I think there was a deal of exoticism of the Hasidic Jews, which bordered on anti-semitism. For instance, the idea that Jews use "black magic" and believe in astrology, is completely against the grain of Jewish belief. It is one of the kinder treatments of Jews, especially considering this is from 1920s Germany. Even Shakespeare characterized Jews questionably, but he still remains one of the greatest writers in the English language.
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The golem story is a Jewish legend/tale, but it's more popular in kabalah circles. In fact, if I'm not mistaken, it's more of the kabalah sect that believes in the creation of the golem. (Kabalah being the more mystical shunned sect of Judaism.)
shareWell, Hasidic Jews are exotic, in the sense of unusual or outsiders. And astrology was used by Kabalists: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kabbalistic_astrology
As was magic, such as, of course, the Golem. It would be hard to have a movie about the Golem, an artificial man come to life in medieval times, without invoking some kind of magic. This is Kabala, NOT normative Judaism. So it isn't anti-semitic in the classical sense, but it does depict an unusual sect and highlight unorthodox beliefs. It would be as if the only thing someone saw of Catholicism was those people who crucify themselves in the Philippines. Not untrue, but not the whole truth. Considering that this is 1920s Germany, its amazing that it was made at all.
What troubled me, was the fact that the only ones who treated the Golem with any sort os humanity, were the Christians. The woman who gives the Golem a long stemmed rose at the palace, and the children who play around him, at the end. It seems they hold him in reverence. The Jews use him only for labor, and petty revenge.
shareIn the Golem legends he is made to protect the Jewish ghetto of Prague (and other places, there are other Golem legends)and also do a lot of work. One of the main problem with a Golem is that they need very specific instructions and control. So when he is cutting wood or carrying water he is capapble of cutting wood until he is told to stop and is likely to destroy whole buildings. He also floods the house at one point because he keeps bringing water.
So the menial task bit is actually an important part of the legend.
The United States of America, collectively, is the ultimate modern-day Golem; I need not say any more.
shareIt never ceases to amaze me how stupid some people can be.
Oh, and the USA as the Golem - nah. More like Dracula, methinks. Think about it...
good analogy
share"The Jews use him only for labor, and petty revenge." Sounds EXACTLY like the USA......and most of the rest of the world as well.
shareWhat I like about the story in general is that it tells abouw how a group of people rightfully use their power to protect themselves against a foe and how that power turns against them when they themself also appear to be flawed. It's a strong symbol on how any group of people can achieve power to overcome injustices that are done against them and turn that power into something that is damaging for themselves.
There is some stereotyping in how these specific group of jews is presented as somewhat infantile and exotic, but in general the movie doesn't depict them as more or less evil than their Christian neighbours. The elements you name can also be given another meaning. The woman giving the rose can be seen as two religions coming together and the children can be interpreted as a general symbol of innocence. I see a more humanistic view behind this movie and not a strictly anti-semitic view.
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Actually the anti-Jewish campaign did not begin, in Germany, until a good time later. Though there had always been anti-Jewish sentiment in Europe (of the sort expressed in this movie) they were pretty much tolerated in Europe and Germany through WWI and, in fact, quite a lot of the German effort in that war was done or supported by people of the Jewish faith. There were no death camps in Germany in that time; at least nothing like what happened later.
Late 19th century German scholars made a number of historical discoveries concerning Christianity (example: They found an old Roman stone monument, that was made around 30 A.D., in Southern Germany that honored a Roman archer. The name of the archer was the same name of a soldier who had been named, in ancient times, as the most likely true father of the man who we know as Jesus Christ. The discovery of the monument, that seems to confirm the old stories, casts a great deal of doubt about the biblical story of Christ's birth) that the intensity of Christian faith was wavering; so the traditional Christian sentiments about the Jews were not so strong by 1920. Of course there are always the traditionalists. When a former altar boy and one time asperient to the Catholic priesthood, who still had a lot of that "good ole Christian faith", became Chancellor of Germany in the 1930s..well, a lot of discrimination against the Jews began again in earnest. (However, I want to be the first to say that NOT all Christians in Weimar Germany developed a strong antipathy against members of the Jewish faith).
But, just after the end of WWI the prosecution of the Jews had not began. So this movie could be made without much of a problem (at least concerning that matter).
Fail. Goebbels was writing anti-semitic tracts for the NSDAP under Hitler as early as the mid-twenties. The campaign was, self-evidently, well under way at this point.
shareAnd Hitler was originally from Austria. And Hitler had a Jewish ancestry. And Hitler wasn't originally named Hitler. And Hitler was in the military during WW I, but didn't take charge of it and begin his war, one element of which was that which became the holocaust, until the mid-1930s.
The difference being that during the 1920s and early 1930s Hitler and his gang were not yet a sociopolitical force -- and weren't in power so couldn't at that time implement the views of an extreme right-wing minority.
It was not until the 1930s that anti-Semitism became a poison pushed into the mainstream.
Moreover, many at UFA studios were Jews; most if not all of them left Germany for such as the US before the holocaust.
In short: during 1920, as the year this film was produced/released, Hitler and his Nazis were not anywhere near the mainstream, and were not in power so were not able to disseminate their poison outside their cult.
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Judah Loew ben Bezalel (the oldest known author of the story - Jewish)
Gustav Meyrink (author of the novel the movie was based on - Jewish)
Henrik Galeen (screenwriter, emigrated, when the Nazis came to power - not sure if he was Jewish or not)
Paul Wegener (screenwriter, didn't emigrate, but was known as an opponent of the Nazi ideology)
i dont know much about jews using black magic, but werent the three wise men who found jesus astrologers themselves? they did follow a star to his birthplace, after all.
and isnt the star of david the symbol of the jewish faith?
also, shakespeare was a hack. boo.
...the only instances of black magic in this movie was summoning the Demon Astaroth and the use of the magic word that brings the Golem to life (but that's due to the magic word being derived from Astaroth, not from the jews). All the other instances of magic the Rabbi did was white magic (putting out the fire) and creating an illusion that is dangerous to speak or laugh in the presence of (more like grey magic, or at least magic that is harmless if done right but becomes dangerous when done wrong).
I have a feeling that Jews practicing the "black arts" as stated in the decree was more like persecution and false accusation from the Christians in-universe rather than from the makers of this movie.
Welcome to my Nightmare- Freddy Krueger