Freethought & Rationalism Archive

Marduk · 01-31-2002, 03:45 PM

"One of my favorite X-Files.

Wasn't there a similar one where Scully & Mulder play a married couple to investigate mysterious deaths at a gated yuppie community protected by a very fussy dirt creature brought to life by the developements owner to protect the neighborhood?

sighhswolf · 01-31-2002, 03:48 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by Femme Savante:
<strong>

This wonderful myth has been retold several times in popular culture.

In 1915, during the German Expressionist film period, Henrik Galeen & Paul Wegener wrote and directed Der Golem. One viewer wrote of it, "The cinematography in this movie is STUNNING. One feels as though one were a captive in an alternate dimension of reality; an almost Lovecraftian world where the very geometry of the buildings seems to writhe and come to life. The atmosphere of Budapest in the Middle Ages seems to be captured perfectly.

"After Jews were ousted from the town by royal decree, the leader of the Jewish community crafts the Golem out of clay and brings him to life in a black magical ceremony (interesting to note that among the crimes accused of the Jews in the edict, one was witchcraft). The Golem then is brought before the king and results in the Jews being allowed to remain. But the Golem falls in love(!) with a young lady and runs amok. The story is a classic and there is a considerable amount of drama here, but the real gem of this movie are the incredible visuals and the atmosphere. One of the greatest expressionist classics ever made. Far superior to The Cabinet of Dr Caligari in my opinion."

In 1936 Julien Duvivier wrote and directed Le Golem, of which a viewer wrote, "A Golem is an old Czech fairy tale that Mary Shelly stole and rewrote as a film called -- Frankenstein. Yes, that is right Frankenstein is a rip-off -- A fake, a fraud.

"So now it is your duty to go a find out what the Czech fairy tale is about. Watch this film. It is about the Golem, (a story that has been passed from generation to generation), a creature that was created by a Jewish Rabbi . . . and if you have seen Frankenstein then you [know] what else I am about to tell you.

"Go watch this real Frankenstein movie."

In the '90s, an episode of The X-Files entitled "Kaddish" retold the Golem story. A young Hassidic Jew shopkeeper was killed by some skinheads before his wedding day ; his fiancee fashioned a Golem out of mud from his gravesite and engraved the Hebrew characters for "EMET" (meaning "life", I believe) on the back of his hand. While ghosts are described as spirits without bodies, the Golem is described as flesh without a soul. The Golem -- who is a doppelganger for her fiance -- goes about avengeing the deaths of those who killed him. . . . Eventually the Golem comes to the synagogue on his wedding day and begins to cause harm to the fiance's father. There's a rather shadowy hunt-and-seek for the Golem by Scully and Mulder, but neither of them subdue the creature. Instead, the fiancee resolves the Golem's anguish by allowing him to place the wedding ring on her finger ; then she rubs out the "E" from "EMET" on the back of his hand, changing the word to "MET" or "dust", and the creature dissolves.

One of my favorite X-Files.

M.L.</strong>

Thank you for the information, I have not seen that particular episode of X Files.
I was actually unaware of the connection between Mary's novel and the practice of Kabbal until a couple of years ago.
I was doing a comparison of Christian and Jewish
practices that have been discontinued and denounced by the leaders of those faiths.
In the research on witchcraft, pagan rituals, and physic powers all of which have been part of the worlds religions at one time, I read a book containing the general parameters of Kabbal.
The practice of mysticism in the Jewish community has been somewhat of a skeleton in the closet. But it is still practiced in some areas of Europe. It was rumored that Hitler had a very intense curiosity about the practice of Kabbal.
Just as he had an intense desire to collect the religious relics that were rumored to exist that held supernatural powers. (or so he thought).
Wolf

freemonkey · 02-01-2002, 07:03 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by marduck:
<strong>"One of my favorite X-Files.

Wasn't there a similar one where Scully & Mulder play a married couple to investigate mysterious deaths at a gated yuppie community protected by a very fussy dirt creature brought to life by the developements owner to protect the neighborhood?</strong>

That was one my favorite X-Files!

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01-31-2002, 03:45 PM	#11
Marduk Veteran Member Join Date: Aug 2000 Location: the 10th planet Posts: 5,065	"One of my favorite X-Files. Wasn't there a similar one where Scully & Mulder play a married couple to investigate mysterious deaths at a gated yuppie community protected by a very fussy dirt creature brought to life by the developements owner to protect the neighborhood?

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