The last and best of Murnau's German films, this silent version of the
much-filmed Faust story is a work of extraordinary visual beauty and
emotional power. The studio-constructed sets have a Gothic
splendour, while cameraman Carl Hoffman draws out the full mythic
force of the narrative through subtleties of light and shade. Even the
slow central sequence, where romance and comedy are substituted for
drama, is distinguished by Murnau's characteristic delicacy of
composition; while the redemptive ending is most affecting. The
visually stunning scene of Faust's voyage through the skies should
convince anyone still doubtful of the aesthetic achievements of
silent cinema.
