Faust: A Review

Long has it been considered that man's ability to discern good from evil has been one of the main differences between man and beast, but what would happen if a man were asked to choose evil to facilitate a good? Well, that is the question at the center of the Silent masterpiece Faust (1926), directed by one of the grand masters of silent cinema, F.W. Murnau.

A wager is made between a demon and an angel over the purity of man. Like the question of a zebra's color and that of it's stripe the angel and demon argue whether man is good with tinges of badness, or bad with tinges of goodness. The demon Mephisto wagers man is bad and to prove it sets a plague to Faust's village, knowing that Faust will be wracked with guilt as the leading scientist, but not being able to cure anyone. With this as a foundation, Mephisto knows Faust will make a deal with Satan to provide him the ability to cure and heal, with the only caveat: Faust's soul shall be bartered to the father of lies.

And Faust takes the bait.

The movie unfolds from there tackling tough issues such as reliance on faith as opposed to science and other such issues. Very Avant-Garde for it's time, and still a very controversial topic 80 years later. I do have to sit in wonder, as I write this review, of how a movie could stay so relevant and thought provoking after all this time. Will our movies today be watched in 80 years and make the audience consider their faith and their science?

The physical acting is key here, as the silence takes away much of the actors ability to convey emotions, and I feel the clear victor in that aspect is Emil Jennings, who plays the demon Mephisto, perfectly capturing the demonic aspects of the embodiment of evil. As a relevant fun fact, the demon Chernobog in Fantasia's "Night on Bald Mountain" is based loosely on Mephisto from this movie.

Also of note is Gösta Ekman, who plays the titular doctor. Ekman plays a very conflicted man, and he plays it well. When Faust is granted youth, you see a man who is not trying to live forever, but trying to relive the life he now feels is full of mistakes. And it's touching and sincere, not hammy and over played like could have happened.

In short, the movie is superb, a brilliant use of early special effects and a very forward thinking drama of morality and the condition of man.

Dr. Brooklyn says: LIKE this movie (8.75/10)