1/5 Do not buy unless you know German!
  by Vivian Wright (Cincinnati, OH USA)
This product is only sold on the western hemisphere, yet the captions are written entirely in German! I realize this was a German movie, but I do not know German, and nowhere in the product description did it say the captions had not been translated. I was extremely excited when I ordered this and when i watched it extremely disappointed. Once again, do not buy this product unless you can read German!

5/5 a few extra thoughts
  by CHASE
I just watched the restored 2009 Kino version of this amazing film, and was completely blown away. What an amazing film, and how influential it appears to have been. I quickly scanned the other reviews, and no one seems to have commented on how
much Disney took from this for the "Night on Bald Mountain" section of FANTASIA.
I also have a feeling that M-G-M might have been influenced on THE WIZARD OF OZ ...
particularily in the "flying monkeys" sequences. And I'm sure that, given some more time think about it, other films that were influenced would come to mind.
One bit of warning ... the young Faust looks an awful lot like Tony Curtis in his
SOME LIKE IT HOT drag performance. And Emil Jannings Satan often seems like a cross
between Divine and Maudie Frickert. Somehow, thought, this just adds to the enjoyment.

5/5 One Of The Best Pieces of Expressionist Cinema
  by Matthew the Raven (Wisconsin)
I love German expressionism, especially that in the sci-fi/fantasy/horror genre, and have to say that this movie is one of the finest works of the style. I loved the special effects, the story, and the characters, and found it to be very enjoyable. Fans of horror and silent movies ought to check it out.

3/5 Not bad...
  by E. D. Deuss (Phoenix, AZ)
What can one say about a good movie? Quality is quite good, picture elements have been restored as best as they can be, which is not too bad.

My main gripe with this film (as I have with most other silent films on DVD) is that they are projected AT THE WQRONG SPEED! This speeded-up action really does take away from the quality of the film, as well as the seriousness of the drama. (This film was recorded at 20 frames per second [fps] but is shown at 24 fps, thereby lousing up the rhythm of this near-masterpiece!!)

There are two versions in this set: the American version, which runs 116 minutes, and the German version which runs only 106 minutes. The German version has subtitles in the intertitles, which can be bothersome to watch. (The quality of the German version is slightly less than the American version.)

The music for the American version is heroic indeed, performed by the Olympia Chamber Orchestra; the German version is performed -- I think -- very blandly by the Mont Alto Motion Picture Orchestra. Music-wise, the American version's music is vastly superior!

So, all in all, I really can recommend this film, despite the shortdomings of too-fast projection. The acting is good, and the "special effects" work is nicely done, too. A worthy addition to any cinephile's library!

5/5 Excellent Murnau
  by Hounddawg1963 (Illinois USA)
This is one of the more well-known, and one of the best, of Murnau's films, along with Nosferatu and The Last Laugh. For those unfamiliar with the myth, Faust is a morality play, pitting good against evil, and the selling of your soul to the devil for earthly richs. Others have gone into details about this dvd, so I won't. But I will say the first 30 minutes of the movie are some of the best opening scenes of any silent movie. Must have for anyone collecting classic silent films of any genre.