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8.7
/10
2,350 Ratings

FAUST

Faust: Eine deutsche Volkssage

Directed by F.W. Murnau
Germany, 1926
Fantasy, Horror, Drama, Silent
  • 108108 minutes

Synopsis

Faust, a pious alchemist, despairs as plague rages through the village. His prayers unanswered, he turns from God and summons the demon Mephisto, who grants him healing powers for one day. When the gift backfires, Faust hies back to his garret, where Mephisto waits with even sweeter enticements.

Synopsis

Faust, a pious alchemist, despairs as plague rages through the village. His prayers unanswered, he turns from God and summons the demon Mephisto, who grants him healing powers for one day. When the gift backfires, Faust hies back to his garret, where Mephisto waits with even sweeter enticements.

Our take

Among the crowning achievements of German silent cinema, F.W. Murnau’s baroque fantasy epic is a canny marriage of cinematic modernism and ancient awe. Framed in dualistic chiaroscuro and brimming with boundary-pushing effects, Faust is a magical work of sublime, cosmological grandeur.