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Faust
(1909) United States of America
B&W : One reel / 990 feet
Directed by J. Searle Dawley
Cast: William Sorelle [Mephistopheles], Laura Sawyer [?] [Marguerite]?, [?] ? [Faust]
Edison Manufacturing Company production; distributed by Edison Manufacturing Company. / Scenario by [?] J. Searle Dawley?, from the opera Faust by Charles Gounod (music), Jules Barbier and Michel Carré (libretto). Cinematography by F.S. Armitage. / © 24 December 1909 by Edison Manufacturing Company [J136439, J136440, J136441, J136442, J136443]. Released 24 December 1909. / Standard 35mm spherical 1.33:1 format.
Drama: Historical.
Synopsis: [The Moving Picture World, 15 January 1910, page ?] An old man bargains with the devil for the sale of his soul in return for the temporary gifts of youth and its consequences. Dr. Faust at the time of the compact is an old man and, being changed by the power of Mephistopheles into a young one, of course, has a good time. He wins the love of a young woman, sends her to the bad and ultimately goes there himself.
Reviews: [The Moving Picture World, 15 January 1910, page ?] When we saw the picture we had no difficulty in recognizing the principal characters of the story, its trend and its development. A sympathetic pianist played snatches of Gounod’s music, which helped to place us in sympathy with the picture. The Edison Company certainlyhandle the subject in a fine manner, giving the scenic artists and the actors and actresses every opportunity. It was a bold subject to attempt and the company got through the task very successfully. They seemed to transmit the very atmosphere of the piece to the audience. The three principal characters — Faust, Mephistopheles and Marguerite well filled their parts; that is to say, the presented the conventional aspects of the interpreters of these characters. The gradual process of Marguerite’s downfall at the hands of the ardent Faust is graphically shown and the scene where the girl is leaving the church and where she is first seen by Faust is a very fine piece of impressive stage work. “Faust” must be accounted a great Edison success.
Survival status: (unknown)
Current rights holder: Public domain [USA].
Listing updated: 15 April 2024.
References: Website-AFI; Website-IMDb.
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