Der Golem (distributed as The Monster of Fate in the U.S. at the time) was the first in a trilogy of films on the subject directed by Paul Wegener. Both Wegener and Henrik Galeen, who co-wrote and co-directed this film with him, became influential figures in the development of Expressionist film. Both also star in the film, with Wegener playing the title figure. The plot of Der Golem was inspired by a Jewish folk tale about a rabbi who creates a figure from clay (the Golem) to protect his Jewish community from antisemitic persecution. The film was likely inspired by Gustav Meyrink’s novel Der Golem, which had first been published in serialized form between 1913 and 1914, introducing a wider, non-Jewish audience to this Jewish folklore motif. In this film version, an antiques dealer comes across the Golem (a clay statue brought to life) and uses it as a servant: but the Golem then falls in love with his daughter, and when its love is unrequited, it goes on a murderous rampage. This first of the three Golem films is considered partially lost. The clip featured here shows the surviving fragments.