The Golem

The Golem

1936. France. Directed by Julien Duvivier. With Harry Baur, Roger Karl, Charles Dorat, Ferdinand Hart. Duvivier journeyed to Prague to remake Paul Wegener’s silent classic about a living statue created by a rabbi to protect the Jews from oppression. (Ironically, Wegener, a major Weimar director and actor, was named “Actor of the State” during the Third Reich.) Duvivier, a major director in his own right, worked in America during the war. The film’s star, Baur, died mysteriously in Gestapo hands in 1943. Print courtesy of Národní Filmov Archiv (NFA), Prague. In French; English subtitles. 83 min.