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Faust

Original title: Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage
  • 19261926
  • Not RatedNot Rated
  • 1h 47m
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
15K
YOUR RATING
Faust (1926)
  • Drama
  • Fantasy
  • Horror
The demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.The demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.The demon Mephisto wagers with God that he can corrupt a mortal man's soul.
IMDb RATING
8.1/10
15K
YOUR RATING
  • Director
    • F.W. Murnau
  • Writers
    • Gerhart Hauptmann(titles)
    • Hans Kyser(titles)
    • Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(play "Faust")
  • Stars
    • Gösta Ekman
    • Emil Jannings
    • Camilla Horn
Top credits
  • Director
    • F.W. Murnau
  • Writers
    • Gerhart Hauptmann(titles)
    • Hans Kyser(titles)
    • Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(play "Faust")
  • Stars
    • Gösta Ekman
    • Emil Jannings
    • Camilla Horn
  • See production, box office & company info
    • 73User reviews
    • 61Critic reviews
  • See production, box office & company info
  • See more at IMDbPro
  • Photos68

    Emil Jannings in Faust (1926)
    Yvette Guilbert and Emil Jannings in Faust (1926)
    Yvette Guilbert and Emil Jannings in Faust (1926)
    Gösta Ekman and Camilla Horn in Faust (1926)
    Gösta Ekman in Faust (1926)
    F.W. Murnau and Gösta Ekman in Faust (1926)
    Gösta Ekman in Faust (1926)
    F.W. Murnau and Emil Jannings in Faust (1926)
    Faust (1926)
    Faust (1926)
    Gösta Ekman in Faust (1926)
    Faust (1926)

    Top cast

    Edit
    Gösta Ekman
    Gösta Ekman
    • Faust
    • (as Gösta Ekmann)
    Emil Jannings
    Emil Jannings
    • Mephisto
    Camilla Horn
    Camilla Horn
    • Gretchen
    Frida Richard
    • Mutter
    • (as Frieda Richard)
    William Dieterle
    William Dieterle
    • Valentin
    • (as Wilhelm Dieterle)
    Yvette Guilbert
    Yvette Guilbert
    • Marthe
    Eric Barclay
    Eric Barclay
    • Herzog
    • (as Eric Barcley)
    Hanna Ralph
    Hanna Ralph
    • Herzogin
    Werner Fuetterer
    Werner Fuetterer
    • Erzengel
    Hans Brausewetter
    Hans Brausewetter
    • Farmboy
    • (uncredited)
    Lothar Müthel
    • Friar
    • (uncredited)
    Hans Rameau
      Hertha von Walther
        Emmy Wyda
          • Director
            • F.W. Murnau
          • Writers
            • Gerhart Hauptmann(titles)
            • Hans Kyser(titles)
            • Johann Wolfgang von Goethe(play "Faust")
          • All cast & crew
          • See more cast details at IMDbPro

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          Storyline

          Edit

          Did you know

          Edit
          • Trivia
            Due to the success of F.W. Murnau's previous film, The Last Laugh (1924), the studio promised him an unlimited budget with which to make this film.
          • Quotes

            Erzengel: [Last lines] The word that rings joyfully throughout creation, the word that alleviates every pain and sorrow, the word that absolves all the guilt of humanity, the eternal word. Dost thou not know it?

            Mephisto: What is the word?

            Erzengel: Love

          • Alternate versions
            There were several versions created of Faust, several of them prepared by Murnau himself. The versions are quite different from one another. Some scenes have variants on pace, others have actors with different costumes and some use different camera angles. For example, a scene with a bear was shot with both a person in costume and an actual bear. In some versions, the bear simply stands there. In one version, it actually strikes an actor. Overall, five versions of Faust are known to exist out of the over thirty copies found across the globe: a German original version (of which the only surviving copy is in the Danish Film Institute), a French version, a late German version which exists in two copies, a bilingual version for Europe prepared by Ufa, and a version prepared by Murnau himself for MGM and the US market (July 1926).
          • Connections
            Edited into Histoire(s) du cinéma: Fatale beauté (1994)

          User reviews73

          Review
          Top review
          9/10
          A magnificent spectacle; one of cinema's finest
          F.W. Murnau's telling of the classic German legend, 'Faust' is a masterpiece to behold. From both the technical and story standpoint, the film excels and despite being nearly eighty years old, Faust still stands tall as one of the greatest cinematic achievements of all time. F.W. Murnau has become best known among film fans for 'Nosferatu', but this is unfair to the man. While Nosferatu is something of an achievement; it pales in comparison to this film in every respect. Faust is far more extravagant than Murnau's vampire tale, and it shows his technical brilliance much more effectively. The story is of particular note, and it follows a German alchemist by the name of Faust. As God and Satan war over Earth, the Devil preaches that he will be able to tempt Faust into darkness and so has a wager with God to settle things. Satan sends Mephisto to Earth to offer Faust an end to the plague that is making it's way through the local population, and eternal youth, in return for Faust's soul...

          The way that Murnau creates the atmosphere in the film is nothing short of amazing. The lighting and use of shadows is superb, and helps to create a strong sense of dread at the same time as making the film incredibly easy on the eyes. It's the music that's the real star of the show, however, as it's absolutely fantastic and easily ranks up with the greatest scores ever written. The scenery is expressionistic and gives the film a strong sense of beauty (which is increased by the excellent cinematography), especially in the darker scenes; all of which are an absolute delight to behold. The story is undoubtedly one of the most important ever written, and within it is themes of good, evil, religion and most importantly, love. The points are never hammered home, and instead they are allowed to emancipate from the centre of the tale, which allows the audience to see them for themselves rather than being told; and that's just the way a story should be.

          It's hard to rate the acting in silent cinema as being a member of a modern audience, I'm used to actors acting with dialogue and judging a performance without that is difficult. However, on the other hand; silent acting is arguably more difficult than acting with dialogue as the only way to portray your feelings to the audience is through expressions and gestures, and in that respect; acting is just another area where this film excels. In fact, there isn't an area that this film doesn't excel in and for that reason; it easily ranks up with the greatest films ever committed to the screen.
          helpful•44
          6
          • The_Void
          • Jan 9, 2005

          Details

          Edit
          • Release date
            • December 6, 1926 (United States)
          • Country of origin
            • Germany
          • Languages
            • None
            • German
          • Also known as
            • Fausto
          • Filming locations
            • Ufa-Atelier, Berlin-Tempelhof, Berlin, Germany
          • Production company
            • Universum Film (UFA)
          • See more company credits at IMDbPro

          Technical specs

          Edit
          • Runtime
            1 hour 47 minutes
          • Color
            • Black and White
          • Sound mix
            • Silent
          • Aspect ratio
            • 1.33 : 1

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