by Jaime Grijalba.
Brief Introduction/Thanks
I want to thank for all the support that this new series has garnered and I hope that in the near future it can gain more discussion into the ouvre of the auteurs that will be mentioned in the near future. I don’t know if this particular master was expected or not, but I’m mostly interested in your opinion on this particular filmmaker, so, let’s take a look at this german filmmaker of grand stature.
File #2 – Paul Wegener
I’m not sure if there’s been specialized books on the figure, stature and importance of Paul Wegener, after all he is one of the most important early figures of german cinema in general and to the world of horror in particular, he was one of the co-directors of what’s been widely recogniced as the first feature-length horror film, and that isn’t something that you can go saying around without getting some praise and lauded comments, it doesn’t actually matter the actual quality of the film itself, it’s the freaking first horror film ever made, of course you’re going to get attention then and now, either from the historians, the fanatics and specially the horror hounds that like to call themselves that because they are able to watch from every angle and spectrum of the genre and never be dissapointed. Anyway, back to this handsome fellow. Wegener it’s not the first, but maybe here we have one of the greatest examples of the actor/director, he directed and acted in many of what would become the seminal films of the early horror period in Germany, and he was another pioneer, as he practically invented the modern horror franchise, by having him playing the same character in a trilogy of films, playing not other role than the one of the main monster, and by that making his name, his makeup, his monster (the Golem) one of the first known institutions of horror in years to come. The thing is that there aren’t many horror directors that are also actors… maybe the only exception that comes to mind is the one of Ed Wood Jr., which isn’t very enciting (though is he a Master of Horror? we shall know soon enough), and maybe I’m wrong, but I’m just putting this out there because while most of what we consider horror is thanks to the aesthetical aspect of the whole endeavour, there aren’t many award winning performances in horror films historically, and while I do consider this to be a mistake (most of my favorite performances of all time come from this genre, specially from the female protagonists), I think that it’s rare to see a horror film where the main source of the admiration and praise comes from the actors, but I think here we have a special condition: Paul Wegener enters the directing world at the same time as he enters the acting world in his first film, mainly because he has an interest in the aesthetics and the sets, but gradualy his own acting talents permeate the feature and the attention that its given to: closeups start to appear and the makeup gradualy starts to become important. Paul Wegener created the film monster… and oh, so many other things.
There Be Golems… and Other Stuff
Almost all the directors from this age have many of their works lost or just in fragments, and Paul Wegener is not the exception, so here we have his works as a director (not as an actor) in the realm of horror, with aclarations towards the state of the films if available.
· Der student von Prag (1913) First Horror Feature Film of All Time, co-directed with Stellan Rye
· Der Golem (1915) A small fragment survives, co-directed with Henrik Galeen
· Der Golem und die Tänzerin (1917) Lost, co-directed with Rochus Gliese
· Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920) Co-directed with Carl Boese
Best Film/Scariest Film: Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920)
One of the most important and main examples of what is called the German Expressionism is the classic horror masterpiece film ‘Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari’ (1920), and the other one usually named alongside that one is one of the most highly regarded vampire films of all time: ‘Nosferatu’ (1922), at least in the realm of horror and terror. But recent discussions with Cristian Sánchez, one of the most important chilean filmmakers and film scholars around (he has written a precious book on Raúl Ruiz, many articles on Bazin, and he even has a book written about his movies, so you know he’s the real deal) and said that the films that are usually called as pertaining to that current of historical cinema aren’t always part of the expressionism, specially regarding Nosferatu, he prefers to call the film as part of the romanticism more than the expressionism, because it didn’t really apply the concept of expressionism to every aspect of the movie, it was a much modern one (by 2 years), and hence it felt closer to the pulsions of what one day would be called Image-Time. So I’m here to propose something, when you mention german expressionism, go ahead and name Caligari, but also name this another masterpiece of horror that is The Golem. It’s easily one of the most influential horror films out there, just because it kickstarted many things, and at the same time was the conclusion of another experiment: the series of full-feature-length films focusing on a monster/creature/character in the realms of horror, as the Halloweens and the Nightmares would continue, this is the original ‘franchise’ as to say, as the films were insanely popular in Germany… who would’ve thought that a movie about a jewish monster taking revenge on those who attack jews would be so popular in that country… but I’m skipping ahead. The plot is simple, and yet foreshadowing in some way, the Holy Roman Emperor orders that the jews must leave the city of Prague and be confined to guettos of sorts because of their ‘various crimes’ to the townsfolk nearby, or so that’s what they say, here we have a stereotypical yet respectful view of the jews (there was really no other way to portray them in film and called them jews, specially in the silent film, you had to have the beards and all), because they are seen as the victims of an unlawful rule that prevents them of making their day’s worth as they usually have. So, the decree is brought by a young knight that must deliver it to the Rabbi, who inmediatly notices that the messenger has a liking for his daughter… so, because of the decree and out of spite because of his daughter and the messenger, he begins to create a Golem out of clay that would impress and spread the fear among the people who try to banish them from the town, and here comes the trouble… unable to control him the Golem starts to obey in the most sanguinary way to the wishes of the stars that are ruling the day and not its creator. The film manages to conjure many unforgettable imagery, like when the Golem first comes to life and he opens his eyes to find his astute yet curious view of the world around him, the final moments are also quite impressive as he approaches one little girl that has a flower in her hand, a scene that reminds and surely influenced the famous drowning child scene in ‘Frankenstein’ (1931)… because after all Frankenstein is the tale of the Golem subverted to the science, while this maintain its original jewish traditional views. The film scares with its cruent violence even at this early stage of the game in the genre, as well as with the before mentioned girl sequence, just to see that impressive creature (played by Paul Wegener himself, as always, of course) walking around is frightening, imagine the sets and how they were worked inside the framework of expressionism to leave the maximum amount of feelings and expressions in the viewer. It’s a movie that it’s truly one of a kind, a near masterpiece of the genre (maybe too much exposure of the romantic side of the story was a bummer), one of those that you can’t skip. (****1/2)
And the Rest…
Der student von Prag (1913)
This movie enters history because it’s the first horror movie (feature length) of all time, and at the same time be based on an Edgar Allan Poe story, and that would be the highly unread William Wilson about a man that finds out that he has a double that always seems to be one step ahead of him in everything in his life. Here, it’s about a man who makes a pact with a strange man (the Devil, we assume) to have all he wants and desires in life, but in exchange, the image in his mirror goes out and make heinous crimes and everybody thinks that he did them. It’s a classic story of what’s under everyone, a dark and a light part and how it forms part of a whole, and here’s represented with the mirror. There are some nice special effects, but it’s not particularly scary and besides the novelty of the horror genre, it’s only ok for the time, it’s still pretty grounded on filmed theatre. (***1/2)
Der Golem (1915)
This is a lost film and only a 4-minute fragment survives, yet that’s all I need to see to know that it would be a masterful film, as it plays with the legend of the Golem in a modern way, as well as being the first of the trilogy (that would end with the prequel to them all, previously reviewed). It features chases, gloomy passageways, people running scared because a huge Golem-like creature has been awaken. Here the creature seems to have a particular fixation to one particular lady, and while we don’t know the reason behind this, it works as a King Kong predecesor in some way.Fascinating, just watch it here and be amazed by it. (****)
The Real Innovator
Who was the real innovator and master of horror? Is it really Paul Wegener the man behind all the ideas that would change the image and future of horror forever? He did, after all, only co-direct all the horror films he made, was really him the innovator? He did act in the films and maybe he managed to bring out that aspect of the horror and the film in general in the foreground (he did direct other non-horror films and acted in horror and non-horror movies in the future), but what about the issues and themes that we’ve been discussing, was there really a mind behind the changes that would affect the history of horror cinema? My opinion is that while he may not have been the mastermind behind the concept of a horror trilogy or the concept of the first horror film, he did manage to make the best out of it, making great and important films that are seen to this day as among the most important and precious to have. While the next master of horror is one of the co-directors mentioned today, we must be always thankful of Paul Wegener as he always was the visible face and the one that we can blame and thank for the modern horror monster. His Golem is timeless in terms of interpretation and the way that it was framed in the screen.
Ranking the Horror
1. Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (1920, Carl Boese, Paul Wegener)
2. Der Golem (1915, Henrik Galeen, Paul Wegener)
3. Der Student von Prag (1913, Stellan Rye, Paul Wegener)
Next week, one of these co-directors mentioned is also a Master of Horror, who would that be?
