What It's About:

Losing his faith in God after a plague devastates his village, bookish alchemist Faust (Ekman) turns to black magic for help, and is visited by Mephisto (Jannings), a demonic trickster spirit who promises him eternal worldly youth-in exchange for his soul.

Why I Love It:

Murnau's visually inspired updating of this "German folk legend," as the subtitle has it, is a dramatic masterpiece of the silent era, and one of the famed silent director's most arresting films. Stylized sets, expressionistic lighting, and a strong cast, including Camilla Horn as the corrupted virgin and possible savior of the doomed Faust, only add to the film's majesty and mystery. Jannings, for his part, is downright creepy as the cunning Mephisto: a pure embodiment of evil. Deals with the devil are rife in cinema, but "Faust" makes the story as disturbing as ever.