Damnation of Faust

I know similar titles can be confusing--but that's no excuse for reviewers posting their writings on the wrong IMDb page. Méliès actually made four different adaptations of the Faust legend: "Faust and Marguerite" (1897), "Damnation of Faust" (1898), "The Damnation of Faust" (1903, sometimes called "Faust in Hell") and "Faust and Marguerite" (1904). The 1898 film--this film--is presumably no longer existing, as is the 1897 film (although film scholars such as Paul Hammond, John Frazer and Jacques Malthête argue about its survival). Apparently, they were fairly short--having only one catalogue number--and remain little known today because of being lost. As for the other two, each survive in fragmentary form, missing certain scenes from their original descriptions. If you think you've seen the lost 1898 film, you've seen the 1903 version. There are no prints surviving of the other two lost adaptations--and there probably never will be.

Damnation Of Faust, The (1903)

*** 1/2 (out of 4)

aka Faust aux enfers

The story of Faust has been told many times but leave it to Melies to bring his own magic to the familiar story. Right from the start Satan grabs Faust and forces him into hell where he is made to witness strange dances, fiery pits and a seven headed monster. This film runs just under 7-minutes and Melies spends the majority of the time showing us the downfalls of Hell and this includes a terrific looking monster, which is made up as a big head with seven, snake like heads coming out of it. This create is certainly one of the better examples of the young horror genre. Another highlight in the film is a great sequence where Satan and Faust fall down a large cave into the pits of Hell. The full power of the magic of Melies is on display here making this one of the better films from the master. A narration track is included.

The version that I saw of this was dark, nearly completely blacked out in some instances. Méliès' version of the tale of Faust, being snatched up by Satan and dragged off to Hell. After impressive effects (for their day) of the ground opening up, and caves giving way to more caves and , eventually, Hell itself, he is forced to watch various horrors, as people dance in firey caves, and a bizarre head with many limbs floats about, in this strange, hallucination-like short film from 1898.

At times, this looks like solarised black-and-white photography, which both helps it and hinders it, giving it a unique, and even creepier look than it would have already- yet it also makes it difficult to figure out a lot of Méliès wonderful trick photography and gimmicks.

Georges Méliès made several films based on the Faust story by Goethe. This one is about the portion of this incredibly longwinded German story where Faust is taken down into the underworld. Not at all surprisingly, Méliès plays Satan...something he did in several dozen films. And, not surprisingly, there are dancing girls in Hell because the director loved putting dancing girls in so many of his films...whether they belonged there or not! Imagine...Faust being taken to see a ballet recital there...is what exactly happens among other things. In other wors, Georges Méliès had a very strange idea of what Hell would be like. But the film IS creative (at least in some ways), has impressive sets for 1898 and keeps your interest. Worth seeing if you are a fan, otherwise you might want to try a different film by this French story teller.