F.W. Murnau’s stylish classic has come to Blu-ray and we are going to be taking a look at this release. The film is also significant because it is always fun to see Emil Jannings and Camilla Horn’s work in German cinema. As always, thanks to Kino Lorber for the review copy.
Note: This is a review of the home video release, not of the film itself.
Legendary director (and victim of a recent posthumous decapitation) F.W. Murnau’s work has been getting a steady supply of quality Blu-ray releases and Faust is the latest.
The Film:
This release includes a Blu-ray of the German release and a DVD of the longer American cut. Both films are presented in black and white. The German version has optional English subtitles while the American release has English subtitles burned on. The Blu-ray is, naturally, the more attractive of the two films but both look just fine.
(Please note that I do not go frame-by-frame looking for flaws in silent film releases. Rather, I look at overall image quality. Any motion picture that is almost ninety years old will invariably have some signs of age but don’t let looking for errors distract you from the fact that we are looking at a ninety year old movie! In our own homes! How cool is that?)
The Music:
As has become typical for Kino Lorber releases, this version includes a selection of scores.
The German release: We are given the option of a piano score by Javier Perez de Azpeitia based on the original 1926 orchestral arrangement or a full orchestra score based on historical music of the period from the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra.
The American release: Only one score but it’s a doozy: a very moody soundtrack composed by Timothy Brock and performed by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra. This score was my favorite in the release.
I realize that alternate scores are expensive and not always an option for more obscure releases but I very much appreciate their inclusion.
The Extras:
In addition to the alternate American cut, the set also includes a documentary on the making and restoration of the film.
Best of all, we are shown screen tests from an abandoned attempt by Ernst Lubitsch and Mary Pickford (!) to bring to story to Hollywood. Actor after actor tries to look oh-so-wicked as Mephisto. (Had it been me, I would have cast Lew Cody in the role.)
(All of the extras except the American cut are included on the Blu-ray disc.)
While this disc contains most of the same special features as Kino’s two-disc deluxe DVD edition, Blu-ray enthusiasts will want to get this version for the uptick in image quality of the German release.
Availability: This Blu-ray will be released in the U.S. on November 17, 2015 and is available for pre-order.
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Movies Silently 
“Please note that I do not go frame-by-frame looking for flaws in silent film releases.” I always refer folks who WANT that level of analysis to “The Silent Era.” It seems like one website performing that function is plenty, and that guy is way more qualified to make those calls than I am. Of course, it takes him longer to get to these new releases.
Yeah, I just don’t enjoy that kind of viewing. It’s stressful just thinking about it. Plus, it’s subjecting these films to a level of scrutiny that would NEVER be used for mainstream reviews of the latest Hollywood films. Silent film producers are working on tight schedules and budgets and it’s frankly astonishing that they are able to release these films for so little money. And, quite often, the nitpickers actually have no idea what they are talking about (I’m not talking about Silent Era, rather the noxious brand of reviewer that always seems to pop up in retail website review sections.)