BD 213 Der Golem

[Drucker]

4k Restoration of The Golem coming to MOC this year.

C'mon MOC, make this your first UHD.

[Tommaso]

Some time ago I speculated about MoC releasing the new "Golem". Very glad to see it actually happening; I'm sure they'll easily beat the German release, which is due in late June, in terms of general presentation (but let's just hope they won't have to come up with an additional soundtrack like it was necessary with "Varieté"....).

[L.A.]

I remember reading somewhere that the German disc includes the 1915 version of Der Golem as an extra. Or is it perhaps getting a separate release?

[Tommaso]

The 1915 version only exists as a fragment of about 5 minutes. It may or may not be included here, but it basically only has a completist value.

[The Fanciful Norwegian]

This report indicates that a 24-minute reconstruction of the 1915 version played at the Bonner Stummfilmtage in 2017, drawn partly from the second reel of the U.S. version Monster of Fate (discovered in Argentina alongside the famous 16mm print of Metropolis). But the wording leaves me confused as to whether this includes any actual footage beyond the two brief clips already circulating—did those predate the Argentinian discovery?

[Tommaso]

From what I gather, the 24-minute reconstruction indeed contains footage not yet circulating (namely the whole second reel of the US version), plus the fragments that were already known. Very good news indeed!

[Boosmahn]

This has been on my "to watch" list for a few years now. Excellent news!

[denti alligator]

Always thrilled to have more restored silents on Blu! This is a classic title for a reason. Excited.

[FrauBlucher]

I just looked at the DVDBeaver review of the dvd from 2003. There was one release tinted and another one not. Is the tinted release accurate to original presentation?

[Tommaso]

The original print that was found in Milan for the old restoration was tinted, so, yes. We need to see whether the new resto will have exactly the same tintings, though. But it will certainly be tinted, too.

[kidc]

The new restoration states that it's tinted according to the Milan print. The original negative they found is slightly incomplete and the footage that they had to source from elsewhere is pretty ropey (there's probably less than a minute all told, but it's during a couple of climactic moments). The original negative footage, on the other hand, looks fantastic (and probably makes the cut footage look even worse by comparison).

[L.A.]

So apparently Edition Filmmuseum will be releasing their own edition that includes the 1915 film.

[domino harvey]

Coming in November

[denti alligator]

great, but what's the point of using the German article?

[domino harvey]

What would be the point of not using it?

[denti alligator]

It's an English-language presentation and the word "golem" is spelled identically in both English and German.

[domino harvey]

So what’s the problem? Are you worried any buyer for this film won’t know what it is with this title? I wish more labels actually used the original title of the films they released, so good on MOC I say

[FrauBlucher]

This looks like quite a nice release...

Special Features and Technical Specs:
NEW 4K RESTORATION of the original film negatives, completed by FWMS in 2017.
-Original German intertitles with optional English subtitles
-Option of THREE fantastic and unique scores, by composer Stephen Horne; acclaimed electronic music producer Wudec; and musician and film-score composer Admir Shkurtaj
-Brand new and exclusive audio commentary by Scott Harrison
-Brand new and exclusive video essay by critic David Cairns
-Brand new and exclusive video essay by filmmaker Jon Spira (Elstree 1976)
-The Golem [60 mins] The US version of the film, also fully restored, and featuring a score by Cordula Heth
-A video piece highlighting the differences between the domestic and export negatives of the film [22 mins]
-PLUS: A collector s booklet featuring new writing on the film by Scott Harrison; and reprints of illustrations from the original 1915 novel
-Limited Edition O-Card Slipcase (First 2000 copies)
STREET DATE: NOVEMBER 18

[denti alligator]

-The Golem [60 mins] The US version of the film, also fully restored, and featuring a score by Cordula Heth

Well, that explains the insistence on the German article.

[eerik]

great, but what's the point of using the German article?

It's the German title of the film, Eureka have used German titles for many of their Weimar-era films. E.g. Der müde Tod, Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, early Murnau collection, Lubitsch in Berlin collection.

[4LOM]

The MoC website is online again. 50 copies of the poster with the GOLEM artwork are available for 35 GBP. They offer a discount of 5 GBP if purchased together with the Blu-ray.

https://eurekavideo.co.uk/movie/der-golem-2/

[tenia]

It's unfortunate the website doesn't specify its dimensions, because £35 is quite expensive.

[denti alligator]

great, but what's the point of using the German article?

It's the German title of the film, Eureka have used German titles for many of their Weimar-era films. E.g. Der müde Tod, Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari, early Murnau collection, Lubitsch in Berlin collection.

Ok, fair enough. But they've not been consistent here either (see Blue Angel and Diary of a Lost Girl). This seems to be the direction from here on out, though, which I'm fine with. My original objection was more along the lines of: one should use the original title if the language of the original is indeed important in some critical way. I would argue it's less important when the English title uses cognates (Cabinet des Dr. Caligari or Der blaue Engel or Testament des Dr. Mabuse) and especially when it's basically identical (save the article). More important are titles whose English versions are distinctly different (Last Laugh) or at the least require non-cognate translations (Tagebuch einer Verlorenen).

[What A Disgrace]

Its always heartening when Masters of Cinema goes back to their old stomping ground of canonized Weimar classics. I legitimately feel nostalgic, and very pleased to see this one accompanied by so many extras.

[rapta]

It's unfortunate the website doesn't specify its dimensions, because £35 is quite expensive.

Judging by the price and the low print-run, as well as previous MoC posters I myself own, this will be UK quad sized.