faust (1926)

the final film produced by friedrich wilhelm murnau in his native germany, faust (based upon the famous tale of german folklore) revolves around an incredibly simple premise, yet is magnificently epic in its full form. in fact, faust proved to be UFA's (universum film AG) most ambitious film to date, only being overtaken financially by fritz lang's metropolis the following year. in terms of set design and visual effects the film was advanced beyond its years, and still manages to impress.

the camerawork is outstanding, especially in the flight sequence. for its time this was ridiculously ambitious. the effects, although variations on simple old fashioned techniques, still work very well. it all adds up to create a very specific yet wholly appropriate style. there is a shot involving the young girl that is the object of the young faust's attention, whereby she becomes entrenched by the evil power of the necklace he gives to her, which involves an unusual camera movement that makes it appear that she grows physically whilst under its control. its a fleeting second of a shot, but fascinating nonetheless, and incredibly effective.

there is some genuinely terrifying visuals, the plague being inflicted upon the village being the one that immediately springs to mind, and sticks there too! the giant feather that makes up a section of mephisto's headpiece is downright bizarre, but all the more disturbing for it. there is a legitimate comedic streak throughout the picture, and is especially prevailant in certain scenes. the most obvious of these comic scenes would be the "he loves me, he loves me not" sequence, wherein mephisto is pursued by the character of marthe schwerdtlein. such narrative breaks were common place in the cinema of the twenties; over-serious subject matter was often broken by over the top, out of character (in terms of the style of the film) sections.

the film is rife with religious allusions, much further beyond the literal footing that the subject matter carries with it. the scene towards the end of the film revolving around gretchen's walk across the snowy field is akin to the proverbial trek across the desert, with the omnipresent tree even reminiscent of a palm tree. im not sure whether or not this is intentional, but its a great little touch. the religious aspect ties into the films overlying and ultimate theme; that of redemption.