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Faust

  • Film
Best animated films: Faust
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Time Out says

Opening in a determinedly familiar contemporary milieu - a man emerging from a crowded Prague subway is handed a map - this film by the Czech surrealist Jan Svankmajer soon moves into stranger, darker territory. The man visits the spot on the map marked 'X' - a courtyard and a theatre dressing-room complete with costumes, make-up and a copy of Goethe's Faust. Reading the book, he becomes embroiled in a world of obscure spells, alchemy and deals with the Devil. On to this the director grafts a wealth of themes, motifs, allusions and gags, his method an expertly executed, profoundly imaginative combination of live action, claymation, puppet theatre, stop-motion animation and special effects. There are a couple of dramatically flat moments, when one feels Svankmajer hasn't quite got the measure of the feature-length narrative, but for the most part this is a film which galvanises the mind and astonishes the eye. In a word, magic.

Written by GA

Release Details

  • Duration:87 mins

Cast and crew

  • Director:Jan Svankmajer
  • Screenwriter:Jan Svankmajer
  • Cast:
    • Peter Cepek
    • Vladimir Kudla
    • Jan Kraus
    • Jirí Suchy
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