I've been a die hard Beatles fan for over 35 years but I don't drink the Kool-Aid or have my judgement blinded by Paul McCartney's Jedi Mind Tricks like most reviewers on here. What we have here is an aimless, choppy, overlong and BORING docuseries. As soon as it was known that Disney would be the ones featuring it, (the closing credits even give thanks to former CEO Bob Iger) I knew it was going to be BAD, considering how they utterly destroyed the Star Wars franchise. This is yet another instance where it was made about Paul and for Paul. Nobody can tell me that Peter Jackson wasn't in McCartney's back pocket when he 'compiled' this disorganized mess. This was meant to show what really happened during the events of January 1969 yet it is shown from McCartney's point of view, putting him front and center yet again with the other three Beatles portrayed as mere sidemen and given very little individual screen time. The more tedious moments are pretty much glossed over and it makes it seem like it wasn't all that bad and the group got along most of the time. Most frustrating is the music being so fragmentary, some of the most interesting bits lasting only mere seconds before cutting to another song fragment. With the exception of the rooftop concert the only complete performances are..you guessed it...McCartney songs. I own several full bootleg collections from the sessions and there was a treasure trove of material and performances Peter Jackson could have used but didn't. My only question is, when are we finally getting an official release of the 1970 Let It Be movie? For all the flak that film gets, it's put together much better than Paul's 2021 vanity project which did something I never thought I'd experience with the Get Back sessions.....it bored me to sleep. At least Disney didn't get a single cent from me when I viewed all 3 episodes, and it WASN'T on Disney+ *wink,wink*
Reviews
2 Reviews
The Golem
(1914)
Have seen the surviving fragments on DVD
3 June 2008
I have the seen the fragments on the Film im Herzen Europas DVD. From what I know can only be obtained on the German Amazon.de site. It is included as one of the extras on the disc. It consists of two fragments; a brief one from Act II,(red tinted) which lasts over a minute; and the end of the film, from Act IV, (blue tinted)which lasts over two minutes. It features three principal characters, Troedler (Heinrich/Henrik Galeen) the Jewish antique dealer who re-animates the Golem (Paul Wegener). Troedler's daughter Jessica (Lyda Salmonova, who also played the female lead in the 1920 prequel as Miriam), and Graf(Carl Ebert) a wealthy count who is also Jessica's fiancée.
(Spoilers Start Here)
The first part of the fragment shows the antique dealer Troedler leading the Golem down into a room to work on a bellows and forge. Troedler lays something over an anvil; The Golem picks up a hammer and strikes it, breaking one end of the anvil. The antique dealer motions Golem over to the bellows, showing it how to operate it. Golem slowly reaches over and the scene immediately cuts to the second fragment. This one shows a crowd of people running out of the count's stately manor (where a costume party was taking place) in order to escape the Golem, who wrecks havoc and has a big dagger embedded in its chest. The count and Jessica also escape and take refuge on the roof of a high tower. The Golem follows, and we then get a very creepy close up of the Golem's face with wide open eyes as it ascends the stairs. We get a title card in German that reads:
IN ANTICIPATION OF SOMETHING TERRIBLE
It corners the couple on the rooftop and charges at Graf, grabbing the count and possibly looking to throw him over ledge of the tower. We get a shot of an exhausted looking Troedler struggling up the stairs. Jessica comes between man and living statue imploringly. Golem loosens its grip on Graf, and as it does Jessica takes the opportunity to snatch the Star of David from its chest. Deactivated, We get a faraway shot of the Golem falling off the tower as the couple look down and point to where its fallen. Troedler makes it to the roof and embraces his daughter. The count joins them; all three relieved that this terrifying ordeal has finally come to an end. A title card in German then reads:
NATURE DOES ALWAYS DEEP,
SUCH AS WELL AS HEART,
AND EVERYTHING LIVES IN DEATH,
AND DEAD IS ALIVE.
(ANGELUS SILESIUS)
We get a final image of the decapitated head of the Golem, its body broken in pieces, lying among the tall grass. Fade to black.
(End Of Spoilers)
About the Golem's appearance in this film, it looks slightly different than how it appears in the 1920 prequel. For instance, the headpiece or 'hair' on the Golem is much shorter here than the shoulder length piece Paul Wegener wore in the latter film. Also the Golem itself is covered with Hebrew letters and mystical symbols.
Although it is difficult to judge a film based on a few minutes of footage, I get the feeling that a very good film has been lost for all time. One can only hope that somewhere a full print that has survived the ravages of time is out there just waiting to be discovered.
(Spoilers Start Here)
The first part of the fragment shows the antique dealer Troedler leading the Golem down into a room to work on a bellows and forge. Troedler lays something over an anvil; The Golem picks up a hammer and strikes it, breaking one end of the anvil. The antique dealer motions Golem over to the bellows, showing it how to operate it. Golem slowly reaches over and the scene immediately cuts to the second fragment. This one shows a crowd of people running out of the count's stately manor (where a costume party was taking place) in order to escape the Golem, who wrecks havoc and has a big dagger embedded in its chest. The count and Jessica also escape and take refuge on the roof of a high tower. The Golem follows, and we then get a very creepy close up of the Golem's face with wide open eyes as it ascends the stairs. We get a title card in German that reads:
IN ANTICIPATION OF SOMETHING TERRIBLE
It corners the couple on the rooftop and charges at Graf, grabbing the count and possibly looking to throw him over ledge of the tower. We get a shot of an exhausted looking Troedler struggling up the stairs. Jessica comes between man and living statue imploringly. Golem loosens its grip on Graf, and as it does Jessica takes the opportunity to snatch the Star of David from its chest. Deactivated, We get a faraway shot of the Golem falling off the tower as the couple look down and point to where its fallen. Troedler makes it to the roof and embraces his daughter. The count joins them; all three relieved that this terrifying ordeal has finally come to an end. A title card in German then reads:
NATURE DOES ALWAYS DEEP,
SUCH AS WELL AS HEART,
AND EVERYTHING LIVES IN DEATH,
AND DEAD IS ALIVE.
(ANGELUS SILESIUS)
We get a final image of the decapitated head of the Golem, its body broken in pieces, lying among the tall grass. Fade to black.
(End Of Spoilers)
About the Golem's appearance in this film, it looks slightly different than how it appears in the 1920 prequel. For instance, the headpiece or 'hair' on the Golem is much shorter here than the shoulder length piece Paul Wegener wore in the latter film. Also the Golem itself is covered with Hebrew letters and mystical symbols.
Although it is difficult to judge a film based on a few minutes of footage, I get the feeling that a very good film has been lost for all time. One can only hope that somewhere a full print that has survived the ravages of time is out there just waiting to be discovered.
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