"Films from the German Expressionism era are famous for their fiercely stylized mise-en-scene, and to Murnau the medium's very artificiality provided the keys to locating its truths." - Fernando F. Croce

The amazing set pieces, creative camera use, and rich expressionism are enough to carry the film in spite of some questionable comedic scenes and uninspired acting.

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Like Nosferatu, Faust is a simple story told amazingly well. It's not quite as economical, but here the visuals and story are even stronger. The bookends are particularly brilliant. Faust takes a slight detour in the middle, where it seems to become more of a silly romantic comedy than an unnerving tale of good versus evil, but the bleakness of its ending reveals Murnau's true intentions, and then it hits you. Hard.

The story is of course great and the performances are generally impressive (with the exception of Emil Jannings who varied between really good and far too hammy) but what really makes the film is the artistry Murnau brings to it. The middle of the film lags a bit admittedly (Mephisto's interactions with Gretchen's mother add little to the film), but overall I was very impressed with the film's stunning images, beautiful harp score and the closing fifteen minutes which were really rather moving.

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#438

Tons of cool visual ideas put on screen here, but for me the experience was let down by the awful score by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra (on the Kino restored deluxe version). Repeating, uninspired and didn't fit at all with what went on in the film.

Some really great effects for the time but the story didn't really make a huge amount of sense and some of the acting (Jannings in particular) was a little overdone.

mephistonun gelisi, ucus sahnesi

This has some impressively complex shots and special effects. Similarly to Sunrise (though not nearly to that level of technical prowess), Murnau's camera is free to move fluidly in all directions. Brilliant use of miniatures and double exposures helps create a dark, mystical world. I enjoyed Murnau's telling of the mythical story despite some goofy parts near the middle. The character of Mephisto was quite entertaining, and the finale, though a bit cheesy, was well executed.

Despite losing momentum somewhere around the middle, Faust is an engaging film with impressive effects. In fact, the image of Mephisto towering over the city is one of the coolest I've seen in silent films so far. Jannigs is totally hamming it up in that role, but it's impossible not to smile at his expressions. I was thoroughly mesmerised during the climax, and the film more than makes up for some of the filler halfway through.

A hell of an impressive film. The B&W look is fantastic, especially in the opening and closing scenes. It's peculiar how this film skips between sorrow-intense dramatic and romantic playfulness; just goes to show how much control this film has of its mood.

The romantic and apparently comedic asides are so absurdly off tone compared to the bookends that it kind of ruins the movie. I was into it, then I wasn't, then I was. Meh.

Murnau harika bir yonetmen, bunu cepe attik zaten. Mefisto karakteri de sinemanin en tatli karakterlerinden olabilir (adeta Levent Kirca).

Murnau's Faust is most indebted to Goethe's version, but more a keeping of the legend alive rather than a loyal or modernized adaptation of Goethe per se. It's quaint and truthfully in touch with the antiquated world-view of the folk tale, but does include romanticism. Visually, it's stunningly picturesque. The visual effects are primitive but not obsolete; they are meticulous and display an artistic brilliance missing in more modern fx designs. The first act is the strongest.

The striking images don't make up for dullness of the story. The conflict between Faust and Mephisto doesn't make much sense and neither part is effective. I fact, parts of it are almost comedic, with Mephisto being so neutered that he seems to be more comic relief than menace. The rest of the cast is ok but not especially sympathetic, which makes the driving force of the film falter tremendously.

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The film's sense of morality is somewhat simplistic by today's standards--it doesn't spend much time on Faust's struggle. And it doesn't spend much time showing you all the great stuff he got from Satan either, dedicating a lot of time to a romance subplot instead. Other than that, it's an astounding film, with special effects and lively characterizations that I didn't expect at all. Murnau clearly had a very strong sense of how much can be conveyed with visuals alone.

There is about everything in this film what you can do with silent black-and-white flick. Highly experimental. A religious undertone did not bother too much the story. Maybe it was a bit too long; you can get the message in shorter time.

The irony here is that I LOVE horror films but I generally like nonhorror Murnau films much better than this or _Nosferatu_

Emil Jannings hams it up to the extreme, severely overdoing the gestures and expressions (sometimes for ineffective comedic purposes). He plays Mephisto more like an annoying troublemaker than a figure of evil. This is supposed to be the lord of the underworld, not Drop Dead Fred. Besides his performance, however, a top-notch film with astonishing sets, photography and special effects.

The effects here are fantastic, for starters; among the best you'll find in any silent film. The story is a compelling good-vs.-evil tale (though I much prefer Marlowe's version), with a very touching romantic angle. The beginning and end are riveting and wholly engaging. The middle of the film, however, isn't quite to the standards of the rest - it's a bit plodding, and Jannings, who is fairly hammy overall, is at his worst in these sections. Still, its strengths far outweigh its flaws.

An entertaining film. It even has nudity and a fart joke. Whoda thunk.

Really stunning imagery, but perhaps a bit too tedious after Faust becomes young.

A fully formed thesis on the possibilities of cinema, Faust's genuis is letting the legend breath within the terms of the medium. Even in 1926, it showed the unbridled artistic power of film.

a strong beginning and a fantastic ending, but the middle is fairly unimpressive. this movie would have been better off making faust a minor character since satan was so damn entertaining, it also could have used some serious trimming and a revamping of the dialog which is opaque and overbearing.