Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.0
Audio		4.0
Extras		4.0
Overall		4.0

Faust Blu-ray Movie Review

Reviewed by Brian Orndorf November 5, 2015

Summoning the fury of Heaven and Hell to make a movie about the operatic nature of sin and salvation, F.W. Murnau’s “Faust” is a stunning example of silent film technique and vision. The 1926 production, an expensive effort in its day, showcases remarkable helming precision, with Murnau leaving blood and sweat on the frame as he creates a specific vision of suffering that demands emotional extremes to help create a level of cinematic beauty.

There’s a story offered in “Faust” concerning a wager between Mephisto (Emil Jannings) and an Archangel (Werner Fuetterer), focusing on the nature of a single man, alchemist Faust (Gosta Ekman), who makes a deadly deal with evil, contributing to moral corruption and threatening his love for Gretchen (Camilla Horn). The tale is compelling, enduring wild swings of fate and darkness, but the draw of “Faust” is Murnau, who packs every frame with a universe of detail informed by art and life. It’s heroic work, using visual might to identify sophisticated concepts of religious fury and excitable character exchanges.

Faust Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

The AVC encoded image (1.26:1 aspect ratio) presentation will likely be pulled apart and studied frame-by-frame by silent film and Murnau enthusiasts, but for casual fans and first-time viewers, the disc handles the complexity of the visual language quite well. Stitched together from various sources, "Faust" isn't cleanly represented, with plenty of scratches, jumpy frames, and damage to contend with, but clarity is surprisingly available. Detail varies throughout, but passages of the film look fresh, permitting admirers to survey depths, facial reactions, and complex use of special effects. Contrast is generally secure, with encouraging delineation for a feature of this age.

Faust Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Listeners are offered a choice between a piano score by Javier Perez de Azpeitia, and an orchestral score by The Mant Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. The 2.0 LPCM tracks are sturdy creations with strong instrumentation, providing an intriguing difference in intensity and atmosphere.

Faust Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Blu-ray:

• "The Language of Shadows" (52:57, SD) is a 2007 overview of the arduous "Faust" shoot, with select interviews and assorted evidence gathered to identify Murnau's demanding work ethic and his need to punish his cast to create a sense of realism. The information presented here is scattershot, but most valuable are side-by-side examples of the different takes Murnau prepared for multiple cuts of the feature.

• "Marguerite and Faust: Screen Tests" (11:51, HD) showcase a group of actors displaying their best interpretation of evil for an aborted Ernst Lubitsch production.

DVD:

• "Faust" (115:51) is offered in a 1995 English restoration, with a score from Timothy Brock, performed by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra.

Faust Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

"Faust" is an enormous production, crashing from side to side with ferocity, but still tending to softer moments involving the human characters as they struggle with their unique challenges and persecution. While dramatic depth remains, it always comes in second to Murnau's directorial dominance, presenting a journey into another, more biblically minded world that's frequently spectacular.