Customer Reviews

Faust (Full Screen)

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The story is Johann Wolfgang Von Goethe's; the film is unmistakably F.W. Murnau.

The Archangel (Werner Fuetterer) and the evil one are in a struggle for the world. Both are sure they know best. A bet is stuck for the sole of a religious alchemist named Faust as we can see he has knowledge of the elements yet maintains a moral attitude.

A grate plague appears and with all of his books and learning Foust can not save anyone. He turns to prayer and seems to get nowhere. So in a fit he burns his books; in the embers he spots a book that suggests he call on Mephisto (Emil Jannings.) He does so and is repelled at what he did. However after some dickering he accepts a one day contract to at least be able to help some of the plague victims. Naturally he is to reject God and sign in blood. And you guessed it things go wrong. He is tempted by youth, "Your Life was only the dust and mold of books.", and distracted with an Italian cutie Duchess of Parma (Hanna Ralph) just long enough for the sands to run out on him. From there things go down hill but the story heats up.

With the overwhelming visuals and great acting one tends to not notice the elements or threads that tie this film today to our society. Notice the standard circle and the calling upon the four corners as Faust calls three times the name Mephisto. Also notice the garlands that Gretchen made for the children. More interesting is the use of the flower with "She loves me...she loves me not."

Emil Jannings does such a good job that you almost find your self rooting for the bad guy.

For all intents and purposes, this is THE silent film to own, if one can own just one. It has everything. Drama, special effects, comedy, allegory, myth, good vs evil. Murnau is a director par excellence and displays his visionary propensities to splendid effect in this classic Goethe tale. The inimitable Emil Jannings plays a hearty, red-blooded Mephisto. Jannings as a silent screen actor invokes in one look, or a singular movement, what some contemporary actors could not hope to capture within a fete of endless dialogue. Camilla Horn plays a heartbreaking Gretchen, and the scene in which she wanders the snow with her dying baby is as evocative as it gets. Grab a hankie and do not feel shamed to find yourself swept along for the ride, of which there is a most splendid one included in this film, where Faust and Mephisto glide above a world in miniature. Amazing, exhilarating, absorbing. You shan't be disappointed.

Do you know that many older people dream all or in part in black and white? Our dreams (and perhaps that is what movies are) were framed by our visions of movies and TV. Murnau's, "Faust" is one of those visual images that sets in your mind and comes forward when you reflect on movies. It is that good, it is that powerful. Like his later movie, "Sunrise," Faust is a visual feast that is more colorful in black and white than it could possibly be in color. (I ALWAYS maintain that Kurosawa is more colorful in b-&-w than in color)
The story is simple. It is the story of Faust, a man who sells his soul to the Devil. The movie does slow down in the middle. But the imagry of the beginning and the end are worthy of the finest film crafting of all time.
I taught histoy for many years and an important facet of history is getting and understanding of where the world of today came from. We have cars because 100 years ago people grew fond ofr cars. We have airplanes because 100 years ago people grew to want planes. And we have movies because 100 years ago people made them part of their lives. Faust is one of those beautiful works of art that people love then and can still admire today.
Praise goes to Kino for producing a clear well scored DVD of a work of art for us to study and admire.

I'm not a silent film buff. But the story of Faust was enough of a temptation. The black and white photography, alone, makes this worth watching. The textures, gray tones, and authentic and artistic style kept me a captive audience. The orchestral soundtrack is something you would expect from Wagner. All in all, an excellent viewing experience.

Having watched Nosferatu recently, I've developed a bit of a Murnau "thing", and Faust has done nothing to dampen this. In some ways it's a similar film - figuratively, Mephisto is not unlike Dracula, and the use of the plague metaphor for societal decay is used in both films. Over 115 minutes Faust is neither even nor coherent enough to be in the same league as Nosferatu, though. The individual set pieces, however, thoroughly outdo anything in Murnau's Stoker adaptation.

The special effects are rudimentary, but boy do they pack some bang for their buck. The camerawork and heavily shadowed lighting lends a sombre and dreamy air to proceedings, and there are certain images, particularly at the beginning of the picture, which are astounding: Murnau's representation of the plague and Faust's invocation of the Devil (it reminded me of the strikingly similar Robert Johnson legend) are especially memorable scenes.

For all that, the middle of the film loses momentum badly. This is mostly not Murnau's fault: the Faust legend doesn't, when you analyse it, make for awfully good cinema. The dramatic impetus is done at the end of the first act. Once Faust has made his pact, it's game over; the rest of the story is just the slow revelation of the enormity of what Faust has done.

Murnau has a go at modifying this to make for a better screenplay, but it doesn't work. The Faust/Gretchen love interest isn't enough to hold up the last hour of the film, and bizarrely (given the decidedly unsettling opening scenes) Emil Jannings plays Mephisto not for dread but for laughs. I suppose that's the only way the Faust story has any credibility - we can believe that a beguiling trickster might pull a fast one on the fundamentally decent Faust, but not a horrible Satanic Majesty. But I don't think that is an excuse to turn the Devil into Oliver Hardy.

In his attempt to pull a happy ending out of the Hat (Goethe and Marlow don't have a happy ending, Faust scholars will note), Murnau eschews his slapstick for good old fashioned incoherence: Mephisto and Faust take leave of the screen altogether and Gretchen goes postal, things get very maudlin - to what point, your guess is as good as mine - and, rather abruptly (given how the last 30 minutes dragged) it's all over.

Just as there is for the new edition of Nosferatu, there is a commentary track prepared by an Australian actor with a comedy baritone voice. It isn't quite so insightful, however.

Well worth a watch, but you are left wondering what might have been.

As is to be expected of a great director, (F.W. Murnau, "Nosferatu", "The Man Who Laughs"), "Faust" delivers a brilliant adaption of this classic story concerning the perennial subject of good versus evil. Though, not apparently the first telling of this story, (IMDB lists 5 previous films with this title), it's perhaps, (to my knowledge) the oldest surviving version available. Its brilliance deserves preservation.
In a world struggling against pestilence, famine, and disease Mephisto decides he can attempt a hostile take-over through a real estate deal. The Archangel Michael agrees, that if Mephisto can win Faust over to his side, he gets the kit and kaboodle. Faust is a tired old doctor/alchemist who is disappointed at his inability to offer healing to those with the rampant-running plague. Soon, he calls on Mephisto and strikes up a deal with him. Mephisto gives him youth and pleasures of the world, until Faust falls for a simple girl.
This film is brilliantly done, with fantastic effects and brilliant storytelling. Some scenes are downright eerie, like Mephisto standing over the town with ravens wings. Emil Jennings plays a brilliant Mephisto, somewhere between the brilliant humor of mythical Loki and the dark evil vision of Zarathrustra's Angra Mainyu. Gösta Ekman is brilliant as Faust as well, from withered old man to young libertine, he shows talent rarely seen on the screen in recent time.
Though there aren't a lot of features on this disc, (including a nice photo gallery, a link to Kino's website, and scene selection), the print is beautiful for its age, and the music recently recorded and very appropriate. The price is a little high, but your not purchasing a sad copy for a few bucks, but a masterpiece both in original content and painstaking preservation. This film is worthy of being in any collection interest in great filmmaking.

Goethe's FAUST means for german-speaking countries what HAMLET means to the English-speaking world: the terror of schoolchildren forced to write essays and memorize its most famous quotations. Murnau's silent screen version offers us the unique opportunity to enjoy all the suspense of the play without being bothered by the immortal lines of its famous author...the version that I have seen was restored in 1995 by Luciano Berriatua and offers everything a film fan can hope for: Masterly direction, awesome visuals (at a time when the sets were built, not painted with a PC!), and knock-out performances.

The divine force (personified by a youth with swan-wings) and Mephisto (Emil Jannings as black crow with goat-horns) struggle over world-domination and open the competition over Faust's (Gösta Ekman) soul. Mephisto spreads his wings around the city, and the plague breaks out. Unable to find a cure for the disease, Faust conjures up the devil. Mephisto, now the prototype of middle-aged gluttony, appears and offers Faust a try-out contract for one day. This poor old fellow gets his youth back, but the devil is a pretty good psychologist: The very moment when Faust is about to seduce the duchess of Parma, the most beautiful woman on earth, his sands have run out. Of course, now he is eager to sign the long-term contract...With a filthy smile, Mephisto draws the curtains of the four-poster.

Carnal desire, however, cannot satisfy Faust for long. Innocence is, what tempts him now. Back in his home town, he falls in love with Margarethe (Camilla Horn), who is on her way to the church. Mephisto (Jannings, his upper half dressed like a shogun, his lower half clad in a skin-tight hose) on the other hand, gets hear-ache from her pious singing. The seduction scene would barely pass today's censors. Among other things, Mephisto mixes a love-potion for Mararethe's cousin Marthe. Heated up, the poor woman starts to chase Mephisto in an undecent manner.

Some scenes are of unearthly beauty, others shocking to an unbearable degree: Margarethe put in the pillory - the crowd rallies to gape at her. She drags herself along, her baby in her arms, during a snow storm - no one will help her. The devil deceives her once more with the illusion of a cradle: She puts her baby to bed - only to discover that she buried it under a blanket of snow. The vision of Margarethe's crying face follows Faust over chains of mountains...

Ekman later was Ingrid Bergman's partner in the swedish version of "Intermezzo"; The other stars went Hollywood. Wilhelm became "William" Dieterle, the famous director. Camilla Horn was John Barrymore's leading lady in "The Tempest" and "Eternal Love", and Jannings, of course, was the first actor ever to win an oscar. When he returned to Germany, they rolled out the red carpet for him. He remained the most renowned german actor until his death. Sadly, he also made some propaganda films, one of them (the anti-british "Ohm Kröger") is still blacklisted.

For the most part I have little to add to what others have written - it's a beautiful film, essential viewing, and it looks great on this DVD.
BUT, as regards the newly composed score, although the composer has done a fine job matching the drama (perhaps a bit too closely at times) -- it receives an truly poor performance (by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra??!?) -- the strings especially are not able to play the music with any reliable degree of accuracy, which makes for many painful moments. (Some parts sound ok -- woodwinds, and solo harp especially.) This is really an unfortunate, even embarrassing mark against an otherwise fine release -- unless the goal was to recreate the sound of an under-rehearsed cinema orchestra sight reading a score circa 1926, in which case it succeeds.

This film is ripe for reassessment as among the best silent films ever made and a true work of art. Unfortunately, most silent films are rarely seen outside of a small group of silent film enthusiasts. Murnau's earlier film "Nosferatu" is an exception, mainly because horror genre fans brought it to the attention of a wider audience. So "Nosferatu," a relatively immature low-budget work, receives all the attention, while "Faust," in every way beyond it, is not nearly so well-known simply because it doesn't fall neatly into a genre.

"Faust" features a stylish dream-like atmosphere punctuated with stunning special effects and lush visuals. Of course, this will not be to everyone's taste. Those looking for realistic straightforward storytelling may find it tedious or silly. I would say that "Faust" will appeal to fans of surreal "cult" films, ones that create their own unique allegorical world, such as "Brazil," "Dark City," "The City of Lost Children," "Being John Malkovich," "Metropolis," and the films of Jean Cocteau. In fact, the general atmosphere of Faust is most similar to Cocteau's "Beauty and the Beast" -- the young version of Faust reminds me of the Prince the Beast becomes. On a slightly lighter note, "Faust" should also appeal to fans of cult television shows like "The Avengers," "The Prisoner," and "Twin Peaks." I would even expect it to appeal to fans of classic Disney animation.

For a silent film of its day, the picture quality on "Faust" is very good. There is some slight unrepaired damage early on, but the picture quality becomes increasingly pristine as the film progresses. Of course, its certainly not as good-looking as a modern film nor those few silent films where the original negatives survive, but its certainly far better looking than "Nosferatu," where only a single so-so print survived. I think most people will be pleasantly surprised at just how good this looks. If the film ever finds the audience it deserves, enough to justify a thorough clean-up with modern digital techniques, I imagine that this film could look even more spectacular. The soundtrack consists of an excellent orchestral score.

Silent films being a cult in themselves, its doubly hard when their subject is also of mainly cult appeal. I hope "Faust" can break out of the straightjacket of silent films. It deserves to be ranked not just as among the best silent films, but as a classic film period.

Kino has just released the new DVD stroboscopic light show from the silent German era, "Faust", directed by Friedrich Wilhelm Plumpe, or F.W. Murnau. Adding onto his success with "Nosferatu", Murnau and UFA, the giant German studio, decided to spare no expense. There's no CGI here. But there is an impressive use of light, shadow, and wind, that includes a fantasy ride with the devil. The classic Goethe tale from 1926, Faust sells his soul to the devil when he is told: "Go to the crossroads, and call his name 3 times". The smoky,windy,moon-lit set fortells Murnau's "Sunrise", the classic filmed in Hollywood one year later. In 1927, Fox Pictures erected a huge city set on miles of open land, for "Sunrise". It's now covered by condominiums and known as Century City. "Faust" features Muranu's wistful direction, Camilla Horn as young Gretchen, and Emil Jannings as Mephisto. Just one year later, all three would be working in Hollywood. The second half of "Faust" bogs down with Gretchen's problems, and her brother's death. The brother is played by William Dieterle, a future Hollywood director. "Faust" has a large print cut 3 1/2 minutes into the film, and some serious negative print damage in the reel change from 2 to 3. Otherwise, the DVD is rather pristine for an 80 year-old film. F.W. Murnau died in a possibly scandalous car crash in 1931, in Santa Barbara, rushing to the premiere of his last film, "Tabu".