The Golem (1920)

Original Title: Der Golem, wie er in die Welt kam (The Golem, How He Came into the World)

Directed by: Paul Wegener, Carl Boese

Synopsis: In 16th century Prague, Rabbi Loew (Albert Steinrück) creates a golem from clay and brings him to life to help protect the Jewish people from prosecution.

Kitty Cameo: After Rabbi Loew predicts disaster for the Jews, a black cat is seen walking on some rooftops.

The Golem - black cat on rooftop
The Golem - black cat on rooftop
The Golem - black cat on rooftop
The Golem - black cat on rooftop
The Golem - black cat walking across rooftop animated gif

In the restored version of the film, this shot is significantly shorter.

The Golem - black cat on rooftop restored version

Purr Blur: An arrogant knight named Florian (Lothar Müthel) sneaks behind Rabbi Loew’s back to see the man’s daughter, Miriam (Lyda Salmonova). As he approaches their home, a black cat is sitting in front of the house.

The Golem - black cat lying on road outside house
The Golem - black cat lying on road outside house as Florian Lothar Müthel passes

The cat runs away as Florian passes. Both of these black cats appear to foretell things going badly.

The Golem - black cat running away from Florian Lothar Müthel
The Golem - black cat running away from Florian Lothar Müthel animated gif

Final Mewsings: Sadly filmmakers continue to use black cats as harbingers of doom!

Many thanks to Ted Davis for letting us know about the cats in this film.

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