Faust (1926)

 F.W. Murnau's "Faust"


At the height of the German Expressionist movement in the 1920s, F.W. Murnau released "Faust," an adaption of the legendary folktale of Faust. The film was a massive failure for the studio, as the budget was the highest ever recorded for a German film. Despite its lackluster commercial success, the film has been widely celebrated as an innovative use of the expressionist style. 

The special effects were unlike anything seen before. Because of the supernatural and fantastical elements of the film, realistic effects had to be invented to achieve the visual spectacle. The demon Mephisto had to disappear and reappear. His dimensions had to constantly be changing. He had to supernaturally create fire. To achieve this, Murnau had to film with two cameras. In using two cameras to shoot, sequences could be edited together to make it look like fantastical occurences were actually happening. 

By the time "Faust" was released, Murnau had already departed Germany for Hollywood. Murnau's inventive style was recognized. Because of this, "Faust" was Murnau's last film made in Germany. It also represents a prime example of German Expressionism at its creative peak.



Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Rio Bravo (1959)

Image
  Howard Hawks' "Rio Bravo" To conclude the filmography of Howard Hawks, I watched his 1959 western film " Rio Bravo ." I've got to say that I was expecting a lot more out of this picture based on all the praise for the film. That is not to say that I didn't like it, it was a fine time at the cinema (I was not at the cinema, I was at home). I can't say that I should have expected more, as I'm not entirely that big of a fan of Howard Hawks. Even his best film (to me), " The Big Sleep " is arguably one of the weaker film noirs that I've seen. " Rio Bravo " is a film that apparently is a response to 1952's " High Noon ," which was an allegory about Hollywood's blacklisting and McCarthyism. Howard Hawks and John Wayne felt the film was anti-American and instead made " Rio Bravo " to broadcast an alternative perspective in which the hero of the story doesn't shy away from justice. I personally ha
Read more

That Obscure Object of Desire (1977)

Image
  Luis Bunuel's "That Obscure Object of Desire" Luis Bunuel's final film before his death, " That Obscure Object of Desire " does not feel like a thematic summation of his filmography. That regard would go to his prior film, " The Phantom of Liberty ." Rather, " That Obscure Object of Desire " feels more like a strange after-the-fact memo. It does not display the typical levels of surrealism that most Bunuel films are known for. However, it still manages to  Bunuel based his script on the 1898 Pierre Louys novel " The Woman and the Puppet ." His film tells the story of a wealthy Frenchman named Mathieu who becomes obsessed with a young, impoverished Spanish flamenco dancer named Conchita. As the two become intertwined in a romance, it becomes clear that Conchita will not let Mathieu have sexual relations with her. She continues to tease and sexually frustrate him, as he continues to give her money and other various things to win
Read more

King Kong (1933)

Image
  Merian C. Cooper & Ernest B. Schoedsack's "King Kong" There are many post-Depression American 'box office' films that I have seen in my film studies journey. Most of these post-Depression box office films don't typically sit right with me. The films I have in mind are the gangster and monster films that swept the nation in the early 1930s. These films typically were meant to placate an anxious American audience. However, the depth to their thematic intricacies leave something to be desired. Even without this depth, the 'entertainment' aspect of these films were not very entertaining to me. However, there is one film that utterly surprised me, 1933's adventure epic " King Kong ."   The story is well-known. A group of filmmakers travel to a remote island to take advantage of strange and interesting natural wildlife unknown to the outside world. There they meet an indigenous people, all terrified of a large, monstrous primate living on
Read more