Der Golem (1920)

Like its contemporaneous cousin, The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari, Der Golem's main virtues are its visuals, particularly Karl Freund's expressive cinematography. The film is strongest in setting up its premise, using labyrinthine sets and shadowy figures to create an aura of doom and dread. When the mechanics of the story kick in, the film loses some of its suggestiveness and veers into melodrama. The "be careful what you wish for" theme has been compared to that in Mary Shelley's tale of Dr. Frankenstein's monster, but Rabbi Loew is no mad scientist attempting to create life, just a man looking for some kind of intervention to protect his people from persecution. As with many a monster film, the plot turns on sex; Miriam, the rabbi's daughter, is loved by two men, and one of them uses the Golem to vanquish his rival, though that act sets the monster on a rampage. As in James Whale's Frankenstein, there is an encounter between the monster and a child, but the outcome here is decidedly happier. Writer/star/co-director Paul Wegener had made two previous films centered on this character, so it's a bit of a surprise to learn that he stayed in Germany after the Nazis took over and made several propaganda films for Hitler's regime. ~ Tom Wiener, All Movie Guide