Faust

Foxbat

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Faust – Directed by Jan Svankmajer

Starring Petr Cepek

Region 1 DVD. 4:3 picture ratio, stereo sound.

‘So I resolve my soul to free, through blackest magic and dark alchemy’

A modern-day retelling of the story of Dr Faustus.

Our hero is a nameless everyman kind of character who leads a drab existence in the city of Prague. Exiting one day from a subway station, he is given a map – which draws him to his ultimate destiny.

In an abandoned theatre, he finds a copy of Goethe’s Faust – which he begins to read. Unwittingly, he summons up a devil (Mephistopholes) who offers him his heart’s desires in return for his soul.

The story takes on the form of a journey- we visit mountains and lakes, tread the boards of the theatre and wander the streets of Prague as our hero is driven towards his ultimate damnation.

‘The power I give shall far exceed that of all kings and emperors’.

Too late he realises his folly and tries to escape his bargain – but the demons are not for relinquishing their rights.

That is the story in a nutshell. But there’s so much more to this film. Using a mixture of real-life action, claymation animation and diabolic life-sized mannequins gives this movie a unique touch. The mannequins are based on nineteenth century designs and seem to just ooze mischief and cruelty. Anybody who finds the look of ventriloquist dummies somewhat unsettling will find many images within Faust to be profoundly disturbing.

On a much lower level, this is a film about textures. The many close-up shots show wood with peeling paint, the patinas of the mannequins themselves, dead creatures, bird droppings, crumbling plaster walls – this film visually reeks of decay and chaos. Strangely enough, I found the image of blood oozing from a wooden hand and a claymation baby two of the most disturbing.

‘I shall eat, dance and try not to fart’

There is a thread of very black humour running through this film and there are times when you let out a chuckle - but even that does not disperse the unsettling visionary tapestry for very long.

Can I truly say I enjoyed this film? No. But I did find it mentally stimulating. It’s the kind of film to be watched more than once before its subtleties begin to unfold. I’ve watched this movie three times now as I tried to get a handle on the whole situation.

Magical, mischievous, disturbing, dream-like – all these can be applied to Faust – but it will be quite a while before I watch it again.
 
Sounds interesting- I'm keen on the Faust story. Funnily enough, the opera was on tv last night. My mum said it was a terrible opera, so I annoyed her by singing Siebel's songs for ages last night.
 
I've always found the Faust tale one of the most compelling legends ever - and it looks like this is an intersting re-telling that I shall have to track down. Thanks, Foxbat!
 
I did a short story once that I put Faust into, and I had to write a monologue for his last diary entry, which was sort of weird.
 
I forget who now, but there was a 20th century playwright who came out with an interesting riff on Marlowe's Faustus, drawing parallels with the scientists who worked on the Manhattan Project, using science to unleash evil. Ring any bells? :confused:
 
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