Faust

Two different versions of this film exist, for commercial reasons. Murnau shot multiple takes of every scene because worldwide distribution required enough printing negatives. The best takes went into the German print; the export prints were assembled from discarded takes and weaker effects work. For decades, the Faust seen outside Germany was not the one Murnau preferred. The German version has since been reconstructed from nitrate duplicate negatives UFA printed in 1926. The film's power is in its effects: double exposure, games of scale, miniatures and oversized sets, and the use of shadow. The shot of Mephisto's wing spreading across a town still works. Emil Jannings plays Mephisto, Gösta Ekman both the old and young Faust, and Camilla Horn plays Gretchen. It was Murnau's last German film; he left for America afterwards. Who it is for: viewers curious about the visual limits of silent cinema and the craft of pre-digital effects. Who it is not for: anyone careless about which print they watch. Several versions in circulation descend from the export negative and lack the film's best shots.