The Date: March 19
The Movie: Faust (1926)
What Is It?: F.W.
Murnau used the hoary parable of Dr. Faustus selling his soul to Old Scratch as a
leaping-off point for some of the director's most striking images. Forget the
proselytizing and focus on puppet demons galloping through the cosmos on
horseback, a demonic contract flaming into existence without pen ever touching
parchment, and a Godzilla-sized Satan looming over the village he is about to
plague with the plague.
Why Today?: On
this day in 1859, Charles Gounod’s Faust opera premiers at Paris’ Théâtre
Lyrique.
