Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926)'s comments

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KPND

I liked it a lot, but the love-dovey chasing-around stuff in the middle drags on too much.

10 years 11 months ago

Nosferatu be damned, every other Murnau film I've seen, like Sunrise, and now Faust, I've liked better! His adaptation of Goethe's master work (which did exist as a folk tale before then) is nothing short of epic, and from the start, the visuals are spectacular and don't let up. Using double exposure, vast miniature sets, and all sorts of other camera trickery (I can't figure it all out, like the contract writing itself, wow), Murnau creates the Horsemen of the Apocalypse, a giant Mephisto sending a plague down to Faust's town, unseasonable snow storms, heaven and hell... there's no stopping him from bringing his vision to life. There's a slight dip in the middle when the Devil seems to fall for a witch (that tracks) and he has to arrange for Faust to get the girl as per their deal for his soul, but perhaps the levity helps make the bleak climax more shocking, though the story is really about forgiveness in the end and not so bleak after all. Emil Jannings makes a fearsome, monstrous devil, so it's perhaps prophetic that he would go on to be a high-profile Nazi. If that gives you an extra chill watching Faust, it may be for the good.

4 years 6 months ago

schneid67

It's beautiful. Like a painting. Every shot is amazing. The part in the middle might drag a bit, but it's so worth it and so good regardless.

9 years 3 months ago

TheMajor

What a visual delight. Just watched this for a second time. Still blown away by the visuals. And the story-telling is there, too. The cinematography and special effects are so damn beautiful. Why is it so incredibly beautiful? It's too darn beautiful. Why did Murnau die? Shouldn't he sign a pact with the devil and get a second youth? How can a piece of film be this beautiful? It's so pretty. A feast to the eye, a pleasurable sight.

11 years 9 months ago

seithscott

Brilliant, visual poetry. The special effects were great for the time period.

12 years 10 months ago

landencelano

What a visual feast! This is right up there with Cocteau's La belle et la bete in depicting some of the most magical cinematic images ever. I was completely taken off guard. Hoorah!

13 years 5 months ago

afan

*picks jaw up off the floor!

12 years 4 months ago

idjutt

I watched this after snoozing through "Birth of a Nation". What a surprise! This is vivid and fresh even today. Only thing I was a little disappointed with Mefistopheles being this tiny guy after that great entrance.

12 years 6 months ago

Eldylabor

The highs in the middle are necessary to drive in and really make you feel how low the lows are and make the payoff at the end even more rewarding.

4 years 6 months ago

locovoco

'Say the word, love' - from the song The Word by The Beatles off of Rubber Soul

'Sagen, das ewige wort......Liebe' ( or 'say the eternal word- Love' from Faust

Faust and the Beatles.....who knew?....what a small world...

And speaking of Small World, this movie was fantastic but the soundtrack behind the version I watched made me feel like I was trapped on Disney World's Haunted House ride with a crazy man playing every possible pre-programmed sound from his synthesizer! Hope I can find another version of the movie with better backing music......

Update: yes there is a better version with a fantastic score by Timothy Brock...that's what you want to look for...

8 years 3 months ago

weirdboy

In case anyone is interested, this is on MUBI today for free (at least, for the next couple of hours), and will be on for the next 30 days as part of the paid service.

The quality of the visuals and sound is outstanding in the version they are showing.

8 years 3 months ago

Shari.

"Liebe." Brilliant Ending!

10 years 3 months ago

ClassicLady

Watching it on YouTube sucks...it's so dark and gritty. But I could see how this could be visually stunning if it were cleaned up and viewed on the size screen it was meant to be shown on. The special effects were unbelievable. The sets were magnificent. How could they have done all this when the artistry itself was so young? Brilliance!

10 years 6 months ago

criscoJovan

Damnit! Wish I would've seen either of the versions posted on here. Instead I winded up watching an awful quality on the openflix youtube channel. I don't know what I was thinking..

12 years ago

harposboy

Stunning

12 years 6 months ago