The Golem: How He Came Into The World (EOTWS)

End Of The Week Shorts #4 extract: The Golem: How He Came Into The World (1920)

Whilst it is framed as a silent horror picture, Wegener and Boese's Golem is best seen as a brilliant spectacle imbued with mysticism and powerful German expressionism. In such, the aesthetic side of this silent classic is the most striking element; the set-design imbuing the frame with an intricate and uniquely textured mise en scène that you could only see expressed within this cinematic epoch. 

The downfalls of The Golem are in the character and story department. Whilst there are some great special effects put into play around the magical sequences, quite a few parts of the narrative are rather flat and subject to questionable logic. Moreover, there are no compelling characters featured in this film, which ultimately leaves it a bit of work to get through. Nonetheless, The Golem is certainly worth the watch, it'll take a bit of patience, but this is a significant film that I'm glad I've finally seen.