The Golem

Spirited Ufa re-telling of the famous Jewish myth. When new anti-semitic laws are passed in 16th century Prague, an old rabbi, who's foreseen misfortune in the stars, brings the Golem to life. This ungainly hulking monster, made from clay with a pudding bowl haircut, terrorises the court into rescinding its laws against the Jews, but then goes on a wrecking spree of its own. Notable for its imaginative use of armies of extras and Karl Freund's expansive camerawork, Wegener's horror pic anticipates the many monster movies later made in Hollywood. The director was obsessed by the story of the Golem (he made two other films on the subject), quite an irony considering his later association with the Nazis.