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Faust

Lekce Faust

France, United Kingdom, Czech Republic

1994

97 Min
Color
1.37:1
Latin, Czech
No Subtitles
Audio in English
  • Currently 4.0/5 Stars.
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DIR Jan Švankmajer

EXEC Karl Baumgartner, Keith Griffiths, Michael Havas, Hengameh Panahi, Colin Rose

PROD Jaromír Kallista

SCR Jan Švankmajer

DP Svatopluk Malý

CAST Petr Čepek, Jan Kraus, Vladimír Kudla

ED Marie Zemanová

PROD DES Jan Švankmajer, Eva Švankmajerová

ANIM Bedřich Glaser

SOUND Ivo Špalj

Cannes (Un Certain Regard), Karlovy Vary (Competition): Special Prize of the Jury, Toronto

Synopsis

Goethe’s classic story, Christian Dietrich Grabbe’s novel and Marlowe’s Doctor Faustus combine in the phantasmagoric world of famed Czech animator Jań Švankmajer. In Švankmajer’s version, Faust is solicited by the devil’s assistants at a Prague subway exit. He agrees to sell his soul directly to Mephistopheles in exchange for 24 pleasure-filled years. The deal is done, but Faust gets more than he bargained for, as he is first turned into an actor and then into a puppet. This most unusual of adaptations is a highly inventive surrealist fantasy featuring surprising and imaginative clay animation combined with live-action and grotesque life-size marionettes. It is a modern myth, offering illusions within illusions that illustrate the ordinary corruption, miseries and vanities of the human soul.

Director

Original

Jan Švankmajer

Jan Švankmajer (born 4 September 1934 in Prague) is a Czech surrealist artist. His work spans several media. He is known for his surreal animations and features, which have greatly influenced other artists such as Tim Burton, Terry Gilliam, The Brothers Quay and many others. Švankmajer has gained a reputation over several decades for his distinctive use of stop-motion technique, and his ability to make surreal, nightmarish and yet somehow funny pictures. He is still making films in Prague. Švankmajer’s trademarks include very exaggerated sounds, often creating a very strange effect in all eating scenes. He often uses very sped-up sequences when people walk and interact. His movies often involve inanimate objects coming alive and being brought to life through stop-motion. Food is a favorite subject and medium. Stop-motion features in most of his work, though his feature films also include live action to varying degrees.

A lot of his movies, like the short film Down to the Cellar… read more

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Joseph S

18Mar12

Worth seeing--about the best low-tech art movie imaginable. But be prepared. This movie is visually and aurally disturbing. The kind of film that could give adults nightmares. Released in '94, the production values are mostly on par for this kind of film, but the outside shots are dingy. Far better than Little Otik, which is incredibly overrated--a TV movie compared to this.

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games

15Mar12

it really is disturbing

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janveneziani

8Jan12

Engraçado, perturbador, assustador... A história de Fausto contada da forma mais sinistra e hilária.

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Taylan Sonsaat

22Aug11

Jan Svankmajer found the most possible way to directing Gothe's classic and epic story, Lesson Faust.

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W184

The Forgotten: Pazuzu Dans Le Metro

By David Cairns on February 23, 2012

Yves Montand plays the devil in a 1950s-made, 1920s-set version of Faust with beautiful sets worth going to hell for.

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