"Faust" is a film loosely based on the classic novel of Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. In it, a scholar, desperately looking to find a meaning in life, meets the devil and agrees on an unholy pact that will bring him the love of a beautiful young lady in exchange for his soul.
As mentioned above, this is by no means identical to the text it is based upon. Surely you could criticize this, but in my opinion it is of no harm for the movie, rather it adds some uniqueness. The general mood is very dark and sinister, with quite a few ugly scenes, which helps to draw the audience into the environment of the play and shows the desperation and the consequences of the pact in heavy pictures. I like how the filmmakers played with some of the well-known sentences from the text, even though I found it a bit confusing to quote Luther in this context. At times the camera lengthens the frame a bit, which is not my cup of tea but I guess there are people who will like it.
All in all this is a very well adaption, especially because it is brave enough to be sinister and add own thoughts. This way, the film is not just one in a million of Faust-based plays but it stands out and works for itself.
As mentioned above, this is by no means identical to the text it is based upon. Surely you could criticize this, but in my opinion it is of no harm for the movie, rather it adds some uniqueness. The general mood is very dark and sinister, with quite a few ugly scenes, which helps to draw the audience into the environment of the play and shows the desperation and the consequences of the pact in heavy pictures. I like how the filmmakers played with some of the well-known sentences from the text, even though I found it a bit confusing to quote Luther in this context. At times the camera lengthens the frame a bit, which is not my cup of tea but I guess there are people who will like it.
All in all this is a very well adaption, especially because it is brave enough to be sinister and add own thoughts. This way, the film is not just one in a million of Faust-based plays but it stands out and works for itself.