No one did Gothic folklore better than F.W. Murnau. The master director’s final German production before emigrating to Hollywood, Faust was the most expensive, high-concept Weimar film at the time of its 1926 release. With Emil Jannings portraying Mephisto and Gösta Ekman as Faust, its unprecedented imagery and grandiose storytelling serves as a highlight of the Expressionist movement.
Drawing upon Goethe’s nineteenth-century magnum opus, as well as more ancient folklore foretelling of Satan and God’s battle over earth, Murnau’s translation of FAUST showcases the Weimar Republic’s devotion to the macabre, the uncanny, and the grotesque. It’s imagining of Satan, archangels, and demons, and its unprecedented special effects held a marked influence on fantasy films to come. It’s simply unmissable on the big screen. Screening as part of Silent Revue’s mini-retrospective—Fantastical Horror: Vampires, Reapers, and Necromancers! (ALICIA FLETCHER)
Live accompaniment by Tania Gill
Silent Revue is curated by Alicia Fletcher
Silent Revue is sponsored by Hollywood Suite