During an outbreak of a deadly plague, a mystical woman must save her tight-knit Jewish community from foreign invaders, but the entity she conjures to protect them is a far greater evil.
One hundred years ago, the movies that people flocked to see were not just black and white, but entirely silent. Silent films seem quaint according to today’s standards, but “The Golem,” directed by Paul Wegener and Carl Boese, depicted the height of innovation. The 1920 version set the stage for other classics of the same genre, especially Frankenstein, right down to the concept of man and creator.
The 1920 version, set in the 16th century, takes place in Prague. Rabbi Löw foresees looming danger for the Jews living in the old Jewish ghetto. Reading in the stars that his congregation is threatened with expulsion by the Emperor he literally takes matters into his own hands. In order to avert disaster, he creates a human-like being, a giant figure of clay in the hope that it will protect his people.
Almost 100 years later, Israeli brothers Doron and Yoav Paz have ‘resurrected’ “The Golem,” bringing the sequel 100 years into the future from the original – 1673. But that’s where the film diverges from the original. Instead, the story is centered on Hanna (Hani Furstenberg) and her husband Benjamin (Ishai Golan) living in a small, isolated Jewish community in Lithuania. Having lost a child several years ago, Hanna spends her time covertly studying Torah. When the townspeople are visited by invaders who blame Jews for a plague epidemic, Hanna uses her knowledge and powers of the Kabbalah to conjure up a creature to defend her community. This time, instead of a giant clay being, the golem is an innocent looking little boy. But he’s anything but harmless and with a short time, blood-soaked mayhem ensues.
“The Golem” is a film that has elements of a classic western (think Peckinpah and Tarantino) and drama (“Rosemary’s Baby”), but at its core it is a horror film, having premiered at FrightFest 2018 in London.
Honestly, it’s not exactly a film for everyone – a splatterfest may not be your thing but if you watch, you’ll be treated to a bevy of excellent performances and a fascinating, updated storyline that goes back generations.
I was fortunate to speak with one of the directors, Doron Paz last week. Below is an excerpt of our conversation.
Susan Kandell:
Greetings Doron! I actually like horror films, my Dallas cinema series screened the original “The Golem” many years ago and I’m delighted that you updated the concept. What made you take this story and modernize it? What was your inspiration?
Doron Paz:
We live in Israel and in Israel, the golem is a very well-known mythology. It’s like our own Frankenstein story, even older than Frankenstein! It’s a basic story about foreigners trying to kill the villagers of a Jewish town in Eastern Europe. This rabbi builds this creature made of clay and mud, water, and prayers and it miraculously comes to life and it protects the village. Eventually, it gets out of control, and the rabbi needs to shut him down, to kill him. It’s like playing God – a kind of moral story. So my brother and I, after directing another movie together (“Jeruzalem”), started thinking about the next project few could make. We started looking for something we could bring from our culture and from our perspective, but a universal story. We began researching the golem, and realized that nobody had ever done a golem feature film in almost 100 years! You can see it in TV shows like “The Simpsons” and all kinds of pop culture references, but not a proper feature film dealing. So that’s how we knew, this would be our next project.
Susan Kandell:
Beforehand, did you know the story from a religious angle?
Doron Paz:
We’re Jewish, but I’m not a religious guy, although everyone knows the story in Israel. I think religious people treat it a bit differently than we do. But we were lucky enough to work with screenwriter and producers Ariel Cohen and Shalom Eisenbach, who are ex-orthodox. They really helped us add a mythical, biblical aspect to it.
Susan Kandell:
I really like how you modernized the story. Today we have Wonder Woman – a bonafide female Jewish Superhero. In “The Golem,” Hanna wasn’t allowed to study the Torah. What made you decide to make it from a female protagonist point of view?
Doron Paz:
First of all, it’s always more interesting than dealing with men (laughter). It’s always more complex! But we also wanted to showcase contemporary elements that you see these days. Women in all sorts of societies – religious societies that don’t have a lot of rights and are not allowed to study Torah as the men do. So we wanted our protagonist to be a rebel. In a normal world, she would be a rabbi because she’s brilliant. But many societies don’t allow her to do that. So yes, we approached the female angle because it was so much more interesting.
Susan Kandell:
I did not see your other film “Jeruzalem” but both these films obviously delve into the deep, dark side of your psyches.
Doron Paz:
We like to deal with the dark side, hardcore stuff, not necessarily horror, but edgy stories that deal with deep secrets and the dark side of elements in human nature. I think every nation, every culture, and every religion have their own specific demons. The name of the creature is different, but the basic story is the same. Creatures reflect our fears.
Susan Kandell:
Thank you, Doron, we look forward to your next film.
“The Golem” is now available on Blu-ray, DVD & VOD
