Welcome back to another episode of Film Conversations. After a bit of a hiatus, we’re back and at full force, so to speak: RC Charles Robert is back at the table.

Today’s film is FW Murnau’s silent masterpiece, released in 1926: Faust.

To set the scene, here’s an excerpt from the Criterion article on the film:

https://criterioncast.com/column/for-criterion-consideration/for-criterion-consideration-f-w-murnaus-faust

One of the most well known legends of the Renaissance period was Faust, a German necromancer whose exploits transformed into the tale of a man who sells his soul to the Devil in exchange for all the knowledge in the world. Over the centuries, the story has been countlessly reshaped and rebooted. Most recently Russian director Alexander Sokurov (who is most well known for his one-take wonder, Russian Ark) released a free-interpretation of the Faustian tale. The first film to directly adapt the story was made by Frederich Wilhelm Murnau in 1926, just before he moved to America. Based on a two-part dramatic poem by Goethe, Faust begins with the demon Mephisto who has made a bet with an Archangel that he can corrupt any righteous man’s soul. If the Devil succeeds, he will win dominion over earth. The Archangel agrees, on the condition that the Devil set his sights on Faust, an elderly alchemist whose pursuit of knowledge and truth sets him apart from man. The Devil delivers the plague to a local village, forcing Faust to use his alchemic skills to create an antidote. After he fails to find a cure, Faust rejects God and science, turning to a book of dark magic to summon Mephisto (played by Emil Jannings). Once Mephisto materializes on Earth, he presents Faust with a contract stating that he will now be able to cure the plague in exchange for his soul.

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This was a great conversation that, as usual, ranged beyond the film to wider, yet still related matters.

Oh and during the intro, the German film company UFA is mentioned. You can learn more about UFA here.