Faust
In this adaptation of the classic morality play, a man sells his soul to Satan in order to stop a plague, gain eternal youth, and win the love of a good woman. Faust figures that one can use evil means for virtuous ends. (You wanna bet on whether he’s right or not?)
Comments:
Isn’t Kino the greatest? I just got done viewing their print of ‘Waxworks’, and now I stumble across the lovingly restored 1926 version of ’Faust’. Kino’s print comes complete with a new soundtrack by Timothy Brock. (Who, if memory serves, did the brilliant audio work on their restoration of ‘Caligari’.)
I don’t think I need to tell you that F. W. Murnau’s direction is amazing. A master of the expressionist art form, Murnau is of course best remembered as the director of ‘Nosferatu’. This film has a wee bit in common with the symphony of horrors. Though not truly horror, it posses some extremely powerful and terrifying images. Early scenes feature a twisted moonlit grotto and spectral death-bringing horsemen straight out of Gustave Dore.
Mephisto himself, while played as somewhat of a comedic figure by Emil Jannings, can be rather chilling when he wants to be. His first appearance, as an ethereal omnipresent old man who continually and wordlessly beckons to the terrified Faust, is damn creepy.
The story is a classic and Murnau handles it well, but like the aforementioned ‘Nosferatu’, it’s a bit uneven. The film has a powerful first half and a very memorable ending, but the direction sags while moving the plot along from to the other. Tis’ a small matter; Faust is a testament to the brilliance of F. W. Murnau, a talent cut short long before its time.
9.0