Faust: Restored Deluxe Edition

With the vast resources of Germany's legendary UFA studios at his disposal, F.W. Murnau created this epic rendition of Goethe's classic Faust, filming entirely in-studio, where he bolstered the mystical elements of the story with an astonishing display of stylistic and technical wizardry. In its ambitious retelling of Faust's tragic seduction by the satanic Mephisto, Faust is one of the last great films of the German silent era, a lavish showcase for Murnau's mastery, opening with the famous wager between the protagonists over Faust's soul, as the fate of humanity hangs in the balance. Hoping to spare his fellow villagers from Mephisto's spreading plague, the aged alchemist Faust desperately summons the forces of darkness. Enter Mephisto (the great Emil Jannings), who tempts Faust with eternal youth, the love of the virginal beauty Gretchen, and a lifetime of pleasure (leading to a deceptive betrayal, of course). Kino International's new two-disc deluxe edition of Faust features the original 1926 German release (106 min.), with hand-painted German intertitles (and optional English subtitles), backed by two scores (one compiled from historic photoplay music by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra; the other adapted by Perez de Azpeitia from the original orchestral arrangement). Also included is the previously available 116-minute 1930 U.S. release of Faust, an hour-shy “making of” documentary, screen-test footage for Ernst Lubitsch's abandoned 1923 production of Marguerite and Faust, set design illustrations, notes on the Mont Alto score, and an essay by film historian Jan Christopher Horak. Highly recommended. [Note: Faust is also collected in Kino's $99.95 new boxed set Murnau, along with Nosferatu, The Last Laugh, Tartuffe, The Haunted Castle, and The Finances of the Grand Duke, with the last two also newly available separately for $24.95 each.] (J. Shannon)[Blu-ray Review—Nov. 17, 2015—Kino, 107 min., not rated, Blu-ray: $34.95—Making its first appearance on Blu-ray, 1926's Faust features a fine transfer and stereo sound. Extras include an alternate 1930 cut of the film (115 min.), “The Language of Shadows” making-of documentary by Luciao Berriatúa (53 min.), screen tests (12 min.), and alternate scores. Bottom line: a silent classic makes a welcome debut on Blu-ray.]