S 1921 Move notes

This film can be considered the pinnacle of artistic achievement from the silent film era, and even when watched today, it still has the power to deeply move the audience's emotions. At the beginning of the film, the farmer, under the seduction of the city woman, decides to murder his wife. This plot point is highly dramatic and conflict-ridden. The inner struggle of the farmer is one of the highlights of the film. Murnau, through delicate performances and camera work, vividly portrays the farmer's conflicting emotions. We can see him torn between morality and desire, which not only adds complexity to the character but also sets the stage for the subsequent plot development. When the farmer takes his wife to the lake to carry out his plan, her innocence and trust make him abandon his evil intention. This segment is full of tension and emotion. The wife's purity and love deeply move the audience, prompting the farmer to reassess his actions. Murnau employs numerous close-up ...

The film "Faust," shot in 1926, is a silent movie adapted from the famous German play of the same name. As a pioneer of the horror genre, it introduced several valuable innovations that remain impressive even today. This movie is notably innovative in its creation of horror elements. Although the script borrowed from Goethe's original work, director F.W. Murnau infused the film with unique horror aspects. In 1926, few films ventured into the realm of horror, making Murnau's depiction of the devil on screen a groundbreaking move. Using advanced visual effects of the time, the audience could experience a novel and unsettling sense of fear. The special effects in the opening puppet scene were particularly groundbreaking, successfully creating a chilling atmosphere. In terms of the script, the film stays fairly true to the original play but does exhibit some tonal shifts. In the first half of the story, the protagonist Faust sells his soul to the devil, incorporating some...