A growing source of silent era film information. This listing is from The Progressive Silent Film List by Carl Bennett. Copyright © 1999-2025 by Carl Bennett and the Silent Era Company. All Rights Reserved.

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	Gösta Ekman. Photograph: courtesy Kino Lorber.

Cast: Gösta Ekman [Faust], Emil Jannings [Mephisto], Camilla Horn [Gretchen], Wilhelm Dieterle (William Dieterle) [Valentin], Freida Richard [Gretchen and Valentin’s mother], Yvette Guilbert [Marthe Schwerdtlein], Eric Barclay [Herzog, Duke of Parma], Hanna Ralph [Herzogin, Duchess of Parma], Werner Fuetterer [erzengel (archangel)]; Hans Brausewetter, Lothar Müthel, Hans Rameau, Emmy Wyda, Hertha von Walther

Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft [UFA] production; distributed by Universum-Film Aktiengesellschaft [UFA]. / Produced by Erich Pommer. Scenario by Hans Kyser, from Germanic legends and the play Faust by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe. Art direction by Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig. Costume design by Georges Annenkov, Robert Herlth and Walter Röhrig. Cinematography by Carl Hoffmann. / Premiered 14 October 1926. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format. / Lillian Gish was originally selected to play Gretchen but she insisted that Charles Rosher be the film’s cinematographer, and Murnau preferred cinematographer Karl Freund. When Gish left the production and Germany altogether, Charles Rosher remained to observe UFA production techniques and was a production consultant on the film. When Freund became ill and unable to shoot the film, he was replaced by Hoffmann. Camilla Horn’s first credited film role. The film was released in the USA by Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer on 6 December 1926. The film was released in the United Kingdom by Wardour Films, Limited.

Drama.

Survival status: Print exists (of the USA release version) in the Filmoteca Española film archive.

Current rights holder: Friedrich-Wilhelm-Murnau-Stiftung [Germany]; Public domain [USA].

Keywords: Authors: Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Listing updated: 28 September 2013.

References: Film credits, film viewing : Bardèche-History p. 255; Brownlow-Parade pp. 230, 233; Everson-American p. 322; FilmYearBook-1926 front endpapers; Geduld-Birth p. 147; Kobal-Fifty p. 36; Limbacher-Feature p. 78; Lloyd-Seventy p. 34; Maltin-Classic p. 210; Marrero-Vintage pp. 25, 26, 157; McCaffrey-Guide p. 12; Nollen-Karloff p. 89; Shipman-Cinema p. 93; Vermilye-Twenties pp. 179, 186 : Cinemonkey-16 p. 15 : Website-IMDb.

Home video: Blu-ray Disc, DVD.