A Golem is a magical creature made from inanimate materials. He is usually summoned to perform a particular deed such as protect a city. The earliest extant text mentioning a golem is from the Jewish tradition. Many of the early traditions have the creature made from clay and dirt. Holy Hebrew letters and spellcraft provide the special formula to animate the humanoid shaped amalgamation. The ability to create a golem prior to the modern period belonged to the Rabbi.
As the age of scientific discovery emerged, a variation of the golem figure arose. Dr. Frankenstein's monster is not a base element empowered by magic, but a combination of human parts, animated by scientific means and the raw power of nature. Mary Shelley published her work in 1818, but the popular mind remembers the black and white film from 1931 or the 1974 Mel Brooks film "Young Frankenstein." Shelley's creature eventually became intelligent, but was given to grief and fits of rage because of his alienation from humanity. The Universal Studios film presents an unintelligent version of the monster. The film monster is less complex than the one in the book. "The Bride of Frankenstein" 1935 presented a second sci-golem who was able to view the original monster with horror. It was a duplication of a similar alienation present in the original.
In 1927 Fritz Lang released the film "Metropolis." This science golem, like Shelley's monster, was a robot disguised as a real woman. This begs the question: what is the difference between a golem and a robot? The False Maria/Robot of "Metropolis" makes this overlap quite obvious: if we use science to create a golem, are we not just creating a type of robot or cyborg?
As the scientific age advanced, the golem connection was lost, but the robot became the new golem; science gradually replaced magic. The monster and robot alike often confront their own place in a society which rejects it or some other crisis of existence: Robocop, Chappie, Wall-E, The Iron Giant, and Bicentennial Man. Robocop is interesting in this comparison, he more than the others resembles Frankenstein's monster, made from a combination of human and non-human parts. It was Shelley who bridged the gap between magic and science to make this connection evident. It is not clear to me if Shelley's monster would be considered a robot or a cyborg. He was made from organic materials like a cyborg can be, but this is only a vessel. The False-Maria takes a step nearer the robot, made of metal parts, only a superficial layer gives the appearance of a real homosapien. A leftover device of the old golem, that of magic, can still be seen in Metropolis, unlike Shelley's creature. The house of the scientist who created the robot, was built long ago by someone known as the Magician. A large downward pentagram hangs on the wall above the chair of the False-Maria (Fig. 3) and an upright pentagram on the front door of the medieval style home. The original book 1925 was thick with occult references, many of which did not appear in the film. In the book, the Magician played a greater role. Nonetheless, occult and religious references abound in the film.
Looking at film history and the progression of the golem trope in this way shows a continuous thread from golem to robot. Alternatively, I think the robot existential crisis would have arisen in literature and film regardless of the golem tradition and Mary Shelley. The futurist and science fiction genres are in no way dependent on the golem tradition. The robot identity crisis idea naturally arises when we imagine robots who are self-aware.
Fig. 1 Der Golem 1915
The idea of the golem animated from a raw element remains in modern literature. The 1915 German expressionist film "Der Golem" featured the traditional creature, which was animated by a Rabbi. An episode of the TV series "Grimm" (2014) features a golem which was created by a Rabbi to protect his nephew.
Fig. 2 The Bride of Frankenstein 1935
As the age of scientific discovery emerged, a variation of the golem figure arose. Dr. Frankenstein's monster is not a base element empowered by magic, but a combination of human parts, animated by scientific means and the raw power of nature. Mary Shelley published her work in 1818, but the popular mind remembers the black and white film from 1931 or the 1974 Mel Brooks film "Young Frankenstein." Shelley's creature eventually became intelligent, but was given to grief and fits of rage because of his alienation from humanity. The Universal Studios film presents an unintelligent version of the monster. The film monster is less complex than the one in the book. "The Bride of Frankenstein" 1935 presented a second sci-golem who was able to view the original monster with horror. It was a duplication of a similar alienation present in the original.
Fig. 3 Fritz Lang's Metropolis 1927
In 1927 Fritz Lang released the film "Metropolis." This science golem, like Shelley's monster, was a robot disguised as a real woman. This begs the question: what is the difference between a golem and a robot? The False Maria/Robot of "Metropolis" makes this overlap quite obvious: if we use science to create a golem, are we not just creating a type of robot or cyborg?
Fig. 4 The robot is made to look like Maria, becoming the "False Maria."
The False-Maria is designed to be a feminine disruptive force in the city of Metropolis. This is similar to the creation story of Smurfette in "The Smurfs." Click here to read an article about some of the symbols in "The Smurfs" comic and cartoon.
As the scientific age advanced, the golem connection was lost, but the robot became the new golem; science gradually replaced magic. The monster and robot alike often confront their own place in a society which rejects it or some other crisis of existence: Robocop, Chappie, Wall-E, The Iron Giant, and Bicentennial Man. Robocop is interesting in this comparison, he more than the others resembles Frankenstein's monster, made from a combination of human and non-human parts. It was Shelley who bridged the gap between magic and science to make this connection evident. It is not clear to me if Shelley's monster would be considered a robot or a cyborg. He was made from organic materials like a cyborg can be, but this is only a vessel. The False-Maria takes a step nearer the robot, made of metal parts, only a superficial layer gives the appearance of a real homosapien. A leftover device of the old golem, that of magic, can still be seen in Metropolis, unlike Shelley's creature. The house of the scientist who created the robot, was built long ago by someone known as the Magician. A large downward pentagram hangs on the wall above the chair of the False-Maria (Fig. 3) and an upright pentagram on the front door of the medieval style home. The original book 1925 was thick with occult references, many of which did not appear in the film. In the book, the Magician played a greater role. Nonetheless, occult and religious references abound in the film.
Looking at film history and the progression of the golem trope in this way shows a continuous thread from golem to robot. Alternatively, I think the robot existential crisis would have arisen in literature and film regardless of the golem tradition and Mary Shelley. The futurist and science fiction genres are in no way dependent on the golem tradition. The robot identity crisis idea naturally arises when we imagine robots who are self-aware.
No comments:
Post a Comment