The Golem: How he Came into the World

The Golem: How he Came into the World, 1920, Paul Wegener

Introduction by Irena Kovarova

The legend of the Golem of Prague had brought the story of Jews in Central Europe to the mainstream audience through popular films and literature. Paul Wegener, a German stage actor come filmmaker and screen actor, was the first to bring this character to cinema. His three (!) horror films featuring the Golem – all extremely successful, yet only the last one has survived until today in its entirety – portray the ‘monster’ with human characteristics, quite different from many later versions.

Yet the story starts the same: Rabbi Löw, astrologer and the community leader in the Prague Jewish ghetto of the 16th Century, foresees doom for his people written in the stars. To save the Jewish community he calls on a demon spirit to assist him in bringing to life a golem he sculpted from clay. Wegener, starring in the title role himself, created a fantasy, a horror silent film in the style of early German Expressionism, and became an inspiration for leading filmmakers ever since.

Irena Kovarova is an independent film programmer and occasional writer, specializing in Czech, European, and independent cinema. Native of Prague, she’s lived in NYC since 1996. She curated and produced over a dozen touring retrospectives and many other repertory programs. In 2013 she founded Comeback Company. Apart from public events, she also collaborates on home video releases providing commentaries and essays on films made in Czechoslovakia prior to 1989.

The screening is part of a film series that features well-known and lesser-known films telling the stories of Czech and Slovak Jews in the turbulent 20th century. Each film will be introduced and discussed by a film historian or other relevant expert.

The event is organized by the Society for the History of Czechoslovak Jews with support of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Czech Republic and Bohemian Benevolent and Literary Association.

Host or Publisher Society for the History of Czechoslovak Jews