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SYNOPSIS | REVIEW | PRODUCTION NOTES | TRIVIA | PRESS | QUOTES | KIM NEWMAN ARCHIVE | MEDIA
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Faust and Mephistopheles (1898)
CREDITS
PRODUCTION SCRIPT DIRECTION PLOT SUMMARY The demonic Mephistopheles tempts the disillusioned academic Faust. NOTE
One of the greatest and largely unexplored phenomena of the silent era of British horror cinema remains the industry's fascination with Johann Wolfgang von Goethe's epic verse play Faust (1808 - 1832). Between Smith's Faust and Mephistopheles and the advent of sound (a period of just 30 years) there were no less than eight British versions of the tale. Goethe's original is a sprawling, two-volume epic about the seduction by the demonic Mephistopheles of the disillusioned academic Faust, the bizarre netherworld of witches and fabulous creatures through which Faust travels, and his ultimate redemption and transmigration to heaven. Based on a German legend, Goethe's play, one of the landmarks of Teutonic literature, has been subjected to many varied interpretations, the most famous perhaps being the opera written by Charles Gounod in 1859, which in turn became a landmark of French 19th century opera. Given the breathtaking scope of Goethe's original, it's hard to imagine what remains in Smith's 75 foot version, though Dennis Gifford's terse description (in The British Film Catalogue 1895-1985, "Satan conjures vision of girl, for whom old man signs pact and is made young") certainly suggests a major reduction of the original content. It wasn't the last we were going to see of Faust in the silent era and none of the subsequent works were suited to adapting the tale accurately either. BOOKS Reference Guide to Fantastic Films p.135 KEYWORDS the devil, faust, trick photography
Last Updated: 15 October, 2008
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