GOLEM AND THE DANCING GIRL (1917) is completely lost. The film most people call "The Golem" is this 1920 version and it's more correct title is "THE GOLEM: HOW HE CAME INTO THE WORLD". Wegener not only starred in the films but he wrote and co-directed them as well! The film is a tale based on a Jewish myth about a man-made creature that came to life in the 16th century to defend the Jews from persecution. This film stays pretty close to that legend and there have been other Golem films since.

The story begins with a royal edict being announced. It says that all Jews are to leave the land. However, the Rabbi is liked by the emperor and so the Rabbi hatches a plan. First, he'll build a Golem out of clay and animate it. Then, he'll take it with him to see the emperor--and threaten to use the Golem unless the edict is canceled. Well, the plan works out very well and the edict is reversed. However, given that the rabbi used the forces of darkness to make the beast, there is a strong chance this "blessing" will become a curse, so he's quick to deactivate the creature. Stupidly, his assistant, in a fit of rage, reactivates it and the creature runs amok--burning and killing pointlessly.

The story gets high marks for creating an excellent and menacing monster--years before Universal created what we now think of as horror monsters. The story is also excellent--especially for the silent age. The only negative is that the story ends very abruptly and there just isn't enough payoff at the end. Once they lose control of the monster and it goes off terrorizing the countryside, it all ends with a bit of a fizzle. Still, for 1920, it's a heck of a good film.

By the way, seeing this film come out just before the Nazi era is interesting. It could mean that Germans were more accepting of Jews and Jewish themes (since the film is about the persecution of them) but I also wonder if the Gentiles took it to be a warning about the Jews--as it shows them dabbling into the occult and being a bit of a menace! So here we have a film that could be pro-Jewish or ant-Semetic depending on the audience! I wonder what the German government in 1933 did about this film--did they ban it or use it to promote the myth of the "evil Jew"?

For an interesting look at the life of Paul Wegener, try this site--http://www.missinglinkclassichorror.co.uk/wegener.htm.

Also, if you look on IMDb for information about the first Golem movie, it seems that many have confused this for the 1920 film--this should account for why the film has so many votes even though only a few minutes of film exists today.