Faust - Eine deutsche Volkssage (1926)

AKA:
Faust >> Austria, Czechoslovakia, France, Germany, Hungary, International
Fausto >> Argentina, Brazil, Portugal, Spain
Faust: A German Folk Legend Canada, English

Synopsis:
God and Satan war over earth; to settle things, they wager on the soul of Faust, a learned and prayerful alchemist. During a plague, Faust despairs and burns his books after failing to stop death; Satan sends Mephisto to tempt Faust, first with insight into treating the plague and then with a day's return to youth. Mephisto is clever, timing the end of this 24 hours as Faust embraces the beautiful Duchess of Parma. Faust trades his soul for youth. Some time later, he's bored, and demands on Easter Sunday that Mephisto take him home. Faust promptly sees and falls in love with the beautiful Gretchen, whose liaison with him brings her dishonor.

German alchemist Faust is the object of a wager between God and Satan. Satan sends Mephisto to Earth to offer Faust an end to the plague that is making it's way through the local population, and eternal youth, in return for the small price of his soul.

Murnaus Film verwebt Motive aus dem Volksbuch über Johann Fausten mit Elementen aus den Dramatisierungen dieses Stoffes durch Christopher Marlowe und J. W. Goethe: Die Suche des alten Faust nach Weisheit, das Angebot Mephistos, dem greisen Gelehrten mittels eines mit Blut besiegelten Pakts ein Leben in ewiger Jugend zu verschaffen, sowie Fausts Begegnung mit Gretchen mit den Episoden Verführung, Duell mit Gretchens Bruder Valentin, Pranger, Scheiterhaufen und Erlösung durch die Liebe. Und dies alles eingerahmt von den Streitgesprächen zwischen dem Erzengel und dem Herrn der Finsternis.

Starring:
Gösta Ekman
Emil Jannings
Camilla Horn

Director: F. W. Murnau
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