F. W. Murnau’s Faust at 100 with a live score by Julianna Barwick
About the event
The haunting tale of a scholar, tempted by the Devil to sign away his soul in exchange for universal knowledge, has been a resonant cultural motif across five centuries. If the essential literary text for the Faustian myth is Johan Wolfgang von Goethe’s 19th century poetic drama, its cinematic equivalent is F. W. Murnau’s visionary 1926 silent adaptation, a masterpiece of haunting visual design that explores rich themes of morality and materialism. Starring Oscar-winning actor Emil Jannings as the terrifying trickster Mephisto, Murnau’s tale emerges from the disturbing underworld into the dreams of lost innocence for one of the most remarkable films from the German Expressionist milieu. A century later, scores of international filmmakers, including Guillermo del Toro, Jennifer Kent, and Robert Eggers, continue to be influenced by this masterwork. The Academy Museum is thrilled to present this film with live accompaniment on the occasion of its centennial and of MUBI’s newest publication, The Faust Bible: The Making of F. W. Murnau’s Masterpiece , which will be available for purchase in the Academy Museum Store. Programmed and note by K.J. Relth-Miller.
