The Golem: How He Came into the World

Come be transported back to the early 20th century when the historic Newtown Theatre presents “The Golem: How He Came into the World” (1920) on Sunday, October 26.

This spooky silent-movie screening will be accompanied by Not So Silent Cinema Orchestra – a chamber music ensemble that performs live music to silent films.

“The Golem: How He Came into the World” is a German silent horror film and a leading example of the early German Expressionism. Director Paul Wegener, who co-wrote the script based on Gustav Meyrink's 1915 novel, stars as the titular creature, a being in Jewish folklore created from clay.

“The Golem: How He Came into the World” is the third of three films that Wegener made featuring the golem, the other two being “The Golem” (1915) and “The Golem and the Dancing Girl” (1917). “The Golem: How He Came into the World” is a prequel to “The Golem” and, as the only one of the three films that has not been lost, is the best known of the series.

Prior to the mid-1920s, all movies were silent, and dialogue was transmitted through mute gestures, mime and title cards, which contained a written indication of the plot or key dialogue. For added effect, silent films were commonly accompanied by musicians who provided a live score in the movie house. The Newtown Theatre, which showed its first film in 1906, was one of these places.