Der Golem: wie er in die Welt kam

Prague in the sixteenth century: the inhabitants of the ghetto suffer greatly under the anti-Semitic regime of Emperor Rudolf II. Rabbi Yehuda Loew ben Bezalel wants to protect his community and succeeds in creating a golem, an extremely strong superhero, out of a piece of solid clay. When the Rabbi”s assistant puts the golem to use for his own ends, the creature turns into a Frankensteinish monster that is no longer in his creator”s control and goes on a rampage through the ghetto.

ufa showcase

Der Golem is one of the classics of expressionist cinema along with Das Kabinett des Dr. Caligari and Metropolis and showcases what the UFA studios in Berlin were capable of in terms of set designs, animation, lighting and camera technology. Filmmaker Paul Wegener – who later became an acclaimed actor/director under the Nazi regime – played the role of the golem himself.

restoration

The brand-new restoration in 4K was carried out by the Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau Foundation (Germany) and the Royal Belgian Film Archive (Cinematek) in Brussels.

With live musical accompaniment by HOT (Het Orgel Trio): Berry van Berkum (organ), Steven Kamperman (clarinet) and Dion Nijland (bass).