MURNAU (NOSFERATU / FAUST / THE LAST LAUGH / TARTUFFE / THE HAUNTED CASTLE / THE FINANCES OF THE GRAND DUKE)

Details

• Release Year: 1922
• Genre: Classic, Crime, Drama, Fantasy, Foreign, Horror, Mystery
• Plot: Nosferatu; A cornerstone of the horror film, F.W. Murnau's Noseratu is triumphantly reborn in this breathtaking new restoration by the F.W. Murnau Foundation. Backed by an orchestral performance of Hans Erdmann's 1922 score (recorded in 5.1 stereo surround), this Kino International edition is derived from a new high-definition transfer of Murnau's masterpiece, with unprecedented visual clarity and historical faithfulness to the original release version.; ; The Last Laugh; One of the crowning achievements of the German expressionist movement, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau's The Last Laugh stars Emil Jannings as an aging doorman whose happiness crumbles when he is relieved of the duties and uniform which had for years been the foundation of his happiness and pride. Through Janning's colossal performance, The Last Laugh becomes more than the plight of a single doorman, but a mournful dramatization of the frustration and anguish of the universal working class.; ; Faust; Mobilizing the full resources of the Ufa Studios, F.W. Murnau (Nosferatu, Sunrise) orchestrated a colossal adaptation of Goethe's Faust that ranks alongside Fritz Lang's Metropolis as the greatest achievement of the German silent cinema.; ; Gosta Ekman stars as the titular alchemist who, struggling with his faith amidst a devastating plague, is offered the power to cure and the gift of youth...in exchange for his soul. As the diabolical Mephisto, Emil Jannings (The Last Laugh) delivers a performance of operatic scale and intensity, by turns charming, comical, and horrific.; ; Tartuffe; The most gifted visual storyteller of the German silent era, F.W. Murnau crafted works of great subtlety and emotional complexity through his absolute command of of the cinematic medium. Known for such dazzling films as Nosferatu (1922), The Last Laugh (1924), Faust (1926) and Sunrise (1927), Murnau was also drawn to more intimate dramas exploring the dark corners of the human mind.; ; In Tartuffe, he revisits Moliere's fable of religious hypocrisy, in which a faithful wife (Lil Dagover) tries to convince her husband (Werner Krauss) that their morally superior guest, Tartuffe (Emil Jannings), is in fact a lecherous hypocrite with a taste for the grape. To endow the story with contemporary relevance, Murnau frames Moliere's tale with a modern-day plot concerning a housekeeper's stealthy efforts to poison her elderly master and take control of his estate.; ; The Finances Of The Grand Duke; In one of the most eclectic films of the German silent era, visual stylist F.W. Murnau (Faust, Sunrise) broke away from the dark, foreboding dramas for which he was known to explore the realm of light comedy. Working from a screenplay by Thea von Harbou (Spies, Metropolis), Murnau crafted a playful espionage thriller reminiscent of Ernst Lubitsch (who had recently left Germany for Hollywood).; ; The Haunted Castle; Before plumbing the depths of horror and despair with such films as Faust and The Last Laugh, Friedrich Wilhelm Murnau tested the waters with this moody drama of a storm-bound manor and the grim mystery that lurks within. A hunting party is interrupted by the arrival of a notorious Count (Lothar Mehnert), who is believed to have murdered his brother. The uninvited guest sets in motion an elaborate plot to resurrect the ghosts of the past and bring to light the dark secret that lies at the center of his brother's death.
• Runtime: 8:31
• Media Format: Movie