Faust & Late Period Murnau

At the height of his career in Germany, F.W. Murnau (director of the horror classic Nosferatu) sought to create a film that would utilize only the art of cinema. The result is The Last Laugh, a film shot on carefully constructed soundstages using the "unchained cinema" technique of director of photography Karl Freund which employs flawless, gliding camera motion of a type that movies would not see again for decades after the introduction of sound. With no dialogue or narration intertitles save one, The Last Laugh communicates its story entirely through the visual language of film. Emil Jannings, one of the top actors of German silent cinema, portrays an elderly hotel doorman who is sacked from his job and subsequently finds his entire life falls apart. A tragic story of Weimar-era Germany that serves as a testament to the storytelling power of movies.

Written by Ben Rowe.

One hundred years after it premiered, F. W. Murnau's Faust returns to the big screen the way audiences first heard it, with a live organist in the room. Chris Maric performs a new score on the National Music Centre's Allen Theatre Organ, playing a one-man orchestra against one of the greatest works of German Expressionist cinema. Demons, angels, a bargain with the devil, and 100 minutes of sound that shakes heaven and hell.

The story of Faust has captivated the world for four and a half centuries. One hundred years ago, the acclaimed German filmmaker F. W. Murnau set out to create the definitive rendition of this classic tale, a film of truly epic scale that stands today as a landmark of cinema history. With the aid of writer Hans Kyser, he drew on everything from the legend of the historical Faustus to the retellings of Marlowe, Gounod, and most especially Goethe, and mounted the largest motion picture production Germany had ever seen, at an astounding cost of 2 million reichsmarks.

Swedish actor Gösta Ekman stars as the alchemist who bargains with the devil for knowledge, power, and youth, appearing as both an old man and a young one, opposite German actor Emil Jannings as the villainous Mephistopheles. The film is a tour-de-force of German Expressionist style, gorgeous hand-crafted special effects, and unforgettable sequences of visual splendour as Mephistopheles and his demonic hordes battle the angels of Heaven for Faust's soul. It is for the love of the innocent Gretchen (Camilla Horn) that Faust may be redeemed, if he can save her in time.

For its 100th anniversary, Calgary Cinematheque is proud to present F. W. Murnau's Faust with a new musical score written and performed by Chris Maric, live on the Allen Theatre Organ, courtesy of the National Music Centre. Just as Murnau drew on the rich history of Faustian storytelling, so too does Maric draw on the music that history inspired. Join us and be transported back 100 years to discover this crowning achievement of silent cinema!

About Chris Maric

Chris Maric is a multi-instrumentalist known for his truly unique and innovative musical style. He has honed a technique which persistently flirts with genius, yet seemingly is always on the verge of recklessly stumbling into depths of unbridled passion.

In contrast to last year's performance of Phantom of the Opera, where Maric performed a predominantly original score, this year's score weaves together a multitude of classical works. It respects the original compositions while reimagining them through the lens of this strange and beautiful film. The result is a one-of-a-kind emotive and captivating experience.

Join us and be transported back 100 years to a crowning achievement of silent cinema.

Following the financial failure of his Faust, Murnau came to Hollywood where he had been invited by William Fox to make an Expressionist style film in America. Murnau chose to collaborate with Carl Mayer, who had written The Last Laugh three years earlier, to create a humanist fable about a young couple from the country who lose each other in the confusion and sin of the big city, before coming back together again. Sunrise features cinematography from Karl Struss which not only utilizes Murnau's unchained cinema style, but also features gorgeous special effects shots using amazing sets built for the production. The poetic story garnered incredible praise at the time and won several awards at the very first Academy Awards including "Best Unique and Artistic Picture" and "Best Cinematography." Coming at the dawn of the sound era, the film features music and sound effects, but no dialogue and few title cards.

Written by Ben Rowe.

The final film of F.W. Murnau, Tabu exists in a context with several other "Polynesian paradise" films of the 1920s such as Moana (1926) by Robert Flaherty and White Shadows in the South Seas (1928) by W.S. Van Dyke, both of which filmed on location in Tahiti.

Flaherty is the "father of the documentary" thanks to his early works of what is now considered "docufiction" such as Nanook of the North (1922) and he partnered with Murnau for this new picture, which has a more explicitly dramatic tone but was still shot on location in Tahiti with native Tahitian performers in the roles. The beautiful cinematography of Floyd Crosby won a second Academy Award for both a Murnau film and a Tahitian-shot film. Taking the form of a classic love story, Tabu was praised by critics and a hit with audiences at the time, but suffers from "noble savage" stereotypes prevalent at the time. Nevertheless, its gorgeous visuals and timeless story make it a fitting end to Murnau's career, as he passed away in a tragic car accident soon after the film's release. 

Written by Ben Rowe.