Faust

Celebrate the 100th anniversary of one of silent cinema’s greatest masterpieces as Faust (1926) makes its debut at Studio Bell, home of the National Music Centre.

Calgary Cinematheque returns to Studio Bell with another 100th anniversary screening and a live score played on the Allen Theatre Organ. Last year’s Phantom of the Opera sold out two weeks early, so get your tickets while you can.

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.

Calgary Cinematheque is screening the late works of F. W. Murnau all month long. Buy your Faust ticket before September 30 and we’ll email you a discount code for the full series pass.

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!

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.

Doors: 6:30pm, show at 7:30pm