Early films '' (1903), directed by
Georges Méliès •
Faust and Marguerite, a short copyrighted by Edison Manufacturing Co. in 1900 •
Faust, an obscure (now lost) 1921 American silent film directed by Frederick A. Todd •
Faust, a 14-minute-long 1922 British silent film directed by
Challis Sanderson In one scene, Mephisto towers over a town, dark wings spread wide, as a fog rolls in bringing the plague. In another, an extended montage sequence shows Faust, mounted behind Mephisto, riding through the heavens, and the camera view, effectively swooping through quickly changing panoramic backgrounds, courses past snowy mountains, high promontories and cliffs, and waterfalls. In the Murnau version of the tale, the aging bearded scholar and alchemist is disillusioned by the palpable failure of his supposed cure for a plague that has stricken his town. Faust renounces his many years of hard travail and studies in alchemy. In his despair, he hauls all his bound volumes by armloads onto a growing pyre, intending to burn them. However, a wind turns over a few cabalistic leaves, and one of the books' pages catches Faust's eye. Their words contain a prescription for how to invoke the dreadful dark forces. Faust heeds these recipes and begins enacting the mystic protocols: On a hill, alone, summoning Mephisto, certain forces begin to convene, and Faust in a state of growing trepidation hesitates, and begins to withdraw; he flees along a winding, twisting pathway, returning to his study chambers. At pauses along this retreat, though, he meets a reappearing figure. Each time, it doffs its hat in a greeting that is Mephisto confronting him. Mephisto overcomes Faust's reluctance to sign a long binding pact with the invitation that Faust may try on these powers, just for one day, and without obligation to longer terms. Upon the end of that day, the sands of twenty-four hours having run out, after Faust's having been restored to youth and, helped by his servant Mephisto to steal a beautiful woman from her wedding feast, Faust is tempted so much that he agrees to sign a pact for eternity (which is to say when, in due course, his time runs out). Eventually Faust becomes bored with the pursuit of pleasure and returns home, where he falls in love with the beautiful and innocent Gretchen. His corruption (enabled, or embodied, through the forms of Mephisto) ultimately ruins both their lives, though there is still a chance for redemption in the end. Similarities to Goethe's Faust include the classic tale of a man who sold his soul to the Devil, the same Mephisto wagering with an angel to corrupt the soul of Faust, the plague sent by Mephisto on Faust's small town, and the familiar cliffhanger with Faust unable to find a cure for the Plague, and therefore turning to Mephisto, renouncing God, the angel, and science alike.
Post-war Films published after 1945. ;
La Beauté du diable [
The Beauty of the Devil] : Directed by
René Clair, 1950 – An adaptation in which
Michel Simon plays a
dual role as Mephistopheles and the older Faust, with
Gérard Philipe playing Faust as transformed into a youthful form.
Woe to the Young (
Greek:
Αλίμονο στους νέους) Directed by
Alekos Sakellarios, 1961 – The story of a rich old man (
Dimitris Horn), who wants to be young again so as to marry a young girl (
Maro Kontou), and makes a deal with the Devil. ;
Doctor Faustus : Directed by
Richard Burton and
Nevill Coghill, 1967 – A British horror film adaptation of the 1588
Christopher Marlowe play
The Tragical History of the Life and Death of Doctor Faustus. ;
Phantom of the Paradise : Directed by
Brian DePalma, 1974 – A vain rock impresario, who has sold his soul to the Devil in exchange for eternal youth, corrupts and destroys a brilliant but unsuccessful songwriter and a beautiful ingenue. ;
Mephisto : Directed by
István Szabó, 1981 – Portrays an actor in 1930s Germany who aligns himself with the
Nazi party for prestige. ;
Lekce Faust (
Faust) : Directed by
Jan Švankmajer, 1994 – The source material of Švankmajer's film is the Faust legend; including traditional Czech puppet show versions, this film production uses a variety of cinematic formats, such as stop-motion photography animation and claymation. ;
Faust: Love of the Damned : Directed by
Brian Yuzna, 2000 - Spanish English-language superhero horror film based on
the comic book of the same name by
Tim Vigil and
David Quinn. ;
Faust : Directed by
Aleksandr Sokurov, 2011 – German-language film starring Johannes Zeiler, Anton Adasinsky, Isolda Dychauk. ;
American Satan : Directed by
Ash Avildsen, 2017 – A rock and roll modern retelling of the Faust legend starring
Andy Biersack as Johnny Faust. ;
The Last Faust : Directed by
Philipp Humm, 2019 – a contemporary feature art film directly based on Goethe's
Faust, Part One and
Faust, Part Two. The film is the first filmed version of
Faust I and
Faust II as well as a part of Humm's
Gesamtkunstwerk, an art project with over 150 different artworks such as paintings, photos, sculptures, drawings and an illustrated novella. ;
Fleabitten Bargain : An episode of
Wishbone (TV series) directed by Ken Harrison, 1995 – A children's television show where a dog recounts historical stories. This specific episode features Faust, a scholar who traded his soul to the devil for fun, but everything he wants comes at a price. ==Audio adaptations==